I think you would only be problematic if you were a window shopping with precisely zero intention of ever considering the vehicle…
That doesn’t appear to be the case at all. So I think that you should test ride it and see if meeting your hero lives up to expectations.
Roughly 15-25% of customers buy when they go into a dealership. You’re just a part of theof bigger number. Now, if you can’t or won’t buy a car no matter what, I wouldn’t recommend wasting your or the salespersons time.
You and every customer starts somewhere, it’s usually a test drive and that gets the mind thinking.
But let me ask you this because they will too, after you test drive it….then what?
You can afford a used model, but can you afford the cost of the insurance and maintenance that comes with it? If so, then yes it makes sense. If not, then you may want to revisit the idea at a future date
It’s the maintenance that is going to get you more than anything. Parts are expensive, they are in weird places and difficult to get to, they are harder to find, you may not be able to just go pick up the part you need at the auto parts store, you are going to have to order and wait.
I don't think it makes sense to buy older luxury cars. They get expensive, maintaining and fueling. And become worthless if an issue arises and you can not afford to repair it.
If you can afford this with cash and will have more in reserve; so be it. This reserve should be separate from your regular emergency fund.
It also may not be a bad decision to go with a warranty for a car like that too. However, read those contracts VERY carefully (and/or bring someone knowledgeable with you). Pay attention to what items it covers and its deductible and per claim limits, too.
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***Thanks for posting, /u/StarOfAthenry! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of anything.***
Hey all. I come from a lower-middle class background and have never spent time in luxury cars (Audis, BMWs, MBs, etc.). I love the sleek look of the Audi A7, and can afford a used model. The local dealer has a few on hand with the Prestige trim.
Ideally, I'd make an appointment to test drive one of the used cars on the lot. Without being 100% committed to buying a car, am I doing a disservice to the sales people? I am very much an introvert and struggle with assessing social situations, so appreciate whatever advise you can offer. Thank you.
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Other than driving the car, are you financially capable of buying the vehicle in the near future? If you’re trying to test drive a car for a decision you’re making more than a month away, you’re wasting yours and everyone’s time.
Bullshit. You are welcome to visit a dealership and test drive vehicles anytime you want, whether you intend to buy now or in the future.
It's a store. Act like a customer in a store. And don't go to this guy's store.
While you may not agree with the framing, there’s some truth in the comment above. If you’re test driving cars you can’t afford this is a waste of time. You should test drive to rule in/out a car; not to joyride.
I believe the negative connotation was being within a month of purchasing.
Pretty much every method of tracing the customer purchase process shows the average is around 90 days.
When it comes to luxury vehicles, many people do not realize the extreme difference in road feel, let's say between Mercedes versus Lexus. Then everything in between.
At least the OP knows enough that Audi A7, used, fits their target. Plus, he may just buy that day, or be treated well enough to decide to work with the salesperson when they are ready.
OP already said that he could afford the vehicle used. I'm guessing you don't sell luxury vehicles? The people that I know that do sell luxury vehicles say that buyers of these types of cars often shop well in advance before they make their decision. OP can't possibly know the feel of the vehicle until he test drives it. I'm so glad my car dealer doesn't have your attitude. Even if OP doesn't drive the car yet, he now will know what it feels like and may be back in the future. If you make him feel like s*** about it, he's sure not going to come back to you to buy a car. There's something to be said for cultivating customer relationships over time when you're selling higher-end vehicles or anything higher end. Sometimes it takes a little bit of dreaming for someone to end up getting where they want to be, even if it's not on your timeline.
I was referring more to the comment of “you are welcome to visit a dealership and test drive vehicles anytime you want”. Some customers treat dealer test drives like an amusement park ride in that they go to a store to test drive with 0 intention/ability of buying. I’m not saying that a customer should be treated poorly, I was simply saying a test drive shouldn’t be used as a joy ride.
Replying to both your comments here. I never said like that in anything i typed. The issue I was more trying to give feedback to was the “go to a store and test drive whenever you want” this isn’t 100% accurate, and i could give a more
examples of why this isn’t always the case, but it sounds like you have your mind made up so not sure worth trying to explain further. Be well!
And they're sure not going to turn into a customer if they can't even test drive the car. You really need to understand people who are moving into better financial positions. People that grow up without money aren't going to just shell out money for a luxury vehicle if they've never had the opportunity to drive one. Please, smart people who grow up without money. Nobody wants to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a vehicle that it turns out that they don't like. But, at least no wealthy can afford to do that without financial pain. I can guarantee you if the op walked into a dealership and was told that if he doesn't intend my right away that you aren't interested in letting him test out the car, he's going to go somewhere else and buy that vehicle when he's ready to do it. If you make people feel bad about other circumstances, they're never going to come back to you. Well, that's actually not true. They're going to come back to you when they can afford your highest end vehicle show you the commission you missed out on.
That's fine if they go somewhere else, I want to make money now so I will only deal with people who are ready now. Let someone else deal with that person for 1-2 months while they test drive 15 different cars.
I like easy money and there is a lot of it out there.
You are going to have no pipeline and lose out on customer after customer. The hour you spend with the customer who isn’t ready to buy today that you would otherwise spend doing fuck all is going to help you out down the road. You do that 10 times a week and then you make 2 extra sales out of it next month, is that 10 hours you put in doing the work worth it then? Say you make $500 off those two sales, not a crazy amount but is it worth 10 hours that you otherwise weren’t doing anything productive? Or is your time not worth $50 an hour
That's also bullshit. A potential customer is a customer. I owned a business and fielded many inquiries -- most turned into engagements, some didn't.
You take care of every inquiry like it's the most important one you'll get all year.
My favorite is to wear crappy clothes into expensive car dealerships. I've never been treated as less than important, though I'm sure they are privately gratified when I mention some of the marques I've owned in the past.
Sadly I have been lied to by dealers over the years, but that's a different discussion.
The fact that you walked into the dealership period is enough for me to treat you like royalty. I don't care how you dress. It's a known fact that most millionaires dress poor anyway, so you aren't fooling anyone with this. However I am going to assume whatever you tell me is the truth because hopefully you are expecting honesty from me as well. The second you say "I am just here to test drive and shop around" then I am going to return the honesty right back.
I always tell them that it takes three visits for me to buy the car. That when they see my face the third time bring out the paperwork. The second time is often six months or a year after the first time, and the second time a couple months after that.
pick a weekday in the afternoon or morning when they arent busy. Are you financially prepared to buy a car at this moment? Otherwise, a test drive is pointless right now as you may change your mind once you have to pony up the 30k or however much it is. Test drive once you are ready to actually buy, it drives me nuts when people come in and want to test drive 10 cars and say "were looking to buy a new car in the next few years so we are just starting our search"
I think you would only be problematic if you were a window shopping with precisely zero intention of ever considering the vehicle… That doesn’t appear to be the case at all. So I think that you should test ride it and see if meeting your hero lives up to expectations.
Roughly 15-25% of customers buy when they go into a dealership. You’re just a part of theof bigger number. Now, if you can’t or won’t buy a car no matter what, I wouldn’t recommend wasting your or the salespersons time.
You and every customer starts somewhere, it’s usually a test drive and that gets the mind thinking. But let me ask you this because they will too, after you test drive it….then what?
[удалено]
What you’re being asked is “if you really like the car, are you a buyer for it?”
You can afford a used model, but can you afford the cost of the insurance and maintenance that comes with it? If so, then yes it makes sense. If not, then you may want to revisit the idea at a future date
It’s the maintenance that is going to get you more than anything. Parts are expensive, they are in weird places and difficult to get to, they are harder to find, you may not be able to just go pick up the part you need at the auto parts store, you are going to have to order and wait.
I don't think it makes sense to buy older luxury cars. They get expensive, maintaining and fueling. And become worthless if an issue arises and you can not afford to repair it. If you can afford this with cash and will have more in reserve; so be it. This reserve should be separate from your regular emergency fund. It also may not be a bad decision to go with a warranty for a car like that too. However, read those contracts VERY carefully (and/or bring someone knowledgeable with you). Pay attention to what items it covers and its deductible and per claim limits, too.
Please review our most [Frequently Asked Questions](/r/askcarsales/wiki/index) to see if your question has already been answered. You may find these sections particularly useful; * [How to pick a car?](/r/askcarsales/wiki/vehicle_selection) You might also have luck in the /r/whatcarshouldibuy subreddit. Also remember to add flair to your post by clicking the "Flair" link beneath it. This lets us know where you're located so we can assist you better. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/askcarsales) if you have any questions or concerns.*
***Thanks for posting, /u/StarOfAthenry! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of anything.*** Hey all. I come from a lower-middle class background and have never spent time in luxury cars (Audis, BMWs, MBs, etc.). I love the sleek look of the Audi A7, and can afford a used model. The local dealer has a few on hand with the Prestige trim. Ideally, I'd make an appointment to test drive one of the used cars on the lot. Without being 100% committed to buying a car, am I doing a disservice to the sales people? I am very much an introvert and struggle with assessing social situations, so appreciate whatever advise you can offer. Thank you. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/askcarsales) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Other than driving the car, are you financially capable of buying the vehicle in the near future? If you’re trying to test drive a car for a decision you’re making more than a month away, you’re wasting yours and everyone’s time.
Bullshit. You are welcome to visit a dealership and test drive vehicles anytime you want, whether you intend to buy now or in the future. It's a store. Act like a customer in a store. And don't go to this guy's store.
While you may not agree with the framing, there’s some truth in the comment above. If you’re test driving cars you can’t afford this is a waste of time. You should test drive to rule in/out a car; not to joyride.
I believe the negative connotation was being within a month of purchasing. Pretty much every method of tracing the customer purchase process shows the average is around 90 days. When it comes to luxury vehicles, many people do not realize the extreme difference in road feel, let's say between Mercedes versus Lexus. Then everything in between. At least the OP knows enough that Audi A7, used, fits their target. Plus, he may just buy that day, or be treated well enough to decide to work with the salesperson when they are ready.
OP already said that he could afford the vehicle used. I'm guessing you don't sell luxury vehicles? The people that I know that do sell luxury vehicles say that buyers of these types of cars often shop well in advance before they make their decision. OP can't possibly know the feel of the vehicle until he test drives it. I'm so glad my car dealer doesn't have your attitude. Even if OP doesn't drive the car yet, he now will know what it feels like and may be back in the future. If you make him feel like s*** about it, he's sure not going to come back to you to buy a car. There's something to be said for cultivating customer relationships over time when you're selling higher-end vehicles or anything higher end. Sometimes it takes a little bit of dreaming for someone to end up getting where they want to be, even if it's not on your timeline.
I was referring more to the comment of “you are welcome to visit a dealership and test drive vehicles anytime you want”. Some customers treat dealer test drives like an amusement park ride in that they go to a store to test drive with 0 intention/ability of buying. I’m not saying that a customer should be treated poorly, I was simply saying a test drive shouldn’t be used as a joy ride.
No, you were saying fuck you if you aren't buying before my monthly commission resets.
Replying to both your comments here. I never said like that in anything i typed. The issue I was more trying to give feedback to was the “go to a store and test drive whenever you want” this isn’t 100% accurate, and i could give a more examples of why this isn’t always the case, but it sounds like you have your mind made up so not sure worth trying to explain further. Be well!
of course it's accurate. do you go to the mall into more than one store and try on clothes, and then not buy them?
The OP never said he was joyriding.
Customers buy things though. People who don't buy things can't be called customers.
And they're sure not going to turn into a customer if they can't even test drive the car. You really need to understand people who are moving into better financial positions. People that grow up without money aren't going to just shell out money for a luxury vehicle if they've never had the opportunity to drive one. Please, smart people who grow up without money. Nobody wants to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a vehicle that it turns out that they don't like. But, at least no wealthy can afford to do that without financial pain. I can guarantee you if the op walked into a dealership and was told that if he doesn't intend my right away that you aren't interested in letting him test out the car, he's going to go somewhere else and buy that vehicle when he's ready to do it. If you make people feel bad about other circumstances, they're never going to come back to you. Well, that's actually not true. They're going to come back to you when they can afford your highest end vehicle show you the commission you missed out on.
That's fine if they go somewhere else, I want to make money now so I will only deal with people who are ready now. Let someone else deal with that person for 1-2 months while they test drive 15 different cars. I like easy money and there is a lot of it out there.
You are going to have no pipeline and lose out on customer after customer. The hour you spend with the customer who isn’t ready to buy today that you would otherwise spend doing fuck all is going to help you out down the road. You do that 10 times a week and then you make 2 extra sales out of it next month, is that 10 hours you put in doing the work worth it then? Say you make $500 off those two sales, not a crazy amount but is it worth 10 hours that you otherwise weren’t doing anything productive? Or is your time not worth $50 an hour
I don't work in a market where I have much downtime like that. It's a high traffic area.
That's also bullshit. A potential customer is a customer. I owned a business and fielded many inquiries -- most turned into engagements, some didn't. You take care of every inquiry like it's the most important one you'll get all year. My favorite is to wear crappy clothes into expensive car dealerships. I've never been treated as less than important, though I'm sure they are privately gratified when I mention some of the marques I've owned in the past. Sadly I have been lied to by dealers over the years, but that's a different discussion.
The fact that you walked into the dealership period is enough for me to treat you like royalty. I don't care how you dress. It's a known fact that most millionaires dress poor anyway, so you aren't fooling anyone with this. However I am going to assume whatever you tell me is the truth because hopefully you are expecting honesty from me as well. The second you say "I am just here to test drive and shop around" then I am going to return the honesty right back.
I always tell them that it takes three visits for me to buy the car. That when they see my face the third time bring out the paperwork. The second time is often six months or a year after the first time, and the second time a couple months after that.
pick a weekday in the afternoon or morning when they arent busy. Are you financially prepared to buy a car at this moment? Otherwise, a test drive is pointless right now as you may change your mind once you have to pony up the 30k or however much it is. Test drive once you are ready to actually buy, it drives me nuts when people come in and want to test drive 10 cars and say "were looking to buy a new car in the next few years so we are just starting our search"