Completely agree with the below - believe the starting point for all dealership shops should be $50.
I once fell for the "easy, no test drive required" thing and of course had to do the test drive because he asked, as he should. Thankfully I got $40 for that one.
(I do think they know they are being heavily shopped - zero follow up from the salesperson after my visit.)
I have never done a car sales shop that was less than an hour if the salesperson was doing what was expected. The instructions for every assignment I have had has been clear that you are not allowed to rush them or tell them you have to leave at a certain time. Of course, some take an exceptionally long time because the salesperson is slow walking you.
The ones that require you to make an appointment with a target, take a test dirve, get a trade-in quote, take six pictures (while not getting caught taking a picture of the receptionist), and get a written car purchase quote are very time-consuming. I did a handful at $50, but they should be $75 minimum.
The ones I did for the maker of a popular American brand required less time on site, but that MSC has excruciatingly long, detailed and repetitive reporting requirements. The reports have always taken far longer than the time at the dealership.
The worst are the JD Power assignments. And this seems to be true whether it is car shopping or paint shopping. If I now can figure out in advance it is a JD Power shop, I either avoid it or wait until the pay actually justifies the huge amount of work required.
@MFJohnston wrote:
I don't step onto a car lot for less than $50 anymore - they are pretty time-consuming, especially if the salesperson does a good job. These is one MSC in my area that starts them at $50 and I have been so excited that I haven't done any yet. I keep telling myself I will when I am looking for a shop...Maybe next week... Maybe not....
A good salesperson should always be assessing your needs, even if you inquire about a specific vehicle. They are trained to do that, so we are not setting them up to fail with these shops. Consider: A customer might *think* that an Elantra is the right car, but might not realize that the Accent has better gas mileage or that the Sonata has a quieter, smoother ride and more leg room. Or, perhaps the customer thinks s/he needs to "settle" for an Elantra and asks about it, but the salesperson knows of an incentive that will get the customer into the Sonata, the car s/he really wants (and is far more likely to buy on the spot).