Are Car Salesmen Trustworthy?

Dear Miss Mota Mouth,

Can you really ever trust a used car salesman?
Paul, CA

Dear Funny in Fullerton,

This actually a fair question and before I upset any sales people out there, let me start by saying that there are very few who are rotten to the core and perched waiting to pounce on a hapless victim. Most sales people are just doing what they have been trained to do and believe it or not, it is not to practice deception.

What does happen most of the time is that, as in many similar industries, sales techniques are used that end up with a customer who feels a little duped or confused and in this consumer-savvy world, no one likes to feel that way.

What most people fail to realize is that the car world is a game of emotions. (Ahhh- that new car smell! Wow- the speed! Yum- the luxury! ) Car salesmen just are a little more objective about it and come prepared with a toolbox full of sales techniques for every occasion.

The best defense is to be a smart buyer and do your research, write it down and refer to it often as they do their tap dance in front of you. There are so many resources now online that it would be foolish to not be educated about everything from what to look for, what to expect and what to demand. It is equally not a good idea to go into negotiations thinking that you know the industry and make assumptions about car values just because it occurred to you over your oatmeal that morning. Cars are a huge business with standards, laws, metrics and its own method of establishing values that isn’t exactly a science but does have a method behind its madness just as there is a reason that ketchup is above .50 cents but below $3.00.

So, can you trust a used car salesman? If you are the kind of buyer who wants to be told what you need and how you are going to do it, then yes, they are as trustworthy as the insurance agent, the doctor and the dishwasher repairman and you will get whatever they offer. If you work with any of them and make your needs clear and they will not work with you, then you just trot yourself down the street and find one who will.

Candidly,

M

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