I can only express the deepest gratitude for my wife’s appreciation for motor vehicles. It keeps a couple of motorcycles in the garage, makes an annual trip to the car dealer a reasonable activity, and makes the suggestion that we needed an S-10 to drive the new Kimber .45 back and forth to the outdoor range a reasonable concept.
We were looking for some hauling space, some inside secure storage space, something that wouldn’t get stuck in the mud, stall while going up a hill and, hopefully, something that looked decent. Adding complexity to the decision was the need for the vehicle to be easy to drive, easy to park in one of California’s “for compact vehicles only” spaces and short enough to clear the sidewalk in front of our short driveway. Finally, my wife and I were locked in moral conflict over the need to have a truck that would be big enough to squash annoying car/driver combinations like a bug. For the record, I was against it, but I did want dibs on people who read or write for Salon.
I hate buying cars in this part of the country. I always feel as though I’ve been slimed, I end up walking out of multiple dealerships and it takes the enjoyment out of owning a new car. Typically, you’re shadowed from the moment you step out of your car and onto the sidewalk in front of the dealership. Then your choice of vehicle specs is ignored as you’re taken on a tour of every vehicle the dealer has been unable to sell…i.e.”Here’s something nice in a lavender Suburban”
The activity concludes with a brisk game of find the missing money – Is it under a low ball trade-in ? Is it under the extremely high interest rate ? Is it under the dealer inflated sticker price ? How about the missing rebate ? And it’s not even subtle. Frankly, I think if the sales person or sales manager looks and acts like a Vegas dealer, you’re probably in the wrong dealership. So, as an act of self defense, I prepare myself with some truths that must remain self evident.
I always research and know what I want, and don’t want, before I step foot on a lot. I always know my limit on spending. I always know what I want in discounts, and I look up the blue book value on any trade-in I’m bringing to the party. I check current interest rates and the newspapers for rebates, and I cross check information on the major manufacturers’ web sites.
I remind myself there is no pre-signature step in the process where it’s not okay to pack it in and leave. There is also no such thing as buying a car just because time was invested at the dealership, as in “You mean you’re going to just leave after spending the past two hours…” Then I make sure my wife is with me, just to kick me when I get caught up in bright paint and chrome. Of course I have to do the same for her from time to time, only more carefully….more tactfully.
Background – Before the Quest
Anderson Chevrolet: We have been an Anderson customer. They are probably not the price dealingest dealer around, but they are a great service oriented shop, they know their product and usually they are remarkable as a group of normal, friendly people who happened to sell cars.
Billings Chevrolet: Billings had a reputation as a large dealership, moving a large volume, making history selling to guys named Bart and Hoot. Our sense was these guys knew trucks.
Raines Chevrolet: About 8 years ago, their sales manager tried to explain to me, why I should buy a Vette, that had been heavily flogged by the sales people (several hundred miles and sitting on shredded tires), as new and at a 50% dealer markup. I just assumed anyone that stupid could be dangerous, so I never went back. Under my wife’s credo of “people deserve a second chance”, however, this time around they made it back on the potential source list.
Ding
Round 1 – Anderson: Anderson didn’t have the truck we wanted in inventory, but they came close with a neato step side ’99, and suggested they would make us a “great deal”. Reflexively, I put my hands in my pockets, and my wife clutched her purse. Words are so opened to interpretation. Three hours later, a pen stroke away from a new truck, the dealer’s finance guy lost his mind, approached double digit lending rates, and we left, loudly.
Oh yeah, big time rule I forgot to mention – when in doubt and you feel like something is poking at you, don’t sign anything. As we sat there muttering over KFC and some pretty tasty Wedge Fries, we realized the truck was missing everything we were looking for, outside of being shiny and nice to look at. It would have been a great truck to see at a stop light, as long as it belonged to someone else. Gears were too tall, wheels were too low, cab was too short, and the bed was way too narrow. Wow, I think I use to know her.
The next morning we received three calls from Anderson, apologizing for the frictional discussion, and expressing a willingness to locate the vehicle we were looking for. This time I fax’d over the exact spec, including options and color, and wished them good luck on their journey. I assumed I was getting PR strokes, I would never hear from them again, and they would slip quietly into the distance, however, probably not driving the truck we were looking for.
Round 1 – Rains: Raines was remarkably unchanged from the last experience. Different faces, but a place with a lot of cars and very few customers. We walked in, found the almost exact truck we were looking for, right on the showroom floor. This time with only 7 miles on the odometer, oversize tires that were looking good and without a sign of shredding. Polite sales guy, worked through all of the numbers, we reached an agreement and I began to anticipate the feel of yet another new combination car door, garage and can opener in my hand.
Unfortunately “Wile E. Coyote”, the spazola sales manager, showed up and attempted to change all of the numbers, explaining to me that the numbers the sales person had presented over the prior two hours were all wrong. He then went on to tell me why the most popular used car in Northern California – our trade-in Honda Civic – was no longer desirable on the market, and worth 20% less than Blue Book wholesale. Raines immediately won the jackass dealer award and reaffirmed my belief in their collective dealership stupidity. Of course they won the battle of wits – I didn’t get my truck…of course they didn’t get my money….but I think that point was wasted on a sales manager who grew exceptionally tense when I wouldn’t buy into his line of crapola. Adios.
Billings Chevrolet: Three laps around the building and through the lots and showroom; not a single sales person asked us if we needed assistance. Their cars carried a 10% dealer add on price, and they seemed to have only a sea of dirty, yet totally unattractive, Camaros. We assumed they were really attached to their cars and didn’t want to run the risk of anyone actually taking one off the lot. Short story for a short effort.
Round 2 – Anderson: So my wife and I were thinking what it would be like 10 years off, unable to replace the Honda, probably taking public transportation to the range, maybe hopping rides in the back of old pickup trucks carrying chickens or manure – when the phone rang. It was the guys from Anderson. They were calling to let us know that a car hauler just pulled in with the exact truck we were looking for was sitting on top of it. Seems they were genuinely happy they were able to locate the vehicle, and they wanted to prove to us they really were nice people to work with. Sure, we believed that, but we couldn’t make up our minds if we wanted to rush down to the dealership, or just wait for our giant freakin’ check from the Publisher’s Clearing House.
Half an hour later, right price, right trade-in, right interest rate, and right truck. Courteous, helpful, polite and a pleasure to work with. What I found most positive was the fact, as the largest dealer in California selling a truck that wouldn’t have lasted an hour on the lot, they went through so much trouble to provide a level of customer service and concern, when they really didn’t have to. Nice going guys.
If you’re in the Sunnyvale / San Jose, CA area, you’d like to buy a car or truck without feeling hustled, you might want to try the Anderson Superstore on Steven’s Creek Boulevard. They have a web site atwww.1800anderson.com. My sales guy’s name is Alex Elenkov – Interesting guy, very cordial. The sales manager’s name is Servan J. Kamali – good Chevy guy, and a manager who doesn’t hide in his office. And I already know from actual experience their service department is excellent.
With an extended cab ZR2 S-10, there is a third door to load rifles and shooting boxes behind the seats, out of the weather, and secure. There’s also a jump seat back there and a pretty plush interior with some decent bass acoustics. The truck, at what’s a surprisingly low price, comes loaded with every comfort and performance option available making it comfortable over and off the road.
It’s an on the fly 4X4 with wide stance off the road suspension, a 190HP V6 and an 4 speed overdrive auto trans. Not bad for a light vehicle. The bed is fleet side, the tires and wheels are off the road and oversized, 4 wheel disc brakes, anti lock, and gas shocks. Most important, it has 4 cup holders and two 12v power outlets. Now if I can get those damn country western presets off the radio…
Thanks
Joe
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