Confessions of a Car Man

HEY! I FEEL ALL ALONE OUT HERE! THROW ME A BONE AND BECOME A FOLLOWER. AND WHILE YOU'RE AT IT, LEAVE A FREAKING COMMENT!







A Few Minutes With David Teves

If the car business were a news show like “60 Minutes”, my part would be tacked onto the end, the Car Man’s Andy Rooney. I can imagine it now, three solid stories about the business: the first one about the growing problem with failing Ford dealerships. The second piece about the rising costs of demos for dealer’s girlfriends. And the last story about the National Detailers Association “Clean Off” held each 4th of July in Forth Worth, Texas.

Then, at the end of a brief commercial break and the ticking of the stop watch, me.

“And now a few minutes with David Teves,” the announcer would intone.

Cut to David Teves dressed in a gray suit, white shirt and tie and a Giants baseball cap sitting behind a large desk piled high with old credit apps and In and Out burger wrappers. I would begin with a wry smile and a smart ass attitude that befits my personality.

“I was hanging around my local Chevy store the other day,” I begin. “Why exactly, I don’t know. It’s a little like going to a dentist’s office just to check out the latest magazines in the waiting room. While examining the new Chevy Malibu which I’ve never seen outside a showroom except at an Enterprise Rental Car agency, I heard a salesman talking about getting a “floor pop”.”

“Damn, I need a floor pop,” he said, his voice dripping with desperation.

“I wondered, what exactly is a floor pop and why does he need one so badly? If you hang around with Car Men long enough you’ll discover they speak a second language, known only to them, which is harder to decipherer than Esperanto.”

“Bill had a lay down last night,” another guy mentioned. “A total grape. Big down stroke and gold balls. Why can’t that happen to me?”

“This went on for quite a while with me only understanding about every fifth word. There was a brief discussion about flakes and credit criminals. For some reason the guys harbored resentment for real estate brokers and firemen. And when a Chinese gentleman opened the showroom door everybody suddenly had to go the bathroom. The Chinese gentleman asked me what my last price was. When I drolly answered $4.99, he said it was too much money and left.”

“After the coast was clear the F&I man came out to the showroom. What exactly is an F&I man anyway? From listening to the guys later, I assume it’s an acronym for “fool and incompetent”. The F&I man went into a tirade about “missing stips”, unsigned credit apps and “if you expect me to lay off the back half, you’ve got to get me all the ammunition—and leave room for a warranty.”

“And what’s all this stuff about “getting a bump”? Is it about avoiding damage while driving around the lot, or some kind of skin condition? If you get a bump do you need medication? I suppose it depends on how big the bump is.”

“A visit to the sales manager’ office didn’t do anything to clarify the situation. I was quickly informed that unless I had a signed commitment he didn’t want to talk to me. When I tried to explain who I was he said, “Just because you’re old and on TV doesn’t mean you can sandbag me.”

“The whole thing went down hill from there. I wasn’t ready to make a commitment. After all, I’d only just met the guy.”

“By the time I left that place my head was aching more than Bill Clinton’s after an evening with Hillary. No wonder the car business is in so much trouble! In my opinion if car salesmen are to survive they will have to relent and learn to speak English. Or at least English as a second language.”

“And as for the Spanish-speaking guy, you know the one with the pencil thin mustache and the attitude? Leave him alone. The way things are going he might be the only one who will be able to understand the customers.”

Fade to commercial.


Talk to you later,


David

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good stuff. The F&I man is going to bend him over and smack his ass with a row-boat oar!

I like your sense of humor and will check back.

AFI

An F&I Managers Perspective
http://AFItoday.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Dear David-
Another spot-on effort. Loved the part about Esperanto, and sadly, car-speak is learned over time and passed down from one car man to another. You can't learn it any other way. So all of those ups you tried to pass on to the FNG were the price you paid to learn the lingo. I hope we'll be treated to many more episodes of "A Few Minutes with David Teves" they are always priceless!

anon.

Anonymous said...

Hi David, Great to see you after all these years. Thanks for helping me with my new car purchase for my daughter. Still waiting on that manditory follow up call to check on my satisfaction. LOL, It's ok, I tried my best to never make those calls, I think it was one of my coping mechanisms after being stuck between rock (management) and a hard place (the buyer) You really are a Car Man. Once a Car Man always a Car Man. Your blogs give me flashbacks. It's been ten years since I sold my last car. I spent 15 years in that business. You are right. It is no longer the same. If you ever do make that movie. I'd like to play myself. The guy who takes way less ups than the rest, sells an above average number of units, holds really good gross and hates his job. It was just a combination of reading body language, knowing what not to say, and having a really bad attitude about both the house and the customer. Can you blame a guy? My monthly goal you ask Mr. Manager? ..... Today i'm going to try my best to sell a car. And yes I've made my follow up calls. Where have I been for the last hour? On a test drive of course. No , they didn't ask for you... LOL,and can you give me one good reason why I don't have a clue as to how cars are really sold? Asked the dealerships owner. Why I can't think of a single one.... LOL, David, I hope you will stop by soon and see my store. I hope Mondays spoon will make up for the first day we met.

Matt taynton

Anonymous said...

Hi David! How's Danny? Are you still in good old Hayward? I moved to the Roseville Auto Mall about 17 years ago & never looked back at the East Bay. My advice to all the green peas is to learn the used car side & forget the new car business. Clay