did the dealer tell you what you needed to know?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TNJellyBean @ Jan 7 2007, 11:50 AM) [snapback]372070[/snapback]</div>

No, but as cars have gotten more complex and computerized, I've never had any dealer tell me about all the little features available, even going back to the early 90's. The info I did get was correct though, my dealer knew that B on the gear lever was for braking, some dealers have told customers it stands for "battery" and they drive around in B and kill their mileage.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TNJellyBean @ Jan 7 2007, 12:41 PM) [snapback]372088[/snapback]</div>

The salesman didn't tell you where the spare tire was? Sounds like he/she didn't do his/her job.

Stuff like quirky bladders are not something the salesman would know, though. But they should cover all the controls, basic maintenance, etc.

 

My salesman didn't know what the "B" was for either - he said there was no setting for engine braking on hills and that "B" was for when you wanted to drive on just the battery. Fortunately I can read - I didn't correct him (because I hadn't read the manual yet), but I told Toyota about it in my questionaire about the "buying experience".

I've learned a lot by reading everything I could find in these forums - thanks guys! The unanswered questions I'll save for the Milwaukee Hybrid Group.

 

Yep. My salesman was the Internet Manager for Kearny Mesa Toyota, Howard Sheehy and he knew the Prius very well. I think the only thing he didn't show me was the little hidden drawer in the console.

Howard Sheehy, the Internet/Fleet Manager at

Kearny Mesa Toyota,
4910 Kearny Mesa Road,
San Diego, CA 92111

ph: 858-335-5815,

email: [email protected]

He didn't go through any technical, mechanical stuff like no clutch, no alternator, no starter, etc. He did know about regenerative braking and the CVT.

 

My salesman did a very good job of showing me the entire automobile. He started at the rear, where we got all the way down to the spare, went to the front, where he showed me how to check the oil and the coolant levels. Inside the car he showed me all of the controls and ran me through their operation, including both switches below the steering wheel.

He took his time and was thorough and gave more than enough info to allow me to drive home before I had a chance to read the manual.

I had done a lot of research and he thanked me for being so well informed.

Later in the week I decided to see how the jack worked so that I would be familiar with it in case it would be necessary. I could not find the jack handle or lug wrench! My wife pointed out where it was. I'll not forget that again!

I gave our dealer and our salesman very high marks for the shopping and buying experiences.

 

Our salesman showed us everything...obscure buttons, cargo cover storage area, engine--everything. I am a big believer in reading the manual, but the manual is HORRIBLE. Terribly written (a mixture of "Engrish" and passive voice), redundant, and so laden with WARNING boxes that it's 3x longer than it needs to be. They need to hire some technical writers that were first in their English classes!

The salesmen got perfect marks on our survey--if they get anything less than "Excellent" in all points, they really get hit hard.

 

The saleswoman at Bellevue Toyota (near Seattle, WA) was great. She knew everything about the car (more than I do now and I'm a techie and loves figuring things out) spending plenty of time with us going from bumper to bumper. She also went with us on a real test drive (meaning hills, freeway, different types of roads) of about 15 miles. She was great.

The salesMAN at Toyota of Puyallup (near Tacoma, WA) didn't know very much about the car. He thought it had a three or four speed automatic for the transmission (I didn't correct him) and he said quite a few other things that were completely wrong. The "test drive" was a total of 2 miles on totally flat roads in the Puyallup valley. I said we could only drive it farther if we were buying it. We let him know we weren't buying it until we knew how it was on hills. If it was good, then yes. If it wasn't then no. No sale. Actually we were lucky since we found a great saleswoman at a different dealer. By the way, I'm a guy.

 

<_< In shopping for a 'trade up' from my 2004 to my 2007 Touring Edition, I found a very broad range of Salesperson Prius knowledge. Most were on the low end of the scale. A couple did say they "Didn't know..." and offered to get a 'manager' or 'someone more familiar with the Prius.' In most cases, having driven my 2004 for more than 2 years, I knew much more than any of them. Only really incorrect comment I got was "All leather interiors are Port Installed." I suggested he check on the difference between Package 5 and Package 6 whereupon he 'learned something.'

To their credit, the Fleet Manager and Internet Manager where I traded, did have better than average Prius knowledge and did not make any dumb or incorrect statements. They offered me the best trade by over $2,500, but I was somewhat unimpressed by their Service Manager and Department. I take my 2007 to a Toyota Service Department which has done excellent work for me for more than 2 years.

 

My salesman showed me the basics; he showed everything that was on his checklist (which I signed to prove he showed me everythign): engine, tire, a/c, heater, etc.

The one thing he was completely wrong on was he told me the DVD Nav system could play DVD movies (with parking brake engaged). I didn't want that in the first place (I'm rarely in my car stationary for 2 hours at a time) so I didn't really think much of it. I think (after some discussion here) he was confusing the Lexus's system with the Prius's.

 

I was in a hurry to buy a Prius to replace my old car that was totalled. I was fortunate enough to test drive a used one at one dealership, but didn't want a used one and did a lot more shopping via phone. I found a good deal within a week.

My salesman was in his first day at the dealership, so he didn't know a lot. The dealership wasted a lot of time getting the car from their 'front porch' to the area where they would prep it for me, so it was 9:30 pm before they brought the car around for my 'final check'. I was very tired, so we didn't go over much - I just wanted to get home!

 

Our salesman at Bellevue Toyota near Seattle was also very good. He spent nearly 45 minutes going over everything with us, from the engine to the trunk. He didn't show us the secret compartment though.

Dave

 

I told my saleswoman more about the car than she knew........

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Grandma Judy @ Jan 7 2007, 01:44 PM) [snapback]372110[/snapback]</div>

You got a questionnaire? I never did, even though the salesman told me I would and thoroughly explained how anything less than PERFECT scores would mean he FAILED. It's funny how I never got the opportunity to fail him, after all, he only tried to overcharge me TWICE on the day I came to pick up the car.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TNJellyBean @ Jan 7 2007, 10:50 AM) [snapback]372070[/snapback]</div>

What's all the problem with the gas bladder? Just fill it up like a normal car. Some people have had issues and to get to the top they pump it slower, go a couple clicks or whatever, but I'd guess 99% of the cars (people?) have no problem. Some of these people are trying to go 600 miles or more on a tank, so to have a half-gallon of space at the top is a big problem. To be fair, I wonder if a few bladders might get a kink in them, causing weird cut-offs and such? The big issue, and my dealer did mention this, is to not run out of gas and expect the battery to bring you in to a gas station. With varying temperatures and conditions, don't expect the blips to decrease at a constant rate, so fill up a little early.

My salesman was adequate. I knew some of the technical details, he knew more of the practical ones (like where the buttons were, spare tire, etc.) There was a checklist of things he had to cover. He also told me anything less than Excellent on the survey was failing, but there was one question I gave him a lower mark on. I also mentioned on the survey what he had said about the excellent rating. Talk about grade inflation!

One thing I didn't like was when he called me up and got my wife, he just blew her off. Granted, I was the one in discussion with him and actually buying the car, but I wondered if he put down female customers the same way.

Of course, the salesman didn't tell me about how to optimize fuel economy and a myriad little details about the car that PriusChat is so good at! B)

 

I had done so much research on this site and others that there was nothing the salesmen could tell me that I didn't already know. :lol: As a result, I couldn't tell you what he told me, because I kinda just tuned him out.

 

The dealership where I got mine did everything they could to hustle me out of there as fast as possible. There was a serious lack of communication on their end throughout the buying process and I called them on it. So they probably viewed me as a PITA and wanted to get rid of me.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PA @ Jan 12 2007, 12:09 PM) [snapback]374725[/snapback]</div>

The salesman I dealt with the day I picked up my car did the exact same thing. The funny thing was I dealt with a different guy prior to pick-up and was handed off to this new dude as soon as I walked in. it was like they were telling me "we want you to rate this guy, not the moron you dealt with." I did get the questionnaire, though. The feedback I gave them could be effectively termed a howler.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(quagmire0 @ Jan 12 2007, 12:49 PM) [snapback]374746[/snapback]</div>

Same here.

I had a young sales guy who had only been with the dealer about a month, and was not a Prius expert but was sufficiently knowledgeable about the car, especially considering I was his first Prius customer. At least he didn't tell me 'B' was to recharge the battery. :lol:

Granted, the stories of ignorant sales people don't surprise me - I work with a bunch of sales people on a daily basis, and the common attitude among many of them is to know as little details as necessary about the product to get the deal signed. All that many of them care about is showing confidence, closing deals, and lining their pockets. <_<

Of course... my sales guy is no longer at the dealer as of 2 months after my purchase. Not sure if he was fired or quit. :huh: