When we first discovered the newly introduced Spyder on the Internet, my wife was really interested, so we headed off on a 110 mile road trip to see one in the flesh, and learn about them. Naturally, we had all kinds of questions, even after doing our homework ahead of time. First dealer didn't have a demo as they were supposed to, so just gave us brochures. The salesman talked to me the entire time, even after finding it was my wife who was interested in buying one. Strike one!
At the second dealer they had a floor model, and we at least had a chance to sit on it and try it. After drooling over it for some ten minutes, we finally had to hunt up the Sales Manager to ask some questions. We had been totally ignored up to that time. Without saying a word, he walked back to the Spyder, opened the trunk, and handed us the Operator's Guide. Said "Anything you want to know should be in there." Sales Manager, my Aunt Fanny! Strike Two!
We left the second dealership quite dejected, and my wife was questioning why she was ever stupid enough to be interested a Spyder in the first place. You'd think they would throw rose petals in front of you to sell you a $15,000 toy. On the way home, we gave in and stopped by a third dealership...the last on our list. This time the salesman talked directly to my wife. He had her sit on the machine a long time, and try turning it, pulling the clutch, etc. Showed her each and every control (and the gas cap). He patiently answered both our questions, and promised us a demo ride as soon as the snow melted. It changed our whole outlook.
The following week I found the yellow Spyder my wife wanted to see, and a local dealership so we wouldn't have to travel so far to see it. We sat on the Spyder to get the feel of it for a good hour. Despite our declining a chance to talk to a salesman, the receptionist called him and told him how interested we seemed. He came and introduced himself, then answered yet another batch of serious questions. (See what all that research does for you?) Finally, I asked about a feature I read of in only one old article...the vacuum-assisted clutch. He said he had never heard of such a thing, then said, "There's only one way to find out." He cranked it up right there in the showroom, and my wife almost fell off the seat when she found how much easier the clutch worked with the Spyder running. He then put in a trunk liner so she could see it, and held up all the accessory bags so Nancy could get an idea of how they were. Finally, seeing how serious we were, he offered us a chance to take over anonther customer's deposit on an PE Spyder, meaning we could get one in a few weeks instead of a few months. Nancy put down her deposit that afternoon!
A good salesman can make a world of difference when buying a vehicle like this. No matter how close the dealership, or how good the recommendations you received, you need a knowledgeable person who can show you the ropes and answer your questions. You need a person who can go to bat for you, if necessary. If you can't get another salesperson where you looked, I'd suggest you try another dealership. We did, and it sold us!
hyea:
Not only that, but using that expression beats the use of profanity, as in "Saleman, my a**.
