j. d. b.

GM's business must be wonderful. I have not checked the stock price, but
it must be at an all time high.

The reason I believe this is that trying to get Chevrolet and GM Truck
dealers to call back and follow-up in darn near next to impossible.
They don't seem like they want your business at all.

For example, I went to one Chevy dealer on Wednesday and test drove a
Colorado. I told the guy to find me a silver Colorado with certain
options. I told him I was flexible, but to work up a price and get back
to me. I gave him my card. He did not have any cards to give me (a
salesman without cards - shame!) Here it is Friday and no call or
follow-up.

So last night I go to another dealer. I tell him what I want and to
give me a trade-in price on my current vehicle. Edmund's trade-in value
is about $9,100. He offers $7,100. So I said thanks and walked out.
He has my number, but no calls to work something out. BTW, Edmund's
says my current vehicle is one of the most wanted used vehicles.

Today, I go through the GM website and submit requests for quotes from
another Chevy dealer and a GM dealer. I get the automatic follow-up
emails, but at 3:25 pm (I sent them at 10:00), not a call back. I said
in the note "I'm buying this weekend."

I have always tried to buy American, but this may be the first time I go
an buy a Japanese vehicle. At least the salesmen at the Japanese
dealerships call back quickly, respond to my emails, call the house and
act like they want to do business.

So in a little while I will be heading to Nissan dealers to look at the
Frontier. It's no wonder the American manufacturers are losing
marketshare, they lack training and aggressiveness when compared to the
salespeople at the Japanese dealerships.

nooneimportant

I had just the opposite problem at a chevy dealer. Looked at a Colorado
(glad now i didn't get a small truck!). Started working out numbers, told
them that it wasn't going to work, I could get a full sized truck for the
same price. Told them i wasn't in market to buy anyway until the insurance
paid on my old truck (was totaled in a wreck). Next day I get a call from
the sales manager, wanting to work a deal, didn't take not now for an
answer. Next day SOMEONE ELSE called... wouldn't take "not yet" for an
answer. Next day... guess what? SAME DAMN THING. Finally I told the
salesperson that I thought it was rude to keep calling back on trying to
sell me a truck i wasn't ready to buy yet, and that there was now a 90%
chance i would buy from another dealer, the next phone call would definately
mean I buy from another dealer. THEY CALLED AGAIN THE NEXT FRIGGEN DAY.
Told them to not call anymore. Finally got my settlement, bought a Toyota
Tundra, that place treated me very well, got a great price on it, and they
bent over backwards to avoid "pressuring" me. A few days later.... CHEVY
dealer CALLS AGAIN..... that phone call got ugly, they havent called back.

Sad considering that the chevy dealer that kept calling is one of the
"biggest and best" in the Phoenix area.

j. d. b.

I have to agree that would be annoying. Heck, I can't even get them to
respond, much less be annoying. Last night we went up to a northern
suburb of Cincinnati where they have a big automall. Many of the dealers
close around 7:00 to 7:30. So we go in the Nissan Frontier and drove
around.

We really liked it but I wanted my wife to look at the Colorado. So I
dropped her off at the Chevy dealer. The sales guy came up to the
Nissan. I said I was looking to buy this weekend and that I could not
find a Chevy sales person who wanted to sell a car and who would
respond. He said they were closing in 15 minutes, but he would help us.
So I left the wife there and went back to Nissan.

My wife told the sales guy (yet another brain surgeon) that she wanted
to test drive an I5 Colorado. So they went to where the Colorados where
and he wandered around quite a bit.

My wife was puzzled why they were just walking around. He said he was
trying to find a silver I5. She said, "I don't care what color it is, I
just want to try the I5." He eventually got the keys for - yes, an I4.
She was so frustrated with the guy who told her "there isn't much
difference" so rather than wait around again, she decided to take the I4
out for a spin.

He got in truck and started it. Did not open the door for my wife. She
eventually got in and started driving. She had trouble with the seat as
she could not get the back vertical enough to be comfortable. She was
struggling and he did not ask to help or anything. She said the guy was
totally rude.

So I heard about this after picking her back up. She said no way in
hell she was going to buy a Colorado from that guy and we went back to
Nissan.

She liked the looks of the Colorado a bit better than the Nissan, but
said the interior comfort and seats on the Colorado are terrible.

Now that makes four Chevy dealers we visited and two I contacted via
email. The dealers that I emailed (via the GM website) have never
responded (one was a Chevy dealer and one was a GM truck dealer)
although I did get their automated response letter telling me someone
would be calling me.

The salespeople at the Nissan dealership were professional, well dressed
and knew their products. The sales people at EVERY Chevy dealership
were rude, unprofessional, dress like cowhands, do not know their
products and generally turn you off to buying a Chevy. No wonder GM is
having sales problems. There are no standards, no professionalism,
obvious lack of training or the salespeople are sleeping through the
training. Incredibly disappointing. No wonder Japan is kicking their ass.

I WAS a dedicated buy American kind of guy, but if this is how my wife
and I are going to be treated, we're off to buy Japanese for the first
time in our lives.

Funniest thing, while I was looking at a Frontier at an east of
Cincinnati dealership which is close to Route 32, a guy yells out "buy
American!" If he only knew.

I suspect he works at the Ford transmission plant out in Batavia which
is scheduled to close. So here's another story. I drive a Ford Escape
now. Bought it while I was trying to sell my service to the Ford
transmission plant. This is not just blowing smoke, but I have the best
service and support and will match anyone's price as I have that
flexibility. Anyway, they buy the service from my competitor which is
clearly an inferior service. I even offered a lower price. They
listened to some consultant who was fired by my company and
misrepresented my service - lied in fact. Anyway, the biggest rub in
the whole thing - my competitor drives a foreign car! Now if American
manufacturers are not going to buy from someone loyal to them, and they
buy from someone who obviously thinks they have a crappy product, what
the hell am I doing staying loyal to them? Last damn Ford product I
will ever buy.

As a professional salesperson myself, I would love to start a business
training auto salespeople on how to sell and how to treat a customer.
The skills and professionalism at the American dealerships is sorely
lacking.

JMHO and experience.

red_z_man

i have to laugh at all this, because i have been there myself.
one time i asked the salesmen if GM had fixed the 4x4 problem with the
button 4x4 and it not going into 4x4. this was back when they had
problems i think in 2001??
well he said yes, i said are you sure? he said yes.
just so happens i had my truck in service at this time, so i asked
him(salesmen) if he knew who regina was?(she was my service writer) he
said yes, thats when i BUSTED him and said well thats funny because they
haven't, and regina and i are good friends.
he didn't know what to say then.
another time, same lot different salesmen i was told to get the F*&K off
the lot and go else where because i knew more about the truck then they
did.
they tried telling me the hour meter was the trip od. meter.
i said don't the keys have to be in the truck and it turned on?
he said yes, i asked where are the keys? thats when he looked in his
hands and cussed me.
all this was at a chevy lot.
BUT when i went to a gmc lot i was treated with the best respect, and
they wanted me to buy from them.
if the salesmen didn't know the answer, he told me i will find out,
which he did.
thats why i will NEVER buy a chevy BUT instead a gmc.
i know there both about the same BUT the chevy lots are just a bunch of
young PUNKS who think there better then anyone else.
this is what i think and ONLY my thoughts.
this happened at a chevy lot in wake forest, n.c

garrett fulton

Just my .02, but the GMC also has a much better styled grill. I'm shopping
for a '04-'06 2500 p/u myself.

j. d. b.

Charles,

I did notice a lot of "kids" working in sales at the two Chevy dealers
closest to me.

As a salesman, the first thing you are taught is "DON'T LIE." I guess
your guy has not passed that part of the course yet ;-)

Anyway, this just gets funnier. The Nissan dealer sales guy who was
probably the best I have dealt with so far, said he would call back
today at noon. He did not. The other salesman at the Nissan dealer
closest to me was supposed to call with the prices/trade-in - he did not.

My daughter's boyfriend is in the radio and advertising business. He did
a remote at a Nissan dealer today - who would have guessed. He talked
to the sales manager there who is now trying to find me what I want.
But get this, the guy told him their sales and all the auto sales in the
area are way down.

So if that is true, and I have to take the guy at his word, why the heck
will no one get off their ass and try and sell me the vehicle I want? I
mean I am ready to buy and have told them that. This is just
unbelievable. Never had this bad of an experience in all the times I
have bought a car - and I buy a lot of new cars.

I think I mentioned in a post I did ask the GM Truck dealer downtown for
a quote. Emailed via the GM website. That was Thursday. Still no
response. I think I'm just done with GM.

red_z_man

so true about the style on the gmc.
i pointed out sonething to a chevy salesmen and called me a fool for
thinking it, UNTIL i showed him.
my 04 gmc hood sits in the fenders when closed and the chevy sits ontop
and over the fenders.
take note of that when you see a chevy and gmc.
of course i am only talking about the silverado and sierra here
to me the gmc is much better looking.
as far as getting prices on line.
awhile back when i was looking at 06 tacomas i did a online thing, i am
still getting e-mails and calls wanting me to buy.
i have even called and mailed to say i am no longer wanting a tacoma.
go figure.
i guess it all depends on where you live on how they respond.
one thing i do is ONLY give them my cell number, that way i can block or
just ignore there calls.

tekguy4

Isnt the Frontier built in Tennesee? At least assembled?

tekguy4

Isnt the Frontier built in Tennesee? At least assembled?

j. d. b.

Yes, only the transmission is made in Japan. All other components are
made and assembled here in the US. When I said, I always tried to "Buy
American" I meant from American companies. But I guess this will have
to be the next best thing.