I'm astounded at this article about the so-called "struggle" of the US auto salesperson amidst consumer empowerment in the Internet age. Auto salespeople are sharks, straight up. And they whine now that people have the power of information to know how much the car is really worth?
My only experience with buying a new car, in December of 2001, is a good example. I researched the VW GTI online, discovered the price that the dealer pays VW for the car, and offered them 4% over that. I thought that was a fair profit margin for the dealer and wouldn't budge. I think it was about a grand under their sticker price. My sales guy, who had previously acted like my best buddy, all excited about VWs and everything, now turned bitter and high-pressure. It took a lot of nerve for me to hold my ground and it was actually quite stressful.
In the end, they got their 4% and they got me for financing charges, so it's not like I drove out of there with the deal of the century. The tactics that they used were textbook, but still uncool in my opinion: "what can we do to get you in this car today?" then making me sweat it out alone in a little room while he brusquely leaves to "talk to his boss about your offer," etc. It's a scummy business, old-school as can be. It makes me realize that a lot people were getting taken to the cleaners in the pre-Internet era.
I'll probably be buying another car in the next year or so, and I don't look forward to the process. That says a lot about an industry that needs to change.