Enough!!

[SDRacing]

How many times have we discussed on this site that the treatment you get at the dealer can reflect the make/model car that you will decide to purchase?

This morning I pulled into work and noticed a new Toyota Tundra CC sitting there and began wondering "who the ____" bought that. As me and my co workers piled into our work truck to go to our units (we work at a chemical plant), I saw the owner get out. To my dismay, it was one of our Union board leaders. I yelled out to him, "hey, that better be a rental!!!" So I just got off the phone with him, and he explained the scenarios that lead to his purchase.

He first went to David Taylor GMC/Pontiac and found the truck with the desired colors (int and ext) that he wanted. The truck has been sitting there since March. He saw the sticker price and then wanted to see if the GMC was comparable with the new Toyota. He then went to the Toyota dealership and they didnt have what he wanted, but told him he can order one with no money down. They said when it comes in, he can either buy it, or they'll sell it to someone else (they are filling their inventory anyway). So he orders the yoda, and in the mean time, had visited the GMC dealer on two more occasions. Once to try and get them down (to meet the Toys sell price) and the other I guess to (let them know) he is considering a Toyota. They wouldnt budge. He then goes to Weisner GMC and looks at their inventory. They didnt have what he wanted, but said they could get it or he could order it. He told them they didnt have to order it, but that there was one right here in Tx. He then gave them the dealer name and the trucks vin. So Weisner calls David Taylor to do an inventory swap. (Weisner was willing to negotiate with him also). David Taylor began asking questions and realized who was gonna buy the truck, and declined the swap.

My friend was able to watch the toyota from start to finish in its build cycle and even saw it unloaded from the transporter. The toyota came in last wednesday. Before he went to pick it up, he again went by David Taylor and told them he is ready to buy. No luck. So the GMC is still sitting there, and another tundra is sold.

One more thing, my friend is about 55 yrs old, educated, and very knowledgable. He has driven the same truck (82' GMC) for 25 yrs and is pro GM, but now this.

this story may seem choppy, i apologize....Im just really pissed right now and ranting.

[unkillsam]

So because of 1 dealer out of many, your union leader friend sold out? Why in the hell would he order a Toyota if he was not 100% prepared to buy it.

Sound's like he wanted the Tundra all along and was shopping GMC to see if he could get a better deal.

Hope he blows a camshaft!!!!!

How do you drive a GM truck for 25 years and then sell out like that??

[HoeyHimself]

Its a shame that people make purchases based on dealership experiences. It's even more of a shame that dealerships are driving customers to the door steps of the competition.

I myself would never make a decision based on a dealership experience. Good dealer, bad dealer..it doesnt make a differance on the actual vehicle.

The whole story sounds like the Toyota dealership was just in the right place at the right time. They just so happen to have been placing orders for trucks, so its not like they were doing this guy a huge favor..they would have been ordering that truck either way, he just provided them with the information on what he would desire.

Some people just lack the patience when it comes to making a purchae. If the vehicle they want isnt right there of ready to be brought in the day they want it to (as if there isnt anything more important in the world then their request) they jump ship and move to a differant maker? Is interior and exterior more important then the vehicle itself? I mean, what if they had a truck that was exactly how he wanted it but in a differant color? is that still strong enough reason to get a completely differant truck from another manufacturer that happens to be the same color?

I dont think the GMC dealership did anything to lose this customer, I think that the Toyota dealership lucked out. If it had been a few month later and they had already placed most of their inventory orders, they may have been giving him the same situation as the GMC dealership.

[HoosierRon]

I am not buying this story. If he wanted the Sierra he easily could have gone to another dealership and bought one. But he went to the Toota dealership first. Then he ordered the truck. In his mind, he had already purchased it.

Good luck trying to sell his chemicals to the Japanese.

[SDRacing]

Originally Posted by HoeyHimself

Its a shame that people make purchases based on dealership experiences. It's even more of a shame that dealerships are driving customers to the door steps of the competition.

I myself would never make a decision based on a dealership experience. Good dealer, bad dealer..it doesnt make a differance on the actual vehicle.

The whole story sounds like the Toyota dealership was just in the right place at the right time. They just so happen to have been placing orders for trucks, so its not like they were doing this guy a huge favor..they would have been ordering that truck either way, he just provided them with the information on what he would desire.

Some people just lack the patience when it comes to making a purchae. If the vehicle they want isnt right there of ready to be brought in the day they want it to (as if there isnt anything more important in the world then their request) they jump ship and move to a differant maker? Is interior and exterior more important then the vehicle itself? I mean, what if they had a truck that was exactly how he wanted it but in a differant color? is that still strong enough reason to get a completely differant truck from another manufacturer that happens to be the same color?

I dont think the GMC dealership did anything to lose this customer, I think that the Toyota dealership lucked out. If it had been a few month later and they had already placed most of their inventory orders, they may have been giving him the same situation as the GMC dealership.

From what I understand, the second GMC dealer did have the truck he wanted, but not the color. As hoosier said, his mind may have been made up from the get go, unless he wanted a huge discount for the truck sitting there a couple months and was trying to use that for leverage too. The term "sellout" did come to mind when I first saw that truck in the parking lot. There was a lot of anger while I was typing this and now I feel like I missed something. But the bottom line to me was that he's driven his GMC for so long, then jumped ship to Toyota.

[Triple-X08]

Originally Posted by unkillsam

So because of 1 dealer out of many, your union leader friend sold out? Why in the hell would he order a Toyota if he was not 100% prepared to buy it.

Sound's like he wanted the Tundra all along and was shopping GMC to see if he could get a better deal.

Hope he blows a camshaft!!!!!

How do you drive a GM truck for 25 years and then sell out like that??

so he can have a truck that lasts him 5 years and blows engines. because thats what everyone wants, i know i do.

[73ChevelleSS]

Maybe when his camshaft snaps in half he will think otherwise.Oh I forgot nothing goes wrong with Toyota's.

[Triple-X08]

thats what they told me to, when i went and looked at a scion tc. said they never need repaired.

[GMCdriver]

If Union leadership in other industries are willing to buy a non-union built truck to get a bigger discount or save a few bucks how does this guy figure he can protect his own way of life from non-union competition.
It seems like it would be hard to convince consumers and employers that union labor is "worth" more if union leadership isn't willing to pay a little more for it themselves.

[HoeyHimself]

Originally Posted by SDRacing

From what I understand, the second GMC dealer did have the truck he wanted, but not the color. As hoosier said, his mind may have been made up from the get go, unless he wanted a huge discount for the truck sitting there a couple months and was trying to use that for leverage too. The term "sellout" did come to mind when I first saw that truck in the parking lot. There was a lot of anger while I was typing this and now I feel like I missed something. But the bottom line to me was that he's driven his GMC for so long, then jumped ship to Toyota.

Well perhaps his Tundra wont be the ole' faithful that hi GM truck was and he will regret his decision. I have already seen a total of 8 used Tundras at the Toyota dealership near me (which isnt very large..they have nearly as many used as they do new!)..they havent hardly been out long enough to have more then a few oil changes, and they are getting thrown right back at the dealerships. Theres something wrong with that.

[T-Type]

You'd think a Union member (much less a board leader) would know better. But he better not complain about the loss of power and influence unions are undergoing. He may not be in the auto union, but he is cutting his own throat.

[F14CRAZY]

To at least a lot of buyers, the dealer experience can make or break a sale. The salesperson is like the face of the brand...if they're rude, not cooperative, not knowledgable, lie, smell bad, etc, they can easily turn off a buyer even if the buyer likes the product the salesperson represents

[FamilyTruckster]

You win some, you lose some. It happens thousands of times a day across the country.

So the GM dealer is bad because he wouldn't lower the price. Maybe the offer your friend made was too low.

As a final note, I just took in a 2006 Toyota Rav4 on trade for a new Silverado. Why didn't they go with the new Toyota truck? They said it was too ugly and there were no engine choices.

[shadams]

Originally Posted by HoeyHimself

Its a shame that people make purchases based on dealership experiences. It's even more of a shame that dealerships are driving customers to the door steps of the competition.

I myself would never make a decision based on a dealership experience. Good dealer, bad dealer..it doesnt make a differance on the actual vehicle.

The whole story sounds like the Toyota dealership was just in the right place at the right time. They just so happen to have been placing orders for trucks, so its not like they were doing this guy a huge favor..they would have been ordering that truck either way, he just provided them with the information on what he would desire.

Some people just lack the patience when it comes to making a purchae. If the vehicle they want isnt right there of ready to be brought in the day they want it to (as if there isnt anything more important in the world then their request) they jump ship and move to a differant maker? Is interior and exterior more important then the vehicle itself? I mean, what if they had a truck that was exactly how he wanted it but in a differant color? is that still strong enough reason to get a completely differant truck from another manufacturer that happens to be the same color?

I dont think the GMC dealership did anything to lose this customer, I think that the Toyota dealership lucked out. If it had been a few month later and they had already placed most of their inventory orders, they may have been giving him the same situation as the GMC dealership.

Couldnt have said it better. The funny thing to me is that while people, esp on here, go on and on about interior quality, options, etc., but the more common reason to not buy a certain vehicle is because of what happend right here.

[King Riffle]

Originally Posted by HoeyHimself

I myself would never make a decision based on a dealership experience. Good dealer, bad dealer..it doesnt make a differance on the actual vehicle.

Right but where do you take your new car when it needs service/repair? The Dealership. Some people don't want to drive an hour to get to a different one to have part x replaced because the people at the one near them don't treat the customer well.

I would never buy a car from a dealership that didn't treat me well. Why would anyone want to give money to a salesperson who's an *******? These dealerships reflect badly on the brands they represent. GM doesn't need to have their reputation beaten further into the ground by GM dealerships.