RAM Sales Lady, well maybe?

[SnoKing]

So DW and I drive a couple 3500's yesterday, and decide that we need to at least get the 10 drivers seat! At one dealership the sales lady says she could slap some air bags on a 2500 and I would be good to go with a 5th wheel! Who trains these people?

At the other dealership we are in a 2014 Laramie and it has the low fuel and check engine light was on, and the motor is running like it is in limp mode. I pointed that out to the "salesman" and he says that the check engine light is on because of the low fuel light being on. Step on it at low speed a it rattles like a pinging gasser.

I also noted that a very low percentage of floored trucks have the 5th wheel prep. Guy with the Laramie says few ask for it!!!

I have always said if the car salesman thinks you are smart he plays dumb, and if he thinks you are dumb he "plays" smart!

SNOKING

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[RustyJC]

One reason I have just given the dealer the truck specifications and have them order what I want/need on the trucks I've bought. The last new truck I bought off the lot was a 1996 V-10/47RE 3500 dually to tow a 5th wheel because we needed the truck quickly. Despite living in central Ohio at the time and purchasing the truck at a Columbus, Ohio Dodge dealership, man was I surprised when the first snowstorm hit and I found out the truck had an open rear differential!!

Rusty

 

[Bill Stockard]

One reason I have just given the dealer the truck specifications and have them order what I want/need on the trucks I've bought. The last new truck

Rusty

I haven't purchased a new truck off the lot since 1974 and I learned my lesson. All my GM, Ford, and Ram trucks since 1978 have been ordered units. If I buy another new truck, it too will be an ordered unit. I do just like you. I hand the dealership owner or general manager my list and tell him that's exactly what I want with no deviations. I bypass the salespersons. I pay with a check when the truck arrives and I tell the general manager I don't want to hear one word from their F&I person.

Bill

 

[Bob V]

I rarely find a salesperson that knows anything about what they sell. They ARE trained in how to get the max amount of money out of your pocket though. I HATE them running back and forth to the sales manager and then they come back with "GOOD NEWS", I only need to come up with $3,000 to make the deal. Took my daughter to buy her first new car. Made a offer an a new/demo and they came back with a price higher than what it was advertised for. I got up and said we are done here and started to walk out. My daughter got upset, said I didn't need to be an a--. I said don't worry, and reminded her what I said before we started, that you need to be ready to walk out. We got home and searched on line and found the same year/model, with more options, and better warrantee (citified pre owned) for the price I offered for the first one. Went and got that one with no problems at all. Good Dealer. I had dealt with them before and was always good experience. SMALL town, same salesperson for over 20 years, that's impressive. Anyway, just like I told her, first dealer called back and they dropped another $1500 off. Too late, we already where looking at the other one.

 

[TJJEEPER]

A few years back we were looking at a Ford 1/2 ton. Dealership had done a lot of business with the family because my brother worked for a division of Ford and my Dad could get new vehicles at 2% less than dealer cost. He took advantage of it. I, on the other hand, had to negotiate. The truck I wanted was on the lot. I told them to give me the best price they could, already knowing what they paid for it through my brother, and I was NOT going to do the back and forth dickering... "you have ONE shot at it" is what I told him. He came back with a ridiculous number with lots of profit built in. I then told him what they paid for it and what I WAS willing to give them and walked out. Salesman was trailing behind saying "give me another chance". I kept walking. The next morning they called and said they would meet my price. I told them "too late". Never did buy from that dealership.

It's been a while since I ordered a truck. Most of the high volume dealers will have the rig I want on the lot AND I retired from an outfit that gets the "Affiliate Pricing" which is real close to dealer cost.

 

[Grizzly]

I'm like Bill Stockard, every new Vehicle and RV I've purchased has been ordered with a list of options I want and all but three have been new. The used cars I bought were when I was young and not too bright.

george

 

[EDankievitch]

I ordered my 2012 was just as I wanted except for the engine issues that forced me to have the dealer take it back. My 2013 was on the lot only thing I would have changed is maybe the gears I had 3.73's in my other trucks this one has 3.42's it works awesome but it will not be happy with larger tires. But I think my days of super large beach tires on a truck that never goes off road are very much over... Oh I thought I would have liked the Nav system but after reading on here all the issues with them I'm very happy with the basic Sat radio and my Garmen GPS. You need to shop around to find just the truck you want. Not every dealer has everything. Dealer's that deal with more of a work truck group rather than the grocery getters will have trucks set up to work. I'm lucky that the dealers around here cater to both and have a good slection to choose from.

 

[Jim W]

When I bought my 08 the salesman stated that he was in training and did not know anything about diesel trucks. After we discussed the truck and review some others; I agreed on the one I bought. He then brought the sale manager over for the actual dealing what a joke. He was the type that you counted your fingers after you shook hands to make sure that you still had all of them.

I called back a couple of days later to ask the sales man a question on the truck and was informed he no longer work there. The one and only honest sales guy I ever rand into.

Jim W.

 

[TFucili]

I, too, have spec'd out almost every vehicle we have owned. Yes, most sales people are an embarrassment. I have been in retail/service my entire working life, and I will never, ever just pull an answer out of my butt, or BS someone to make a deal. Ethics appear to be a thing of the past today. Before ordering my 6.4 I had a dealer in PHX tell me we have a truck with everything you want. I go down there, and it has 3.73 gears, and about half of what I wanted, plus several foo-foo items I did not. Why waste my durn time when he knew full well 4.10 gears were an absolute must. At least the salesman admitted he was green, but then he brought out the "truck expert" who was as full of crap as a Christmas turkey. I felt like I needed a shower when I left.

 

[Shadrach]

I have never bought a new vehicle, just can't afford them. I have made some mistakes on used of course. I mostly buy privately and I do most of my work myself, although this is getting harder, not only with the newer vehicles but also with age :-laf.

I once went to a used car lot to talk to them about a car I wanted for my wife. I knew it had been on their lot for a while and it was not their brand. I thought they wanted too much of course so I wrote out a cheque for what "I" wanted to pay and showed it to the salesman to show how serious I was. He had never seen someone do that before and seem shocked. "You can't write out a cheque now we haven't agreed on the price" "I have already written out the cheque & it's the only one I brought - take it or leave it". They of course tried to get a few hundred more saying " you want to loose out for a few hundred buck?" I replied "do You want to loose out for a few hundred bucks?". After a bite of whining on their part I got the car.

On one other occasion I went to a Dodge dealership looking for a used Dodge truck with a Cummins. The first question the salesman asked me was do you want a 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton? Dodge never put a Cummins in a half ton. I walked around the lot and then left.

Granted a lot of people really "don't" know what they want but some of us do so don't treats us like idiots. "Listen" to the customer and find out what they need. Maybe the customer believes he can tow his 35' fiver with a half ton. Can you tell I don't like pushy sales people.

David

 

[Stab]

My sickness (according to my DW) is dicking with car salesmen. Go in a couple days earlier or a different dealer and pick up the sales brochure for the vehicle you are interested in, read it cover to cover. I guarantee you will know more about that vehicle than the sales person. Make a deal and just walk away.

I'm really not that mean but, if they start lying I just get up and walk out. If they don't know just say it! Seems so hard for some to admit...but, I'm old school!

 

[Bill Stockard]

"Listen" to the customer and find out what they need.

David

I built a very successful 30 year sales career doing exactly what you have suggested.

Bill

 

[RVTRKN]

Been there, done that, ordered truck and boat, bought from the lots, new and used. One common denominator, salesmen try to get as much as they can, but one exception was my boat that I bought from a national boat show. The guy for some reason thought I was poor, and tried to talk me out of the options I wanted, increasing the price of the trailer and boat that I was ordering.

My take on ordered verses buying from inventory, is that it's OK to buy from inventory, but know your product first, then know the prices second. I just bought a 2014 RAV4 from the lot in May, and spent two weeks studying them, and looked at several dealerships, called several dealerships. Paid a fair price and got more than what I wanted for the same price I wanted to pay. Salesmen don't always know the product, but I look for integrity, if I sense BS, I walk away from them and ask for the manager, if I want that vehicle. I also think you pay more for a vehicle if ordered, because there is no incentive to deal with you. My 04.5 was a text book purchase by not wanting to take first discounted price offered from invoice, and paid 9K less than asking price on the invoice. I didn't get that from my ordered 07, and only got the standard BS discounts.

 

[JSoloman]

Several months prior to purchasing my '14, I had my '01 in for some general maintenance. I was in the early stages of looking. The service manager said he would have their best diesel salesman talk with me and give me all the latest information on the Rams. First thing after our introduction when I told him what I was looking for, he asks me if I'm pulling a horse trailer. Seems all gals pull horse trailers. Never have owned horse. He then proceeds to tell me I don't need a 3500. I don't even need a 2500. What I need is a 1500 Hemi. I tried to explain to him what I was driving and pulling, but he wouldn't have it. As I asked a few questions about the trans and rear diff combos, it was clear this expert diesel salesman didn't know what he was talking about. It was a real turn off for me. Needless to say, several months later I did my homework and ordered my truck.

 

[jgillott]

All of my trucks came from the former Graft Dodge in Scottdale PA. It was an amazing dealership. Family owned for generations. When you purchased from there, you dealt with the owner, not a salesperson. Simple, honest, easy.

Unfortunately, Chrysler pulled their dealership liscense (not enough volume) during all of the auto maker problems. They are missed. I'm not sure where I am going to buy from now.

 

[Camperman]

I ordered my 2012 over the phone. From the experience with the dealership that sold me my sold truck was NOT getting any more business from me. The 2012 truck dealership, the owners son asked for the list of items I wanted on the order. Kyle only had one question, why do you want a 4.10 rear axle? I stated I tow a 5th wheel, and that was that. Funny thing, the sold truck dealership sold Ram trucks also. Seems they did not want a 6.0 turd they ordered, sold to me, and then it was not good enough to trade in for my current truck. The dealership that sold me the 2006 will NOT sell me another vehicle again.

 

[RVTRKN]

Several dealerships in SoCal had the rug pulled out from under them during that time, the one I bought my two CTD's from was bought out by a corperation style dealerships group. They even made the entire staff to include mechanics and porters apply as if they were applying for the first time. It was a family owned dealership that serviced a large Horse community and they concentrated on trucks, their lic. plates are still on the trucks in that town. Last time I was there was when I was looking for the current 2014 CTD, I didn't expect to find anything, as they now cater to the car buying public and the sales staff is questionable. As I expected, the fleet manager was no more than a hustler trying to sell me a 2500 Hemi because that's all they had in a reg cab. I had to point out to him that his search for vehicles was flawed because I knew there were two Reg cab 2500 CTD's for sale, and behold "oh I didn't input CTD". We ended up buying from their rivals and closer to me. Unfortunately I like the techs and go there from time to time.

 

[Regcabguy]

I had a very knowledgeable salesguy at Dave Smith. Ordered everything over the phone. It was a terrific buy. The service dept did everything right and Smith even arranged for shipping the truck. All paperwork was sent correctly.
They reportedly have a huge inventory. My salesguy is long gone,of course.

 

[rynosback]

One reason I have just given the dealer the truck specifications and have them order what I want/need on the trucks I've bought. The last new truck I bought off the lot was a 1996 V-10/47RE 3500 dually to tow a 5th wheel because we needed the truck quickly. Despite living in central Ohio at the time and purchasing the truck at a Columbus, Ohio Dodge dealership, man was I surprised when the first snowstorm hit and I found out the truck had an open rear differential!!

Rusty

I agree, that is how I do it. I know more then 99% of the sales man about the product that they sell. I like to ask them a tough question to see if they will try to BS me or just say, I'm not sure, but I will get that answer for you.

 

[Bug Out]

I had a similar experience here with Colorado springs Dodge. The big shot sales manager says they'll work me a deal on my 2013 2500 4dr 4x4, 35K on the clock.......28K trade (similar truck to mine on lot going for 41K) Ok.....Now you get to make 10K on my trade and sell me a ST dually for 51K...Negative Ghostrider...I'm outta here!!! If I wasnt so lazy I'd call the dealer in Idaho and get something going!