As an American I'm a car lover. What I drive is in some way, fashion, or form, an extension of my personality. I need something for getting from A to B, but I look for something that makes me feel a certain way when I'm doing that and something I can count on. I have an analytical mind so I tend to research my options exhaustively and oddly enough though I'm an introvert I enjoy spending a day driving from dealership to dealership, talking with the salesmen, and test driving. I never make such an expensive decision on the car lot and with few exceptions sleep on it (an attitude that has clearly irritated more than one sweet talking car rep). It's not simply my love of cars that has me out on a sunny weekend test driving when I might otherwise be at the beach, but also a love of psychology, sociology, and culture, and the car dealership is the perfect microcosm of these.
Integrity is a big deal to me. Dishonesty is the antithesis of it. When it comes to family, friendships, romantic relationships, even work, the absence of integrity is a clue to the nearby existence of a fan and a pile of something vile smelling. Avoid at all costs. On a car lot, however, it's a chance to exercise boundaries, communication skills, adjust trust levels, learn how to better deal with people who maybe aren't quite straight shooters. On a car lot you can walk away and forget about it.
When I was younger I judged the integrity of a dealership by one simple test: did they listen to what I wanted? If I said I'm looking for an affordable family care in the $20 - $25k range did they push me towards an SUV with all the extras? A person lacking integrity, in my humble opinion, shows their colors initially by demonstrating a simple inability to listen. Recently, though, I've added another test. It's called the Kelly Blue Book test. I ask the dealer, "My benchmark of a dealership is whether you sell me a car for Blue Book prices and if you'll take my trade in for Blue Book. Will you?" Always, always, they say yes, they do that. Nearly always they ask more than KBB for the car they're offering (and aren't willing to haggle) and offer less than KBB for the one i'm trading in (and aren't willing to haggle). Integrity? I think not.
The vehicle I was considering was a 2008 Mini Cooper with only 52k miles. Their offer for my trade in was low, but it was still Blue Book, and I was able to haggle them up a little. They weren't willing to haggle on the Cooper, but I could understand why: it was a fair Blue Book rate and frankly with so few miles on the vehicle and it being in such good condition (much better condition and price than anything similar at Mini of Portland) it was more than fair. And that's the minimum of what I look for when purchasing a vehicle: fair numbers.
West Coast Auto Group was much more than that, though. From the moment my wife and I walked on the lot the family run dealership was polite, respectful, and friendly. They didn't pressure and John, the guy I worked with, provided one of the most "real" interactions I've experienced with a car dealer. But hey, they want to sell a car, of course they smile, remember my name, and act like my best friend. Duh.
So blah, blah, blah, my wife and I decide to purchase the vehicle, and the next day I notice a warning light on the dash and the low tire pressure light's coming on when I start her up. We fill the tires up to 51psi but the lights stay on. Google gives me two answers, neither of which is worrisome, so I get in touch with John and ask about coming in and having them connect to the computer to see what the error code is. No problem. I drive in during lunch, he and his brother connect their computer which shows no error codes, but instead of stopping there John runs in, does some research, returns to the car, we open the hood, and sure enough the windshield wiper fluid is almost out, hence the light. I purchase some fluid, reset the computer, and boom, no more warning lights.
Buying a car can be stressful; purchasing used can be ten times so. West Coast Auto took that stress away. They were honest, approachable, friendly, and respectful. Like any business they're there to make money but they didn't play games in order to make the sale. And they passed one of the most important tests there is: if and when I've had a question or potential problem they didn't blow me off but did everything to help even though they really had no legal obligation to do so ("as-is" is "as-is" folks). I've nearly never found these qualities in a dealership and I plan on going back when my wife and I are ready to replace her current vehicle. read more