Unless you've been out of touch a long time, you know that today's car dealerships provide services like loaner cars, online service scheduling and lounges with large-screen TVs and Internet connections. But when it comes to the basic reason that dealers exist - selling vehicles - has anything changed?
The Internet has certainly altered the buying process. Many people now research vehicles online, reading reviews and comparing prices, features and specifications.
But after you've narrowed your choices, you still need to see models at dealerships. As Tim Rogness, general sales manager at Barnett Chrysler-Jeep-Kia in White Bear Lake, says, "You can only get so much information from the Internet or an auto show before you need to take a test drive so you can see for yourself what features a vehicle has and what it can do."
Rogness says his dealership stocks three types of vehicles. Base models generally become business fleet vehicles. "Middle" vehicles have what people expect in modern cars - various power features, AC, CD player, and so on - but lack extras such as sunroofs, navigation systems and backup cameras that more conservative buyers don't want.
Vehicles in the third "heavy" group have all the latest gadgets and options for two reasons. Early adopters, who rush out to buy the latest technology, want their vehicles equipped that way. And these vehicles also show all customers how particular features work.
The process doesn't end there. Because automakers often combine optional features into packages (premium, convenience, sport, cold weather, etc.), you can sometimes save money with a package that has what you want plus some features you may not be as wild about or that you think might bust your budget.
"You could pay more and get fewer features than you could have gotten (with a package)," Rogness says. If you start with a base car and add some features you want, for example, you quickly push the price near or past what better equipped models cost. As Mike Chmielewski, business manager at Rosedale Chevrolet, notes, "A combo meal usually costs less than a la carte."
It's salespeople's job to point things like this out to customers. Salespeople can also offer other choices consumers might not have strongly considered. If a dealership sells more than one brand, for example, shoppers may find themselves pleasantly surprised by a brand - and vehicle - they had never considered before. And some customers ready to buy new decide to buy a used car (or vice versa) after they understand their options.
