I take no joy in this... I really don't.
My experience was not very good. I don't know anything about selling cars at a dealership. I bet it sucks. I bet it really sucks.
I felt like the salespeople were a little too aggressive, which seemed like desperation, which made me feel pretty bad for them. Remember "Gill" from The Simpsons? Yeah... that was my salesperson. As soon as I got out of the car, I was pounced on. I don't prefer that kind of tactic, and that's just me. You might find it helpful.
I was in the market for a very specific kind of vehicle--I don't want hurt the salesperson's feelings, so I don't want to get too specific in case they're reading this. Lets just say it WASN'T a four-door sedan. I communicated to the salesperson what kind of car I was looking for, and the 2 or 3 specific makes/models I was looking for, and we walked the lot. This consisted of us walking past rows of cars I was absolutely not interested in, and were NOTHING like the makes/models I'd said I was looking for while the salesperson would point at four-door sedans (I had said I wasn't interested in) and going, "what about a Kia?!?", "what about a Chrystler?!?"
I'm familiar with cars. I watch car shows, I read reviews, I do a little maintenance, and in general, I'd say I'd make myself look stupid talking to a real mechanic, but I'm more knowledgeable than most people. I quickly began to suspect that I knew more about cars than the salesperson. Maybe they were playing dumb to generate sympathy? I don't know...
We walked the entire lot while the salesperson continued to point out rows and rows of cars that were NOTHING like what I had explained I was looking for.
Most of the stock was fine... I guess? I didn't look too closely at most of it because it was so far from what I was looking for. There were A LOT of really cheap, boring, mediocre American cars and foreign imports. There's nothing wrong with that, if that's what you want. There just wasn't a lot of... good cars--as far as reputation, engineering, reviews, re-sale value and style go. This is not a criticism, this is just me letting you know what to expect. If you're in the market for a Chrysler 200, you're going to find many to choose from. Want a Subaru? Not so much...
I was pretty surprised how much JUNK was on the lot--cars with major body damage, cars on the lot that didn't seem to have been cleaned or detailed, broken headlights, cracked windows, cars that looked like they had been ragged-out by me when I was in high school... It's not a good look. Kind of screams, "we will sell anything!" I didn't see that at other dealerships.
The lot had nothing for me, but we went inside and checked the Leith database.
The salesperson was very eager to please, and likable, but seemed desperate. They were able to find a car comparable to what I was looking for at another Leith dealership in the county. The salesperson said they could have it delivered for a test drive if I promised to show-up as scheduled. I think they personally had to pick it up and return it. I promised I would come back and made an appointment to do so.
When I went back the second time for the test drive, I just wanted to walk the lot myself so I could take my time without feeling pressured browsing the inventory again. As soon as I got out of the car, I was pounced on by a different salesperson, and I let them know I just wanted to walk the lot a bit.
They didn't take a hint that I didn't want to be bothered, and they weren't taking "I'm fine, thank you" for answer. At that point, I shelved my southern upbringing and embraced a little Philadelphia I picked up from a day-trip back in 2000. I was pretty rude in making it clear that I didn't want to be bothered. I didn't like that I had to do that to get some breathing room.
I walked the lot again, and... I didn't miss anything the first time around.
I went to the sales office to take my test drive and... no one had picked up the car... wasn't there... Attempts were made to throw someone else under the bus, but bottom line... car wasn't there despite me being asked to promise to show up as scheduled, and me being a serious buyer who did so.
Not a huge deal, but I had lined up some other test drives at other dealerships, and I wasn't able to make it back. I don't know if they ever did get the car... I don't think I even got a follow-up call back about it.
The place wasn't busy, but they definitely let me slip through the cracks. Turned out great for me though. Instead of settling for what Leith had in stock, I was able to find the make/model I thought I'd never find at my price-point at another dealer who were... way better...
No one wronged me here (except maybe the annoying salesperson who wouldn't take the hint to back off) but the sales staff I dealt with didn't seem knowledgeable, and they sort of wasted my time. Inventory was weak/sad. Can't recommend based on my experience. read more