Show Feature Story Selling Techniques Of OfA A AUsed AUsed Used Car t f. f t 4 S Salesman a l esman by David Ochoa Journalism Old ld Chevies Fords and Toyotas are the products of the used car salesman The used car business business business busi busi- ness has been around since the first horseless carriages rolled off the line assembly-line on to the American highways in the early Today there are thousands of used car lots in inthe inthe inthe the country and selling second-hand second vehicles is a way of earning a living for many people in the work force Skip Bart not his real name sells used cars in the Salt Lake Valley and says Yep business is rolling right along Y friend moneys money's as tight as a flys fly's hide pulled over a man More folks are fix fixing ng up the old jalopy or buying used cars and trucks Bart is cert certain in that the used car business is here to stay and maintains that the poor image of the used car salesman is the result of a misinformed misinformed misinformed formed public and the of the media Heck neighbor every- every time you see a used car salesman in a movie or on T. T TV V. V the guys guy's some slick dressing talking fast-talking type villian-type looking to swindle some poor folks outa their life savings Bart is not pleased with the tales circulating about the sale methods of r th the used sed car salesman and observes yes as it applies to the used car business When a used vehicle is by a acar car lot it a cosmetic sale pre-sale treatment before it is ready for customer customer customer cus cus- tomer viewing The automobile re conditioning process is designed to be superficial and generally inexpensive The newly obtained car or truck undergoes a detailing procedure to make the product appealing to the eye Exteriors Exteriors Exteriors Ex Ex- are repaired and painted if needed and the inside of the vehicle is cleaned Minor mechanical work is done if the vehicle isn't running pro pro- perly The motor is steam- steam cleaned and painted If tires batteries or spark-plugs spark are bad they are replaced The cost of re-conditioning re is passed on to the customer in the price of the car or truck The process is common and has been an accepted practice of the used car business for years Bart agrees with the practice of detailing used cars for sale but states that often the true condition of a vehicle can be masked by the application We used car dealers and salesmen arent aren't trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes Naturally we want tomake to tomake tomake make our products as pleasing to the customer as we can We dont don't want to put a lot of work into a car if we cant can't make up for it in profit Bart thinks that the customer expects too much from the used car salesman and should use more common sense when he purchases a used car Take for instance the furniture business If a person buys a one hundred hundred hundred hun hun- dred year old table with a broken leg they call it an antique But if its it's a aused aused aused used car that dont don't work they call it junk Does oes that make sense asks Bart as he waves to a customer who wh whis is kicking the tire of a 1970 Dodge Folks are always saying bad things about us used car salesmen It hurts business I can tell you Why the way some folks tell it you'd think we were dragging customers in off the street and making them buy our cars at gun Merciful heavens I dont don't even own a gun The stories regarding the dubious sale techniques of the used car salesman salesman salesman sales sales- man are countless The alleged crooked used car salesman has been accused of turning back car odometers odometers odo odo- odometers meters packing transmissions with saw-dust saw or bananas and cheaply painting car bodies to up cover-up wrecks or rust Bart is skeptical of most of the stories he hears about the used car salesman and states Sure there might be a few dishonest fellas out there selling junk that aint fit to drive on the road Some people just want to make a fast buck but I aint one of them Why most of us in the are honest hardworking regular folks trying to make a living Heck I buy my suits off the rack I dont don't talk fast-talk no one and I close the shop on Sundays to go to church Bart stands on his car lot amid an assortment of conditioned re automobiles automobiles automobiles auto auto- mobiles and trucks wiping the fender fender fender fen fen- der of a 1969 Chevy with a soiled cloth He has been selling used cars in inthe inthe the Salt Lake area for going on ten years and as a young couple walk within earshot he greats them with Look around folks Im I'm almost giving away cars today Gotta lot of good dependable transportation here Let me know when you make up your mind Y good cars at low prices that's what Im I'm here for The young couple flash a pleasant smile and continue and continue with their shop shop- r 0 ping Story Ston continued on page 7 u Used S ed Car Salesman n Continued from Page 6 Some folks expect to buy a used car and d drive ive it forever If If- I sell a re-conditioned re car or truck and a week later the water pump gives out is it my fault Heck Im I'm no fortune fortune- teller I suppose most people think thirk a aused used car salesman should walk right up and say look pal you dont don't want to buy this car its it's a real lemmon a apiece apiece piece of scrap iron look at that water pump gonna give out next week for sure The buyer ought to toI I know what they're doing before they r sign on the dotted line Bart recommends that the prospective prospective prospective tive used car buyer be consumer oriented ori He advises that the customer should deal only with licensed bonded and well established dealerships It is good to shop around and compare prices before you buy Buying a used car carcan can be a real pain in the exhaust- exhaust pipe if you dont don't know what youre you're Bart doing warns Ive heard my share of complaints states Bart Why just last month I Isell Isell Isell sell this guy a car A real good deal too Heck I lost money on th the deal being a nice guy and all Well the next day this guy comes on the lot raving like a wild man or something You'd think I killed killed his his grandmother the way he was carrying on He tells me the right front headlight on his hiscar hiscar hiscar car just out burned-out and he wants to tp know what Im I'm going to do about it I told him he had better get it fixed before he gets a ticket or something Heck if a car runs out of gas Im I'm not supposed to fill the tank Im I'm selling good dependable re conditioned vehicles vehicles vehicles ve ve- here not running a salvation army Bart states that the poor image of the used car salesman is improving He sees the used car salesman as providing a valuable service to the community and the re-cycling re of cars and trucks as a means of conserving our natural resources Yep business is moving right along Gotta lot of good dependable transportation here Just about giving these cars away good cars atlow at atlow atlow low prices that's what Im I'm here for |