Ask a car salesman

[Muhammed]

1) Being in the automobile industry, how did the financial crisis affect you? I hear some talk about a sudden boom in car-sales the last year, true?

2) I know very little about cars, but I guess i'll be buying one within a few years. Name some of your favourite cars in various price-ranges?

3) how many cars do you sell on a daily average?

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

1. Financial crisis? What financial crisis? Australia was the only OECD country not to go into recession. Having said, I've always tried to focus on not letting myself fall victim to the ebb and flow of the economy......enquiry drops 10%, do a 15% better job. I worry about the rLf micro-economy.

2. Honestly impossible to say without more info as to what you are looking for in a car. Assuming second hand small 4 cylinder hatchback, I'd lean towards Hyundai i30, VW Golf and Ford Focus due to the availability of excellent diesel engines.

3. I manage the third largest Hyundai dealer on the east coast and this month we are hoping to sell 150 cars which would be a record. I was looking at some figures the other day and in 2008 we sold 470 for the year whilst half way through 2013 we have sold 680 so business is booming.

When I was a salesman the most I ever did was 46 in a month, and remember they all need to somehow get efficiently into the traffic too. From the minute I walked in at 8 to leaving I was absolutely flat out.

 

[Zelig]

When's the break-even point for diesel engines to be actually economical with your car/gas prices? You have to drive pretty huge amounts here for diesel to be worthwhile.

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

A common question which I'll pass on as I'd need to know the relative fuel prices and the two cars being compared.

Actually, the fuel economy is only one part what makes diesel great. Heaps of fun to drive with their torquey little turbos and durability that a petrol just can't compete with (they operate at such low revs that they don't work nearly as hard.....200,000kms on the clock just to run them in).

EDIT.....whoops, you said here. You gain about 30% better economy and diesel is about 8% dearer.

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

This is great stuff


Link to video.

 

[Borachio]

I still wouldn't trust one (in the real world: of selling me a car) any further than I could throw him over an estate agent (realtor).