On any given night, if you pressed your ear to the closed door, you might find yourself in shock and awe at the sounds emanating from my bedroom.
You might hear a soft purr gently rising and falling in volume. You’d hear guttural noise build slowly—louder, aggressive, and insistent on being heard. Sometimes described as silken or sonorous, rumbling or rasping, you’d hear vibrations beautifully crescendo into an explosion of bangs and growls followed by screamed exclamations, “Baby! Did you hear that exhaust note?!”
Sigh. I’m married to a car guy. A car guy who obsessively watches both Detroit muscle and super car videos in bed. A car guy who very much enjoys the symphony of car noise from cylinders banging. If I had a gallon of gas for every night I’ve spent listening to vroom, vroom sounds emanate from my husband’s iPhone I could drive to California—with a lengthy, well-deserved excursion through wine country—and back.
Born and raised in Detroit, he’s always been a car enthusiast. Do you remember the friend you had who knew exactly what he/she wanted to do with his/her life by the time he/she was 10 years old? That’s my husband. He loves cars in a very Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny kind of way. With his degree in automotive management in hand, he joined Ford Motor Company for a 20-year career in sales and marketing before becoming a car dealer a few years ago. We’ve laughed away most of the car salesman stereotypes but readily admit there are a few bad apples in the bunch.
For whatever reason—maybe I’ve inhaled too much gasoline—car buying makes me think of the NoseFrida, that contraption to suck boogers out of babies’ noses. Logically, you know that your mouth and the snot will never meet, but the process is a little unnerving. Car buying is unnerving too. You know what to expect, but there is still a little fear that things might get dirty.
That said, I’d like to offer a few insider tips to make the car-buying process less painful—perhaps even pleasant!
1. The Obvious
This one you already know: Don’t shop until you’ve done your research. Be it via cars.com, TrueCar, or Kelley Blue Book, know the price of the new car you are shopping for and the value of any used car you intend to trade in.
2. Happiness, Inc.
You’ve done your research on the vehicle; now do your research on the dealer. Have your peers already been to the dealership of the brand you are considering? What are they saying? Check Yelp, DealerRater, and Google Reviews. What is their Facebook score? Anybody can sell you a car. You want to be sure the dealer is there to take take care of you after the sale as well.
Dealerships want you to be happy. They want you to be a repeat customer. A good dealership will bend over backwards to get and keep your business. Dealerships and salespeople are often compensated on their customer satisfaction scores. The results of those surveys they repeatedly ask you to fill out when the deal is over might mean a bonus for a salesperson or a coveted award for the dealership.
3. The Little Things
Now that you know dealerships crave your happiness, ask for what you need. If you’re not entirely certain about a vehicle, ask for an extended test drive. Many dealerships will let you take a car for a day or two. There is a little paperwork to fill out, but it is worth it to see how easily kids can get in and out and how many backpacks, baseball bags, and groceries can fit in the trunk.
4. R-E-S-P-E-C-T
A good dealership should also respect your time. I don’t know anyone who enjoys spending hours at a dealership waiting for paperwork to be filled out or financing to go through. If you are short on time, ask if a courier can deliver paperwork to your home or office and bring it back to the dealership. Sometimes additional signatures are needed or details change, and it’s a huge inconvenience to pause life and head back to meet your salesperson. Sales assistants are employed to make both the salespeople’s and customers’ lives easier.
5. Choose Wisely
Speaking of salespeople, don’t be afraid to ask for a top performer. The people at the front desk often know who has the highest customer satisfaction score. Sales managers are also great sources of information and can recommend someone who meets your needs. Need someone low key and hands off? Ask. Need a technical whiz? Ask. Need someone fast and efficient? Ask. We all have our personal way of shopping, the same way salespeople have a personal way of selling.
6. When Life Gives You Lemons
Finally, don’t leave the dealership without a plan in place if you change your mind. We humans are fickle. There is not a buyer’s remorse provision in Texas law. A car purchase is considered final, and dealers are under no legal or moral obligation to refund your money or cancel your contract. A good dealer, however, may allow you a small grace period if you find your purchase simply is not the right fit. See #2. They want you to be a happy, repeat customer who brags about their buying experience to friends and family.
Buying a car is a huge purchase, second only in expense to purchasing a home. Be informed, proactive, and assertive. Hopefully, your purchase will have you making vroom sounds. In the meantime, I’ll continue my nighttime ritual of faking my, uh, well, enthusiasm for exhaust notes.
Love this timely and helpful post.