Truck Salesperson

I've got a lot of compassion for many of these people doing what is really a crappy job.

A car or truck is a technical,product and they really don't get much training or support. So there is us who geek out on trucks and tow weights and gear ratios. And there are Mustang guys who geek out on obscure suspension options available. I'm sure there are websites dedicated to obscure elements of minivans, but I don't even want to think about that.

Anyway, I just don't really expect much. Actually, I don't expect anything from a dealer. Nor do I want anything from a dealer except to quickly process the paperwork when I get there to buy the vehicular I have already picked out.

I have found the manufacturer sales tools amazing. I can sit at home in my underwear and search for the exact vehicle I want, see which ones are closest in a particular geographic area and then negotiate for it. All without leaving the comfort of my couch.

As the digital sales tools continue to get better, the car sales dudes and the lot will continue to become less and less relevant. Especially to the knowledgable buyer.

:-)

Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:
Spud most window stickers do list the max tow rating on them. Not sure if this is for as optioned but would hope so. I never looked for this on my currant truck but on my 2004 Ram the sticker had it listed on the sticker.

Don

Sorry Don, Ford DOES NOT state tow capacities on their window sticker.

I would challenge you to show me any manufacturer that currently does.

As well, there is no Super Duty that has a dismal 10K tow rating. Tow ratings start over 12k.

Here is mine.



S

:) Hi, while planning on retiring my Lincoln Navigator, I was in the market for an F-150. I drove to one dealer and noticed that none of the trucks on the lot had tow mirrors, so I knew they didn't have what I wanted. I took pictures of the Ford 9N tractor in the show room and ate some of the free popcorn. A sales person came up to me and asked if I was there to buy a new vehicle or to just look at the tractor and eat the free popcorn. I told the sales person that I was looking for a new F-150, but he didn't have anything on the lot that would work for me. I told him that I towed a travel trailer. He asked me how much my trailer weighed and I told him that it has a GVWR of 6,300 lbs. Then he told me that there wasn't any truck on his lot that couldn't tow 7,200 lbs. I told him that my Lincoln has a tow rating of 8,900 lbs. and that there was no point in buying a new truck if it didn't have a higher tow rating and a higher payload than my Lincoln.

I went to another Ford dealer and found a nice guy that knew nothing about towing and payloads. I told him what I wanted and why. He found my truck in another state and had it trailered to the dealership.

I've heard some horror stories lately regarding people who work in new car sales/repair. Most new car dealers have a very high turn over rate of salesmen and techs. They hire too many of them to begin with that way they're fighting each other for sales and or hours. The dealerships figure if they hire a new salesman then chances are they'll sell a car or two to a friend/family that they otherwise wouldn't make a sale to and after that if the salesman quits it's no big deal they just hire another. Same with the techs. They basically pit them against each other for work. Basically if your car/truck is out of warranty your better off taking it to a reputable independent shop. That's where most of the best mechanics are at these days. With this in mind it's no wonder salesmen know so little about their products. I'm sure most of their customers aren't that picky, they want a red car with Bluetooth and a sunroof and as long as they can cover that 95% they're golden. Probably not even concerned about the handful of stragglers that wander in with technical questions. In my city we have a handful of fleet truck dealers and they are generally much more knowledgeable about their products.

I think he was asking about payload....not max tow rating. Not sure about Ram, but I've never seen that on a Ford window sticker.

Spud most window stickers do list the max tow rating on them. Not sure if this is for as optioned but would hope so. I never looked for this on my currant truck but on my 2004 Ram the sticker had it listed on the sticker.

Don

DutchmenSport wrote:
It was a Sunday afternoon when we decided to get a new truck. We had a Chevy 3500 diesel duly with a fiberglass body failing quickly. We got on the internet and searched and found another one that matched our criteria, (a new 3500 diesel one-ton with a metal body) and it was local.

We drove to the lot, even though they were closed, and found it sitting in the grass in the "back 40" lot. Looked it over, and really liked what we say. And ... the doors were unlocked at that.

Right there, used or cell phones and called the dealership wanting to make an appointment to see the truck and test drive it Monday.

Monday at work, no call by noon. So I called back said I "think" I want the truck and I'd be over as fast as I could get there. Got there with my wife and were greeted kindly. Did the test drive, sure enough. Dealer said we'd have no problems towing our trailer.

I asked if I could come with WITH our trailer, hitch up and give it a test drive TOWING the trailer. (He must have felt pretty confident we really wanted this truck), and he said "sure!" It will tow it!

We went straight home, hitched up the trailer and brought it to the dealership. Switch over hitch with the WD, the height was almost identical, so not changes in the WD bar tensions or anything, just left it the way it was. And off we went. My wife and I both towed it about 10 miles each, over a short section of Interstate, secondary state highways, and in town. It towed marvelous.

Went back to the dealership, and the first words he said when we pulled back up, even before I could say anything was .... "See I told you it would tow sweet, didn't I?" I said "Yup! You just sold a truck! Where do we sign."

We did tow the trailer home with the old truck and get the new truck 2 days later. They added running boards, cleaned it up real good, and had all the paper work ready when we came back.

So you know, it does pay to do your homework first, and it does help to have a salesman that knows what he's talking about. It doesn't take much to figure out if they know their stuff or not. A few well chosen questions that you know the answer to will tell you the whole story about your salesman.

By the way, that truck is the one in my signature block below! That truck is simply awesome towing!

And oh! By the way? It was a week later I got a call from the dealership. One of the salesmen was informing me the truck was already sold!

I'm surprised they let you do that. You're supposed to put 1000 miles on the axle before towing to avoid whining hypoid gears.

This could get to be a long thread.

I went in to the local Ford dealership. These guys actually advertise that they are the "TRUCK EXPERTS." At the time I visited them I knew I wanted something more capable than my 4Runner, but I really didn't know what my options were. I was toying with pickups, cargo vans, big SUV's, and anything else that might work that I wasn't yet aware of.

I explained that the 4Runner wasn't capable of the kind of towing I needed to do. I gave them all the numbers. I asked them to educate me about various vehicles that I could consider. (First mistake). They were excited to show me a Transit Connect, which has a 4-cylinder engine and a maximum 3500 lb towing capacity. (4Runner was a V6, with a 5000 lb towing capacity). When they asked me what my objection to it was I said, "I'm looking for something with MORE towing capacity than I have now. This has less." Their response: "Oh." And they let me walk out the door on that note.

It's sad really. I don't think it's dishonesty at all. I just think it is a lack of knowledge, along with a lack of customer service attitude. If I had done my job the way they are doing theirs, I'd have been out of work. (I'm mostly retired now.)

-Speak

brulaz wrote:
I asked the same of a GM/Chevy salesperson a while back, about a loaded (Denali?) 2500 diesel.

He was kind enough to go inside, get the keys and unlock the truck.
We both looked at the door jamb, and he was amazed at how low the payload number was. He didn't really know anything about the importance of payload when towing. But I don't think you can really expect that from people who primarily sell cars.

Educating him was my good deed for the day. But maybe he will just ignore it ...

Hopefully not. At least he was honest. It's rare to find an honest salesperson. It's also rare to find a knowledgeable salesperson. To find an honest, knowledgeable salesperson is almost impossible.

MitchF150 wrote:
Sales people will tell you what you want to hear if you don't know any better..Mitch

Exactly. They will listen to your own words and assure you that it will do what you want it to do.