Pleasant Buying Experience

[av8vito]

With all the competition out there, the car companies are basically vying to sell the same product, packaged in a slightly different wrapper, to the same people. Why doesn't Ford address an area that is wide open for exploitation, the buying experience. Buying a new car at a dealership rates right up there with going to the dentist. It is a miserable experience that most people avoid like the plague. What other industry would accept the fact that their retail stores repulse the very people to whom they're trying to sell product? The fix seems to be one of organization and discipline, not massive spending. If Ford wants to increase its retail sales, this seems to be a relatively cheap area to work on.

 

Just the humble opinion of a retail car buyer.

[new ford dealer]

With all the competition out there, the car companies are basically vying to sell the same product, packaged in a slightly different wrapper, to the same people. Why doesn't Ford address an area that is wide open for exploitation, the buying experience. Buying a new car at a dealership rates right up there with going to the dentist. It is a miserable experience that most people avoid like the plague. What other industry would accept the fact that their retail stores repulse the very people to whom they're trying to sell product? The fix seems to be one of organization and discipline, not massive spending. If Ford wants to increase its retail sales, this seems to be a relatively cheap area to work on.

 

Just the humble opinion of a retail car buyer.

Thank you! but please don't let everyone know that buying a new or a used car does not have to be a bad experience. I have just invested my entire life into a small ford mercury store. I have also spent my entire adult life in the car bussiness. I have seen just about everything you can think of had about every job in a dealership. Starting in clean up, working my way up to general manager. I have been to every plant watched the market- including imports. AND the whole time i kept thinking what about customer satifaction - and not just being a nice guy while you buy. What ever happened to TOTAL customer satifaction before during and after the sale. Well it is still out there most people can't find it - This has been a over promise under deliver type of bussiness, the big dealers put such a spin on things advertising things THAT SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED they also know when they write the ads they can NOT SELL AT THE PRICES THEY SAY THEY CAN! All dealers buy new cars for the same amount no matter what. The biggest difference is the dealer. Small dealers are the life of the car market. WHY because we can control our expenses quicker, when things go bad, how many big dealers do know that will empty a dirty trash can. I DO even when bussiness is good. How many dealers walk in the back door every day, wash cars, take customers home when they need a ride, spend time in service making sure everyone is not just able to do the job but takes pride in what they do. And it's not just fixing a car.That car belongs to someone, be it new or old. I'm sorry if you feel like every dealer is the same but we are not. The small dealer just because he can't stock every model doesn't mean he can't get one right now with inventory so high, and the simple fact that people are tired of the high presure small print and the lies. we can get inventory from them easier than ever.

[proman]

I wish you the best of luck in your new business. I live in a small rural county in NC and there is only one Ford dealership. Upon the delivery of my 07 EB expedition, it will be the 6th ford product I have purchased from these people. I am surrounded by larger counties with much larger dealerships but I refuse to shop elsewhere. This small dealership is family owned and the people are just so nice and there is never any pressure to buy. Their service after the sale is also wonderful. Not one time have I had to take back a vehicle for repairs after they fixed it the first time.

 

I have been waiting for my 07 for 2 months now. It is suppose to be delivered during the week of Dec. 11th. There are 3 larger dealerships that I could have purchased this vehicle right off the lot but this small dealership has my loyalty. So purchasing a car can be a very pleasant experience more than one time. These people have even come to my rescue when I had a flat tire and fixed it for me.

 

So the best of luck to you.

 

Mike

[new ford dealer]

I wish you the best of luck in your new business. I live in a small rural county in NC and there is only one Ford dealership. Upon the delivery of my 07 EB expedition, it will be the 6th ford product I have purchased from these people. I am surrounded by larger counties with much larger dealerships but I refuse to shop elsewhere. This small dealership is family owned and the people are just so nice and there is never any pressure to buy. Their service after the sale is also wonderful. Not one time have I had to take back a vehicle for repairs after they fixed it the first time.

 

I have been waiting for my 07 for 2 months now. It is suppose to be delivered during the week of Dec. 11th. There are 3 larger dealerships that I could have purchased this vehicle right off the lot but this small dealership has my loyalty. So purchasing a car can be a very pleasant experience more than one time. These people have even come to my rescue when I had a flat tire and fixed it for me.

 

So the best of luck to you.

 

Mike

Thank You, small dealers will be the difference in ford motor company and every other car company! If you look small dealers even have their personal phone #s in the phone book. This is still a full service bussiness, i know i can't lose not one customer to the non ford companys. But it is time for everyone to stop whinning, roll up your sleeves and GO BACK TO WORK.

[proman]

Thank You, small dealers will be the difference in ford motor company and every other car company! If you look small dealers even have their personal phone #s in the phone book. This is still a full service bussiness, i know i can't lose not one customer to the non ford companys. But it is time for everyone to stop whinning, roll up your sleeves and GO BACK TO WORK.

 

 

I just had to update this topic since I have had a great experience with the purchase of my 07 EB expy. I related in an earlier post that I have been loyal to the dealership in the small rural county that I live in. I got the delivery of my expy on Dec. 7th. My salesman wasn't happy with the percentage that Ford was requiring me to pay. He kept apologizing to me and I related that it was fine and that I appreciated the efforts he made that he didn't have to make.

 

One week and one day later, I get a call from this salesman at my job. He lets me know that he took his fight for me higher and that I needed to come by the dealership and sign a new contract and some other form. He related that this was necessary because he had got me a deal that was 2% lower and made my payment $ 40.00 less per month. :hyper:

 

Now this dealership had already made its' sale and this salesman had no further obligation to me. Yet he continued to work on my behalf. I am by no means a rich man nor am I the type that would say , if you don't get me a better deal I' m not buying. These people did this for a loyal customer without being asked. Now you know why they have my loyalty.

 

I would like to see other posts about dealerships like this so we can post their names and get them some free advertising. Thank you Brock Motor Company , Trenton, NC.

[wish4newstang]

Thank you! but please don't let everyone know that buying a new or a used car does not have to be a bad experience. I have just invested my entire life into a small ford mercury store. I have also spent my entire adult life in the car bussiness. I have seen just about everything you can think of had about every job in a dealership. Starting in clean up, working my way up to general manager. I have been to every plant watched the market- including imports. AND the whole time i kept thinking what about customer satifaction - and not just being a nice guy while you buy. What ever happened to TOTAL customer satifaction before during and after the sale. Well it is still out there most people can't find it - This has been a over promise under deliver type of bussiness, the big dealers put such a spin on things advertising things THAT SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED they also know when they write the ads they can NOT SELL AT THE PRICES THEY SAY THEY CAN! All dealers buy new cars for the same amount no matter what. The biggest difference is the dealer. Small dealers are the life of the car market. WHY because we can control our expenses quicker, when things go bad, how many big dealers do know that will empty a dirty trash can. I DO even when bussiness is good. How many dealers walk in the back door every day, wash cars, take customers home when they need a ride, spend time in service making sure everyone is not just able to do the job but takes pride in what they do. And it's not just fixing a car.That car belongs to someone, be it new or old. I'm sorry if you feel like every dealer is the same but we are not. The small dealer just because he can't stock every model doesn't mean he can't get one right now with inventory so high, and the simple fact that people are tired of the high presure small print and the lies. we can get inventory from them easier than ever.

 

 

i love this thread. as a loyal ford buyer i want to enjoy my car buying experience. i'm in the Columbus market. as you can imagine, i have a choice of dealerships. some very large ford dealerships. however i refuse to buy from them. i always go to one of our smaller mercury dealerships. zero pressure, product knowledge(which i think is crtical for a sales person), and great service. i agree that if ford could do one thing to help them recover some of thier losses, they should do some serious quality control of thier dealerships. for whatever reason it seems to me , the dealerships that sell ford and mercury are always a much more pleasant experience. good luck in your new venture. perhaps in the future you could share the name of your dealership. again i wish you good luck and to all readers a happy holiday.

[Jackson04L]

What a great idea, maybe even someone at Ford will act to recognize these "special" dealers, the ones who truly understand the defination of the word SERVICE.

 

I purchased my '05 Mustang GT in March of '05 from Seymour Ford of Jackson, MI. A small town dealer. In March of '05 any Mustang was a fast sale for any dealer. Even though Seymour Ford is about 60 miles from Flat Rock I didn't get delivery until mid August.

 

The salesman offered me X-Plan pricing when he learned I worked for a Ford supplier. That made the decision easy, and I signed on the spot. Steady communication about my order was received. When I was in the market to replace an older F150, I went to Seymour Ford first. They looked and looked for me, but I managed to find a '04 Lightning to buy.

 

Seymour Ford is the only place I take any of my cars for service, why? it's the people!

 

Sounds simple, but it's hard to do. These people do it right, everytime.

[falconman13]

The absolute best car buying experience I have ever had was at Gate City Lincoln Mercury in Greensboro NC. I was so impressed with the dealership that when it came time for my wife to buy a new vehicle we got her a Mountaineer.

These guys are the best. The sales dept is top notch, the dealership is spotless, the service department is professional.

I only wish they sold Fords there as Mercury has such a limited selection.

If you are in the market for a Lincoln or Mercury and are near Greensboro, I highly recommend them.

 

As for the local Ford guys. Well, I cant say much positive about them.