Audi salesmen arrogance, is this typical?

My experience (4 different Audis, three different salesmen) is that the cars sell themselves. I've never seen arrogance or patronization, YMMV, however.

Dave

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Troll-o-meter

Russ Stansky at O'Daniel Porsche/Audi in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, has been courteous and professional throughout all my dealings with him.

Regards, Jim

"Curly" skrev i melding news: snipped-for-privacy@mb-m13.aol.com...

No problem here where I live. All our local Audi salespersons are quite eager to sell, and are polite and highly competent. I cannot visit our local Audi dealership without being tempted to buy me another one, maybe the brand new and exciting A3.

Perhaps they need the attitude to match the higher

Total bullshit. Troll? And, here, at least, MBs, BMWs and Audis are all more or less in the same price group, there are no major price differencies, they are all in the "Oberklasse." It is not a matter of price, but personal taste and choice. MBs are here more or less for older and well-established males, while BMWs are for younger non-discreet males and females who first and foremost wish to impress others, and are often bought by immigrants here. Audis have class, BMWs not, and are preferred by those among us who want to drive in a discreet, but stylish and luxurious way. Lexus is almost non-existent here, since it is a Japanese brand anyway, and not German, and is more or less only an upgraded Toyota. If I wanted a Lexus, I might just as well just buy a Toyota, or a Subaru Impreza WRX STi

Very well sumed up :)

Ron

I don't think that it is only at Audi. I went for a test drive last year at

2 local dealerships in Montreal area. One was very good (Lauzon) and the other (AutoStrasse) was pathetic.

From my experience, the best dealership in Montreal is definitely Park Avenue in Brossard. Tommy is a good salesman and Danyk has the highest customer satisfaction ratings in Quebec. Service is excellent.

Can't you get the message they're sending you: stay with MB!

Ron

Not my experience. I went into an Audi dealership, just to check out the TT, and the same dealer is a Porsche dealer, so I was looking at the New Carreras.

The sales man did a wonderful job of opening my eyes up to the Performance line of Audi. I had no idea, but the salesman I dealt with was really into the cars. In the end I purchased an S4, and am very pleased.

And I also own a MB, which my wife now drives. I thought the MB people were more arrogant.

I like driving the Audi, because not that many people really know what these cars are.

The Audi representatives at parts/service/reception departments at John Fox Audi have all been very polite, responsible, respectful and modest both over the phone and when in person, even when I turn up in jeans and sneakers ;-p (Hey that's what saturdays are for!). I don't think I've come across any Audi representatives who are not to be honest. And that's why I've just replaced my old Audi with another one. The quality of the car sells of course, but the fact that I am treated nicely on the forecourt and also after I've paid has made me want to go for another Audi as well. If any executive car salesmen were arrogant, it'd have to be Beemer's wouldn't it?

Regards, Jules

PS. I can so foresee my next car to be the new TT or the new A6. :-)

Likewise, at Simpsons Audi at Lowestoft (UK). I moved to Audi from MB over

11 years ago (previously had 7 BMWs) 'cos I preferred the cars.

-- Doug Ramage

***Watch Spam Trap***

Not in my experience. I test drove an A6 last year, and everyone was very nice and friendly. Even after I decided I *didn't* want the car (it's a fabulous car, but as stupid as it may sound, the center console is too wide and the gas pedal too close to it for my right leg to be comfortable - I ended up getting a Passat instead) I ended up talking to the salesman for probably 20 minutes - no pressure, just shooting the breeze about this & that. Maybe it's the state of the market or something, but last November I hit a bunch of dealerships and most of the people I dealt with (Audi, Infiniti, Acura, VW) were very nice and helpful. The one place I put up with a little arrogance was a Honda dealership, of all places. (The '03 Accord had just come out, and the dealer was saying stuff like "I sold 30 cars this week" as if to say "I'm not going to be talked down", so I just left - who wants to drive a household appliance anyway? ;-)

-- Mike Smith

Really? Around here, you can't throw a rock without hitting an A4 or A6. (Not that I'm recommending the throwing of rocks at Audis...)

-- Mike Smith

Both Commonwealth Audi in Santa Ana, CA and Newport Beach Audi in Newport Beach, CA have been very professional as well. Matter of fact I find their honesty quite refreshing. I may not like how I have to wait for weeks on end to schedule service on my cars but at least they are honest about not being able to do anything until a open date can be schedule....

-- Taylor

'89 Audi 200 '03 Audi S6 Avant '98 Jeep Cherokee Sport

Hmmm...here is NE Ohio, Fred Baker is the best dealer IMO. I always have a pleasant experience with the salesmen and service guys. They are pretty good fellas.

Of course, Cascade Imports in Cuyahoga Falls is an entirely different matter. The owner is a real piece of work, and I'll never set foot in there again. Rotten, rude and dishonest. If my car were to die in front of the dealership, I'd push it another 30 miles to Fred Baker.

Elroy

2000 S4 - Bought at Fred Baker...after the A4...

Lol, absolutely Mike.

But then "isn't it nice when it simply... works?" Ha ha!

You have to admit though, it's definitely better than Matsui or Philips. ;-)

Jules

Definitely, they never lie, and they always tell me where to get the best deal in parts, rather than conning me into paying dealer prices for parts you can get at trade prices easily elsewhere. I'd however prefer to pay them labour costs for the quality and professionalism, and of course honesty and good will in the first place.

Jules

I've bought 3 new cars and never received any real arrogance or bad treatment while shopping anywhere, except way back when I was really young & didn't know how to shop (and they could tell I was borderline on being able to buy, just by looking at me... :) ) Negherbon Audi in Oakland, Calif., where I bought my A4 a while ago, was super professional and respectful from start to finish. Same with the VW dealer where I bought my Passat 5 years previous to that.

I usually call the dealership to make an appointment a few days earlier. While at the dealership, I act like a professional businessperson who's done this before. Look them in the eye, shake hands, look totally relaxed and at home in the dealership, etc. I make it clear whether I'm a today buyer or not to avoid confusion, look confident and organized, speak clearly, and don't argue or make a bunch of useless provocative comments about the brands they sell. I qualify myself for them early on, telling them about new cars I've bought before at nearby dealerships, mentioning how long I've been at my job and a little about what I do, so that they don't doubt my ability to purchase. All of this is more important if you look young, female, or there's anything else about your superficial appearance that might cause dealership staff to not treat you with the respect that you deserve.

With the above, I've found that I get treated well, and also that I get to the desired deal a lot faster and with less BS when it comes time to negotiate a purchase. Of course, great care is still necessary to research pricing and avoid falling for tricks or otherwise leaving too much $ on the table when closing a deal, but it's easier if things start out on the right foot.

Needless to say, if I was ever treated badly despite all of the above, I'd just leave and make another appointment at a competing dealership.

Not a problem here in the UK. At the end of January I telephoned an Audi dealer to say make tentative enquiries about the RS6. That evening the salesman personally delivered the hard-bound sales brochure to my front door. Although they didn't have a demonstrator available, an arrangement was made for me to test drive the Managing Director's own car a few days later (even the salesman hadn't driven it). The result was that I placed an order immediately on completion of that drive.