By Shana Zlotin, Staff Journalist, carsales.com.au
Pre Trigger – Slow and steady doesn’t win the race
I was driving up the highway over the Easter Break when I was cut off by a (insert profanity) in a super sexy Mercedes-Benz SUV and I thought to myself, “If I had a faster car, no one could cut me off. Heck, maybe even I could do the cutting off!”
So here began my search for a newer and faster car!
*cue Law & Order dun-dun audio*
Coming out of a 10-year-old Suzuki Swift, I knew my car wouldn’t be worth much as a trade-in so I set out to sell it privately, and then buy a new or demo car from a dealership.
A real 2019 treat yo’ self.
Being a woman in her early 20s, I knew my car purchase journey would be unique as people my age are apparently not buying as many new cars anymore. So I decided to chronicle the experience in a way that may provide some insight into my demographic for the Australian automotive industry.
This was to be my first real encounter with dealerships as a genuine customer, and I was interested to see how the experience would go. Filled with nerves I knew that this decision would be the most expensive thus far in my life (and a life milestone) except for those 2000 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets that everyone told me I needed to get.
Landscape – The good kind of bingeing
The journey started thusly: reading anything and everything online and on my mobile that I could about cars that appealed to me. I knew from the onset that I wanted either a hatchback or small SUV, which gave me a good start point as to what I was looking for.
I didn’t have any specific prerequisites and was in no way biased towards any brand, so the car world was my… oyster? Yes, let’s go with oyster.
Something torquey and sporty was high on my shopping list, which unlike the green leopard print skirt I bought last week, would actually suit me.
I started by reading the reviews and comparisons on popular cars in the small segment and then binge watched videos on the carsales website and YouTube. It allowed me to get a real understanding of what was out there and to see the features of each car in action.
Once I got the gist of what I was looking for I started researching the cars individually. I chatted to a few people at work to validate my shortlist and decided on three hatches and one Certified Pre-Owned aspirational used car to explore.
I researched the models thoroughly using a combination of review sites and OEM websites to decide on the colour I liked and the specific trim level I was interested in.
Filtering my choices on carsales.com.au by model year, automatic transmission (don’t judge me) and the distance of dealerships to a radius of 25km was relatively easy. However, if the perfect car was interstate, I am a believer of long-distance relationships and would try to make it work.
Upon finding suitable cars, I used the carsales app to SMS four different dealers to organise appointments to inspect the cars in detail. My new baby was out there and I was on my way!
One thing did irk me a little however. If I was sending a dealer an SMS, I would have appreciated one in return, not a phone call. I understand the ease for the salesperson to pick up the phone and call but it was hard to answer them all while I was at work, out at dinner or forcing affection onto my cats. Being busy, I continued to miss these calls, whereas an SMS I could read when convenient for me and digest the relevant information.
Validate – The start of my coffee addiction
Dealer one – It begins
Entering my first dealership was a tad daunting. Everyone looked so polished and pristine, and the staff were walking on what felt like predetermined paths in this overwhelmingly bright, clean and clinical airport-like space. One of the sales staff queried: “Do you have an appointment to see someone?” I answered with “no” but was offered my first coffee.
I appreciated the genuine attitude of the staff in this showroom in particular who didn’t make our whole conversation feel transactional. It was somewhat relaxing to chat to the salesperson about his work history, which made me feel less anxious when we began discussing finance options for the car.
My knowledge of finance was embarrassingly limited and I was hesitant to even ask about my options, feeling as though I would struggle to understand the concept and appear dumb. I was also planning to stick with my current insurer, as it offered the best annual premium that I’d seen so far and didn’t want to start that discussion.
This was the one and only time one of the staff in a dealership actually asked me what I did for work or what I’d be using the car for. I would have appreciated the others trying to build a more personal relationship with me and finding out what my car requirements were, seeing as I was about to drop almost $40k on a heavily-engineered pile of glass, metal and plastic. I mean, if you don’t know about my plan to recreate every scene in The Fast and the Furious, how can you know which features I’m looking for?
Dealer two – Made for me
Having worked in the automotive industry for a couple of years at an OEM, I have a good understanding of car fundamentals. Interestingly, it both helped and hindered me during my visit to dealers, and in particular Dealer two.
On the one hand, I was able to decipher what some dealers were explaining to me, but on the other I was also aware of when they weren’t being as truthful, especially as I had also done a lot of research. For example, the salesperson at the second dealership told me that their car was “the fastest small car” of the segment, which I knew it wasn’t.
I felt like this salesperson—who in the end didn’t follow up with me—could sense my hesitation and instead offered that if I was interested, I should give him a call when I’d thought about it.
After this discussion I discovered that the specific dealership had sold an extremely high number of the car I was after, so that also may have explained his flippant approach. Either way, I would have preferred some form of follow-up from the salesperson… just not another phone call.
The salesperson did however tell me that the car “had my name on it”. It was patronizing, if I’m being honest. How can the salesperson know it suits me if he never even asked what I’d be using it for?
Dealer three – Daddy’s girl
At this point in my buying journey I was beginning to feel a little jaded and was quite blunt when conversing with the third salesperson. Maybe it was the 4,000 coffees and mini muffins I had consumed over the past three weekends that had contributed to this change in attitude.
I asked very targeted and pointed questions to communicate my knowledge and ensure the smooth talking would end. I was introduced to the Dealer Principal and watched him and the salesperson play out a little script where they both described their challenges choosing their first car, in an attempt to relate to me. It felt a bit staged and condescending.
The salesperson also had the audacity to assure me that if money was my concern that he was “sure my daddy could help”.
Needless to say, I was put off not only the dealership, but sadly the car too. It’s a shame too, as I know I might have otherwise loved the car.
And you should have heard the laugh from my dad!
Select – “Let me have a think about it”
The experience of seeing, touching and sitting in the cars—and then going on test-drives—was edifying. It gave me a better handle on which cars I really felt comfortable in and tangible features that are hard to truly understand in a review. Things like a bulky B-pillar that obscures vision for taller/vertically gifted drivers like myself.
Then came the tough choice; I was ready to decide on the car I was going to buy.
I found this particularly difficult because I knew that unlike that green leopard skirt, I wouldn’t be able to return the car for a refund.
Two dealerships did stay in touch and the third one, who went quiet, provided no follow up. I lost interest in the fourth car after hearing of my friend’s experience with the brand and the high servicing costs. I realised that I could afford to buy the car, but not own it – something I had never really thought about.
Select and Ownership – The customer is always right
Overall, I was left genuinely confused and surprised with my experience in the dealerships.
The majority of the interactions felt quite cold and impersonal. Why wasn’t I asked any questions pertaining to me? Having worked for some leading names in retail, we were driven by the mentality that you can’t sell a product to a customer without knowing why they need it and how they’ll use it.
So I just couldn’t understand why dealers weren’t asking me about my commute or features that I might want or need.
I was in the final stage of deciding between my final two options, one was a really funny 27-year-old doctor from Richmon—Hang on. Oh you mean the car choice!
Well I had narrowed it down to two cars that I just loved but was nit-picking at this point to make sure I chose only the best car for me—which I did.
At this point I realized how significant the sales experience was versus the actual car itself. The dealership experience weighed much more on my decision than I had ever initially expected. Having a dealer ask me questions and show genuine interest in me and my needs made me comfortable enough to sign the papers and buy my new car. It made me realize; I wanted someone to listen to me and validate my decision.
Overall, my purchase journey was a really eye opening experience to a type of retail I had not otherwise been involved in before.
Would I do it again? Yes, absolutely. But I do hope that when it comes time to buy my next car, the experience is a little more… fun?
Now it’s time to go and cut someone off!