farmerjones

Your depiction of me is quite inaccurate, misguided and a little be rude ....I'd refrain from making assumptions of me and my insights into this industry....you have no idea who I am and what I do or do not know, and the same goes for me about you.

The latest statistic from the industry itself (in a study with results posted just this week actually in Automotive News) shows that 10% of people purchase there cars online or largely online.....10%. So while that numbers is certainly increasing lets not kid ourselves by trying to have a conversation that this is how the majority of people buy their cars. The way a salesman is being depicted here is not the norm, nor are the posters supporting this notion that most people only use a salesperson to draw up paperwork.

Developing a relationship with a salesperson is still quite beneficial and happens more than it does not. Also to claim strangers drive 8 hours to visit your store to buy a car over the internet because the store/salesperson is so reputable and has nothing to do with price shopping kinda hurts the credibility of said poster. I don't think anyone is driving 8 hours to buy a car from a stranger because he is such a nice guy...they drove 8 hours because of price...if they have no interaction with the salesperson what could possibly be the motivation to drive 8 hours outside of price?

This conversation has become quite convuloted, and I've lost interest in an exchange that includes accusations, made-up facts and a wildly unbalanced perspective. There are some very skewed views on leasing, salespeople, and how the industry works as a whole being shared here that do nothing more than add mistrust and misinformation. I'm going to move on from this thread, it's gotten very weird.

superswiss

As others have observed in your thread about the RS5 interiors choices, you seem to have an issue with people who disagree with you. I didn't accuse you of anything. I just commented on how you come across in these posts. You are correct, I don't know you, so I can only comment on the picture you paint of yourself with your posts. We are just having a discussion here. I would be interested in this study you mentioned if you care to post a link. I have no issue with admitting if I assessed a situation incorrectly. However, I wanna point out that I live in the US state with the largest economy (CA) and you live in a state with an economy <1% of the US economy. I'm not sure how far your insight reaches, but I wouldn't exactly take Iowa as the yardstick for how things get done in some of the larger economies.

farmerjones

Perhaps one could remember that there is no tone, infection or nuance of speech when writing....hence you maybe misinterpreted my comments to take some "tone" that was neither intended or nor expressed. Whatever.

As you point out I live in Iowa...which implied where I live is insignificant in understanding the auto industry. Nice. Of course you assumption circumvents the fact that I haven't always lived in Iowa, and in fact worked in the auto industry in a different substantial market. In fact, there are more millionaire per capital in the city I sold cars in than any other city in the US....so per capital more wealthy than any city in California. Combine that with the luxury dealership that was one of a handful of stores than was a test pilot for national brand programs in testing (due to our market size and dominance) and I think I have some very good inside on wealthy buyers and the luxury car industry as a whole. Not bad for someone that now lives in Iowa I guess.....

10% of buyers purchase online, the rest are actively visiting the store: http://www.autonews.com/article/2018...s-sales-online

ArvX147

Not sure this is capturing the more common online shopping technique used today, which is call/email to negotiate with many dealers and then go to the dealer that "wins" to finish the rest off.

superswiss

It does go into that, I think. It's the "A. I found my vehicle online but basically did the entire purchase/lease at the dealership." group. That's the process I was talking about and I think others. It's the initial contact that takes place online and the percentage of shoppers like this is close to 80%. @farmerjones said that he mostly transacted with people he knew. @SCarGuy and I disagreed with that and said that the initial contact more and more takes place over the Internet, which this survey seems to confirm, or either didn't ask the right questions. I don't think anybody on here was saying that most shoppers complete their car purchase online Amazon style. We are not there yet. But today you can browse a dealership's inventory on their website and then text or email a sales person to arrange a test drive or a quote. That's what I'm getting at. The majority of shoppers as this survey seems to confirm at least start their purchase online and don't just walk empty handed into a dealership hoping for the sales person to walk them through the process. You can also get pre-approved for credit online to streamline the whole the process.

SCarGuy

Let's separate the wheat from the chaff

10% of all car purchases...how about 10% of luxury car purchases, since that is the only demographic that matters. How people transact on lower scale car lines is not at all germane to the typical Audi (or BMW, Mercedes, etc.) transaction.

Your assessment, from your vantage point (which I think is important to note as things can vary widely by geography) are not the norm in the luxury process of today in many markets, and even in not so major markets. The landscape has changed.

Of course they interact with a salesperson. They have to. That interaction is done in many ways beyond face to face. You seem to suggest otherwise. Rapport is built in a myriad of ways. You may not think this takes place, but you are mistaken. It happens everyday. I have a client driving 4.5 hrs tomorrow to pick his car up from me. A car that is not particularly special nor unique in the marketplace. It isn't because I am blowing dealers out of the water price wise either. This is not someone I, or we, have ever done business with before. I simply made it an easy and enjoyable and efficient transaction. I succeeded where the other dealers, including his local one, failed. Simple as that.

Perfect example - there is a forum member here who I began speaking with when he lived in Florida. During the course of our transaction, which was an ordered S model, he moved to NJ (which he/I knew he was doing from the outset). He didn't have to do business with me....there are TONS of dealers for him to go, both in Florida, and NJ. But I made it simple, easy and to the point. Through the phone calls and emails and texts, rapport was established, and reinforced. He took delivery of his new car back in October. That was the first time I met him. The experience was a great one by his own words - and we have maintained contact (like I do with all my clients periodically), to the point where he just ordered a second vehicle from me last month. I count about a dozen Audi dealerships between where he lives now and where we are. He could go anywhere, but there is a reason he is coming here. It's not the car because you can get that anywhere. The price we are doing is good deal, no doubt (who buys a car when it's a bad deal?), but I know for a fact he could have gotten the same deal elsewhere. On the first transaction he spoke with several other deals before placing his order. I simply make things cut and dry, efficient and handle all the details, which is what any good salesperson is supposed to do, and i kept him updated, which I notice many dealers fail to do.

njspeedfreak

So that part about loosing interest and moving on.....

Let it go man. Just let it go.

buickfunnycar