Surprising Nonchalance

[MikeBoom]

Maybe it’s a sign of the times, or maybe I’m just in too much of a hurry. However, I have reached out to seven GMC dealerships, asking them to provide me a quote on a new Yukon, and have yet to hear back from six of them. The one who did respond promised to call me over an hour ago, but has not done so.

Seriously unimpressed.

 

[mb1500]

Salesman across the country have become compliant with the easy money they have been making, seeming to forget what goes up must come down. They will remember soon enough what it means to have to earn a sale.

 

[GMCnewbee]

My experience is that you just have to do the work yourself. When you finally find something you want to go look at and visit a Dealership (or not) sometimes you run into a salesperson who is very good, sometimes you do not. It's OK, just be polite. They are just trying to make a living. Decide what you want, what you don't want, and don't count on much help. My last three purchases went great. All the sales people were old timers, experienced, and it went very well. But I knew what I wanted and that they had it before I ever went in to see them. My relationship at the GMC Dealer got me a test drive of a Hummer EV Pickup Edition 1. Wow!

 

[StephenPT]

I've been experiencing this as well. Back in March I put in an order and figured I'd be getting it sometime near the end of summer. Little did I know how naive I was about how this process works.

Now as I know more I've decided to start calling dealers that have what I want or close to it on their site. All of those units have been pre-sold, but I would have thought that a sales person with a customer on the line would go a bit further and say "Well, that unit is sold but could I get your contact information and help you find what you're looking for?" Nope. Not even once have any of these dealers even bothered to ask for my number or said much more than "Good luck."

The last two years has been "easy" for them. They only have so much inventory to sell and they don't have to work for customers - if you won't buy it, someone will come in the door right after you and they will.

 

[swathdiver]

They also know that we're not loyal, we're calling ten other people so they if you are not loyal to them, they are not going to expend the energy when the odds are you are going to buy from someone else.

My father sold cars for a time a long time ago. One of things he was taught and learned himself was to never bother with a customer who wore flip flops. They were never serious buyers. Well of course, when I wanted to buy a car, I purposely wore flip flops to another dealership and for two weeks I couldn't get the salespeople there to take me seriously. Then one day I showed up in my work clothes and boots and bam! the deal was done! LOL

An experienced salesman knows the cues as to who is ready to buy and who is kicking tires. They play the odds to put food on the table without wasting time, well, minimizing it.

 

[Reels]

They also know that we're not loyal, we're calling ten other people so they if you are not loyal to them, they are not going to expend the energy when the odds are you are going to buy from someone else.

My father sold cars for a time a long time ago. One of things he was taught and learned himself was to never bother with a customer who wore flip flops. They were never serious buyers. Well of course, when I wanted to buy a car, I purposely wore flip flops to another dealership and for two weeks I couldn't get the salespeople there to take me seriously. Then one day I showed up in my work clothes and boots and bam! the deal was done! LOL

An experienced salesman knows the cues as to who is ready to buy and who is kicking tires. They play the odds to put food on the table without wasting time, well, minimizing it.

Phone shoppers get little attention. Show up in person with some knowledge of what you want and you will get the attention you deserve. Might not be right or fair, but it is an honest answer.

 

[WilliamMunny]

It’s a weird time buying a car. Hard to find stock, hard to get any kind of deal, hard to order, etc.

As a buyer it is hard for me to pull the trigger on a car:

1. It is $4k higher MSRP than it was last year.

2. I will not get a deal and probably over pay.

3. It will all be for a car that I compromise on, wrong color, missing options, etc.

4. Plus I get to pay 5+% interest on the loan to top it off.

 

[MikeBoom]

Update: two have contacted me. Five have not replied. One of the two told me he’d call at 1 p.m., but didn’t get around to it until an hour and a half later
I don’t disagree with what anyone has said, but it’s a different experience than what I’ve had in over 40 years of buying cars…some of which were in high demand, others not so much. Usually…make that always…I’d find someone who understood that I was serious about buying. Looks like I‘ll have to adjust my expectations.

 

[swathdiver]

Depends on the people too Mike. I dealt with a guy remotely right before the insanity began, got a great deal and they rolled out the red carpet for us when my children flew in to drive the truck home. Then we did it again recently and these folks were much less so and they didn't get that warm and fuzzy welcome when they arrived and we paid about $10K more for the same truck with less miles as it was the top of the market. Such is life, there's all kinds of people out there.

 

[todayusay]

they aren't having to "work" for the sale - and making out like bandits with the increased commissions...pre-covid new car sales the majority of the time were at invoice or below meaning on paper the dealer wasn't making any money resulting in the commission being a flat payout - usually $100-200. Even at sticker the dealer is showing a $3-4k profit of which the salesman gets 25-30%...so the buyers come to you, don't question the price, and you make 5-7x of what you normally make...imagine the commissions on a Tahoe/Yukon $5-10k over MSRP

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

I've found in the past a simple approach treating it as a procurement exercise works best. Send an e-mail to the the internet sales people at about 5-6 dealerships. In the note, explain who you are, what you want to buy (specifically), when you want to do it, and let them know that they and 5 other dealers are getting the same e-mail. Tell them you are ready to go as soon as the vehicle you want is available to be ordered. Then wait for the reply. If they don't, you know they are not interested in your business...this is good info to have, move on to the people that are intersted.

 

[ColeBlooded]

I started shopping for an escalade in 2021. And besides the fact that it was extremely difficult to find one on the lot, 80% of the dealers were very arrogant. They didn't return phone calls, and wouldn't agree msrp
. I ended up buying a different car and then finally ordered the truck this year. My salesperson was pretty nonchalant about the whole process but at least I didn't pay a markup and it only took 5 months.

 

[MikeBoom]

I ordered my Yukon Denali with the Reserve package today. Ultimately the most straightforward option was offered by a dealer close to our place in SW Wisconsin...one of those who actually responded to me. We’ll see how this goes, but the salesman claims that they have a production allocation for a Denali, and that he expects production within four to eight weeks. That strikes me as somewhat optimistic, but we shall see.

 

[StephenPT]

I ordered my Yukon Denali with the Reserve package today. Ultimately the most straightforward option was offered by a dealer close to our place in SW Wisconsin...one of those who actually responded to me. We’ll see how this goes, but the salesman claims that they have a production allocation for a Denali, and that he expects production within four to eight weeks. That strikes me as somewhat optimistic, but we shall see.

Once your order is submitted and accepted by the dealer you should have an TPW within a couple of weeks and then it’s a bit of a crap shoot how long shipping will take, but I wouldn’t consider 8 weeks too optimistic.

Allocations are given on Thursday, dealer has until Saturday to put in the order. Sounds like you got a dealer that had an open allocation and you inquired at the right time.

By chance did you have either Diesel or Max Tow on your order?

 

[GTPace500]

Once your order is submitted and accepted by the dealer you should have an TPW within a couple of weeks and then it’s a bit of a crap shoot how long shipping will take, but I wouldn’t consider 8 weeks too optimistic.

Allocations are given on Thursday, dealer has until Saturday to put in the order. Sounds like you got a dealer that had an open allocation and you inquired at the right time.

By chance did you have either Diesel or Max Tow on your order?

It's not, though. I ordered a Tahoe Premier with 6.2, AAC and sunroof last November at the largest volume chevy dealer near me. It only just hit this month. I also ordered a Yukon Denali (non ultimate) with the same options as above from a large GMC dealer back in early september and I've been flip flopping between 1100 and 2030 according to GM status for the past month. No max tow and no diesel. Just a 6.2, AAC and Sunroof. I'm tired of the wait.

 

[WilliamMunny]

I am guessing in 6 - 12 months the market should flip and the dealers will be scrambling to sell large trucks like the Tahoe and Yukon.

1. Moderate job loss coming.
2. Tahoes too expensive for most people.
3. Gas prices staying high.
4. Supply lines continue to open up.
5. Recession coming.
6. High interest rates not going anywhere.
7. House hold savings running out.
8. Etc.

 

[MikeBoom]

I‘ve ordered the 6.2 and the Reserve package, which includes max trailering. I’m not sure how GMC handles this issue, but my experience with other brands has been that they sometimes prioritize orders for features that are part of an overall (more expensive) package over those that are stand alone options. Good luck!

 

[Stbentoak]

I am guessing in 6 - 12 months the market should flip and the dealers will be scrambling to sell large trucks like the Tahoe and Yukon.

1. Moderate job loss coming.
2. Tahoes too expensive for most people.
3. Gas prices staying high.
4. Supply lines continue to open up.
5. Recession coming.
6. High interest rates not going anywhere.
7. House hold savings running out.
8. Etc.

They said this in 21.... Yet, here we are...2 years later... With more expensive vehicles shipped incomplete and people still begging.....

 

[wjburken]

They said this in 21.... Yet, here we are...2 years later... With more expensive vehicles shipped incomplete and people still begging.....

It may be two years later, but the supply chain is still in shambles. I deal with part shortages daily. Electronic components are the biggest issue.

Is part of the car shortage somewhat fabricated or used as a cover to increase the perceived “rareness” of vehicles to elicit a higher price? Maybe, but part shortages are a real issue for manufacturers everywhere. If I want a PLC or any other automation component, I’m typically looking at a 24-36 week leadtime for items that used to be in stock or just a 2 week leadtime. Don’t even get me going with the weekly or monthly price increases we are getting hit with.

 

[Polo08816]

I started shopping for an escalade in 2021. And besides the fact that it was extremely difficult to find one on the lot, 80% of the dealers were very arrogant. They didn't return phone calls, and wouldn't agree msrp
. I ended up buying a different car and then finally ordered the truck this year. My salesperson was pretty nonchalant about the whole process but at least I didn't pay a markup and it only took 5 months.

This may be my strategy. There's more inventory and more competitive pricing on 1/2 ton pickups at the moment. I may end up purchasing either a F150 or Tundra first and then delaying the purchase of a 3 row SUV for another 2-3 years. If I already have a truck, I might be open to getting a unibody 3 row SUV like a Jeep Grand Cherokee L instead of a body on frame 3 row SUV.

I am guessing in 6 - 12 months the market should flip and the dealers will be scrambling to sell large trucks like the Tahoe and Yukon.

1. Moderate job loss coming.
2. Tahoes too expensive for most people.
3. Gas prices staying high.
4. Supply lines continue to open up.
5. Recession coming.
6. High interest rates not going anywhere.
7. House hold savings running out.
8. Etc.

They said this in 21.... Yet, here we are...2 years later... With more expensive vehicles shipped incomplete and people still begging.....

Supply is improving (there are fewer constraints) but demand is dropping even faster. It seems the wait times for vehicles have decreased substantially across the board for mainstream vehicles. Interest rates are going to continue to increase which is going to reduce demand for those that will need to finance. Household savings is indeed running out - there's really no debate there at the macro level. We will be in a much different place by the end of 2024.