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      02-03-2021, 10:53 AM   #1
KingpenM3
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Why do dealerships/salespeople push on lot cars over ordering so much?

I've spent way more time on BMW lots than any other company, so I don't know about others as much. But I'm always shocked at how salespeople never want to order cars for you. Anyone that has done an ED will tell you that they had to find someone that had done plenty before. Dealers only seem to be interested in selling you what is on the lot before you leave today.

I supposed cars that count against a dealership's allocation are different. But someone wants a "normal" car, you would think that these dealers would use this as a selling tool to crank out some more numbers.

"Oh, you didn't want that option? Let's custom order one exactly how you want it." Never seems to happen. Any opinions on why that would be? And has always been?
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      02-03-2021, 10:57 AM   #2
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I think mainly because:
1) they have an allocation of what cars they can order so spend it wisely on what they can maximize profit on
2) you can always back out of the deal leaving them with a custom car you like but not something they can make a profit on with someone else
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      02-03-2021, 05:17 PM   #3
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Every car in a dealer’s inventory costs them money every day it sits unsold. For financing, storage, etc. it’s in their best interest to turn over that inventory as quickly as possible.
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      02-03-2021, 05:32 PM   #4
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To be a car dealer you must be willing to accept a bunch of corporate-selected inventory in addition to the "allocations" (your picks). This is why a dealership would rather horse-trade with another dealer for an inventory car than to use a special order slot. I learned this from a salesman buddy back in '14 when I custom ordered my SQ5, so it may be different now or for BMW.
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      02-03-2021, 06:44 PM   #5
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^
Truth and looking for an immediate sale.
Most guys willing to wait on a DE order are also shopping many other dealers that may negotiate a better price.
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      02-03-2021, 08:16 PM   #6
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There's a fantastic article on road and track that answers this very question. I thought I was the problem until I read this and then realized I WAS the problem but for completely different reasons than I anticipated.

Good read.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cul...o-enthusiasts/
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      02-03-2021, 08:48 PM   #7
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Been there done that, it was amazing me in jeans, with the wife and kids dressed scruffy, “comfy” at the high end dealership, they blew us off. We couldn’t get anyone to help us and we were ready to buy a new high end car.
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Last edited by Suds; 02-03-2021 at 08:58 PM..
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      02-04-2021, 09:31 PM   #8
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I love that link. Good story. I'm a prime example of someone car dealerships should hate... I'm a used car dealer's son. I started as "lot boy", moved up to car jockey, wash/prep, detailer, salesfront, transport, auctions... That was thirty years ago.

When buying my F80 (I already knew the dealer's stock and what I wanted) I showed up 20min before closing time on Saturday, and told them I was buying today. They groaned about closing but I persisted and said this shouldn't take long. When the salesman pulled up for the test drive he said "look at that red interior" with a big smile. I said "it was horrendous but I wanted the AW 6-speed" and "I guess if I'm driving I won't look at it much"...his big smile just melted off, mouth open "oh."

We drove and he was silent. Afterwards I picked the car apart...nickeled up the ask on my trade in...and wouldn't leave. It was 2 hours past closing when the GM approved my offer (because I knew they all couldn't leave if I wouldn't).

It was a great April 20!!!
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      06-15-2021, 06:11 AM   #9
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Sell today - Make money today.
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      06-17-2021, 11:30 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ntg44 View Post
There's a fantastic article on road and track that answers this very question. I thought I was the problem until I read this and then realized I WAS the problem but for completely different reasons than I anticipated.

Good read.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cul...o-enthusiasts/
Great article.

This quote reminds me of the other thread that popped up recently regarding mileage upon delivery:
"You, the salesperson suspects, will torch the dealership on the model-specific forums because you zeroed-out the trip odometer when you brought it in for warranty service and they put 1.3 miles on the car doing the road test."
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      06-17-2021, 12:44 PM   #11
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This is why the dealership model and commissioned sales people need to go away
If the sales person is not there with the customers best interest in mind, why do we need them ?
One thing I like with Tesla is the ability to choose what you want and have that delivered to your door
Why aren't all cars sold the same way?
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