A No Hassle Sale

I'm almost ready to post a rant about the escalating gas prices--almost.

But that's a little out of character for this blog, so I'll postpone it for later.  But needless to say, rising gas prices have already impacted the way I do business.  I had tinkered for several months with the idea of purchasing an economy car, but I don't ever relish spending large sums of money.  It's not like I couldn't afford it, but, well, I'm German (and that should be enough explanation for just about anyone.).

But as prices skyrocketed and I looked at a future filled with children being taken back and forth to school and various activities, I knew it was time to make my move.

I found a local dealership that had a compact car in my price range with relatively low miles.  The car was in very good condition.  I made the trip to Brenham to visit LaRoche Chevrolet.  I know a little bit about the politics and religious situation in Brenham, and I knew the folks who owned the dealership were good Lutheran folks.  Sometimes that means something; sometimes, it doesn't.

What I experienced was out of the norm for purchasing a car.  It was probably one of the least amount of hassling I have ever, ever gone through in my years of buying vehicles.  I just thought my last experience with buying my Ford F150 was good.  Even though I walked away with a great deal, there was still quite a bit of haggling that took place.

Not at LaRoche.

I checked out the dealership's website, filled out the application for the online coupon, and drove to look at the vehicle.  I walked into the showroom, and was not assaulted by anyone.  A salesman saw me looking around and asked if I needed help.  I told him I wanted to look at the used Chevy Cavaliers that were listed on the internet.  There were two I was interested in.  They guy made it easy for me when he said that one had already been sold. 

He grabbed the key to the vehicle, and we walked through the lot to the car.  I gave it the once and a half over.   No major damages.  Good shape for a six year old car.  I asked to test drive.

The guy gave me the key and said, "I'll be waiting up front for you."

No need to give ID.  No need to see proof of insurance.  Just go.  Have fun.  Check it out.

Vehicle drove well and sounded good.  Back to the showroom.

I walked into the salesman's office, and looked at him.  He looked at me.  I was waiting for him to ask me something.  He was waiting for me to talk.  Talk about no pressure.  He was letting me make the move the entire time.  Never have experienced that one before.

He finally broke the silence and said, "So what do you think?"

I said, "Let's talk."

Within  moments, he called the back office, typed a few keys on his calculator and said, "It's listed on the internet for $6,000.  The best we can do is let you drive it out for $6,000 today, and that includes tax, title, and license."

I was geared to haggle, but they took the play away from me.  I almost couldn't believe they did what they did.  All I managed to say was, "Does that include my $100 internet coupon?"

$100 more off the price.

I gave my name and my social security number for title purposes.  I also did the same for my wife so she could be on the title.  Didn't sign a piece of paper.  Didn't make any formal notices. Didn't leave a check so they would hold it for me.  I told them I'd be back the next day to pick it up and pay for it, and we left it at that.  Everything was done by spoken word and nothing less.

Yesterday, we went to pick up the car.  I dickered a little with the guy regarding extended warranties, but this was at my request.  I decided I didn't want to pay 1/3 of the cost of the car to extend coverage and would roll the dice.  That didn't seem like too wise of an investment.  But the process took exceedingly longer than I expected to pay and go.

They guy asked me where I worked, and I told him.  Well, he was a member at a Lutheran church in Brenham, so the flood gates were opened.  We talked about all types of church related stuff.  Back and forth about the role of pastors and how our churches were doing and how our churches had responded to certain controversial decisions.  Heck, we spent more time visiting about church and family and the condition of things in the world than we actually did about buying the car.

I finally gave my $5900 check to him, and he was so engrossed in the conversation, he forgot to give me a receipt!  Now, that might not be too wise a business practice, but when I asked for the receipt, the guy said, "Sorry, that's what happens when I feel comfortable talking to someone and visiting."

I'm now seriously thinking of switching my desire for a Ford Mustang GT to a Chevy Camaro so that I can work with this dealership on a new purchase--just to see if they keep up the same tactics and hassle free environment.  We'll see. 

I guess one of the reasons I appreciated my working with this dealership is because they handled the situation as I would.  They treated me straight forward, honestly, and their word was their bond.  It was refreshing.  They didn't hassle me.  They didn't haggle.  They made me feel welcome without smothering me.  They engaged me in conversation not just about the car but about my life and life in general.

I've often encouraged my congregation to greet and treat people who worship with us in the same manner.  Greet them, but don't be overbearing.  Don't try to "sell" them on our congregation.  Just be yourself.  Be forthright.  Be honest--don't even begin to tell folks we're perfect; just tell them what we're truly like.  Get to know the person who is worshiping with us--don't just talk about the weather.  Ask about family, friends, what they do for a living.  Find out likes and dislikes.  Invite them to come back, but don't make them feel guilty if they don't.  Make it a  no hassle visit.  It works so much better than the alternative.

It's nice to know that such things do work.  I hope I don't have to buy another vehicle for a long, long time.  But I now have another place I will definitely not miss.