Are dealers really this clueless?

4539 Views 40 Replies 25 Participants Last post by JurassicMan, Jul 8, 2006

keithert

Discussion Starter · Jun 13, 2006

I've been talking to 2 Jeep dealers about the new JK. It seems like I know about 10 times as much about the JK as both of them. They have no clue when pricing or the product will be available. One was even saying that the Unlimited wil be a higher end model of the 4 door and that the regular 4 door will be an X model. The dealer today was saying that they won't be available until October or so. Are they just not saying what they know or are they really this in the dark about the new model. I would think they would be reading forums like this to get some tidbids of info on what they will be selling.

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75461

· #2 · Jun 13, 2006

If I was a salesman, I wouldnt read forums like this for that kind of info. No offense but all the juicy crap we come across is mostly speculation. The majority is most likely true, but you guys have said your self that they are still tooling and tweaking the JK prior to production. If a dealer passes along stuff he read on the internet, and it turned out to be totally false, hell look like more of an idiot than if he plead ignorance.

Better to not say anything until the specs are in his hand.

CNY

· #3 · Jun 13, 2006

They are sales people. If it's not in the glossy brochure, or the half-day sales meeting notes, they won't know.

That's OK, because until the specs are actually in the brochure, with vehicles available to the dealer, there's nothing for them to sell.

When I first asked about the '07's, no one in the dealer even knew there was a change coming.

grogie

· #4 · Jun 13, 2006

I work in marketing for a large company (although not for the auto market), and we don't talk about anything new, that hasn't been triple checked by everyone, and that legal hasn't reviewed and approved. So I wouldn't suspect that the dealers know anything more then what the same press releases say that we all see.

I recall a certain new car that had the wrong HP stated in their marketing materials, and the manufacturer ended up having to offer the first owners that they would buy back the cars, or give them a gas card with free maintenance.

raskull

· #5 · Jun 13, 2006

There is a bunch of good information here on jpmag's site.. It appears they got their hands on one, so I think it's safe to say what you read in this article is true. There's a bunch of pics there I haven't seen yet, even of the underbelly!

http://jpmagazine.com/featuredvehicles/154_0601_07jk/

Also, they say the model range will be the X, Sahara, and Rubicon, *not* that the Ulimited is a higher model It's a 4 door.. Even according to DC's site, it re-assures this.

Yesfan70

· #6 · Jun 14, 2006

I had one dealer tell me that they would NOT be expecting shipments of the 07s until around mid January or Feburary.

That was another reason why I went ahead and got a TJ.

68996

· #7 · Jun 14, 2006

Having worked at a Daimler/Chrysler dealer, I can tell you that the sales/service/ parts staff will know as much as we do until the factory puts out the training materials.That is, if they care at all, but most sales people are more transient than a skidrow bum! For sales and parts at D/C, it is merely an online web course detailing all the features, for service, the best 2 or 3 techs will be selected by the service manager and sent to school to learn all the new service procedures. At the Benz dealer I worked at, it was as short as 1 week before product release for sales and parts, while the techs had about a month lead time.
Mosey around back of your stealer and see if you can buttonhole a tech, he might know already, AND they are more willing to talk than sales.........

56757

· #8 · Jun 14, 2006

Car stealership salesmen clueless??? no way man, that's impossible!

j/k

In my experience many salesmen don't even know and usually make stuff up about car/trucks they have on the showroom floor, I can't imagine how it's like for cars that still haven't been released.

Rommel

· #9 · Jun 14, 2006

Yesfan70 said:
I had one dealer tell me that they would NOT be expecting shipments of the 07s until around mid January or Feburary.

That was another reason why I went ahead and got a TJ.

Of course they are going to say that. They want to clear out their 06 inventory, and apparently you bought right into it.

-Romm

pdxbubba

· #10 · Jun 14, 2006

I have yet to walk onto a lot looking for a specific vehicle when I didn't know 10X more about the vehicle than the salestaff.

On both of my last two vehicle purchases, I ended up demoing them to the salesperson. This is one of the main reasons I don't see a feel any loyalty to any specific dealership.

I have even answered questions other customers had while the salesperson went to check.... once the guy came back with the wrong anwer too!!

Know it if your going to sell it. :brickwall :brickwall :brickwall :brickwall

62432

· #11 · Jun 14, 2006

honestly, most salespeople have no idea what there talking about.
when i got my new cellphone it had a slot for a memory card and i asked the cingular people what the biggest card i could put in there was and there like, itll only handle a 512 mb, and i was like umm ok, and bought the 1 gb and it worked fine

SteelBlue_WJ

· #12 · Jun 15, 2006

WTF?? 17in wheels on the Rubi and Sahara and optional 18's on the Sahara?? too much metal, not enough rubber. we are gonna see some nicked up JK wheels.. atleast that way we'll be able to tell who wheels...

16570

· #13 · Jun 16, 2006

What, you want a salesman to know about what their selling?, good luck.
The Jeep dealer where I live has 90% turn over of sales staff every month.

lrsmithwhaley

· #14 · Jun 17, 2006

I was at a mazda dealer one time for work, and I was looking around the showroom, and noticed on the window sticker of a Mazda 6 it said "manual transmission", all I saw was an autostick. I asked about it, and the guy said, it's the new manual transmission. :rofl: He asked if I was intersted, and I politely told him that isn't a manual, that's an automatic with gender confusion, and when he could sell me a real vehicle I would buy one. He asked what I meant, and I said if he had a Jeep I would consider. At that he tried to sell me a 2wd mazda tribute. :laugh: I was like nevermnd, I see the person I am waiting for and left.

79031

· #15 · Jun 18, 2006

I was at the dealership 3 days ago and they have finally received info on the 07's. Color charts and all!!!!!!! Orders start on July 5!!!!! I can't wait!!!!

atomspwt

· #16 · Jun 18, 2006

it has already been said but..

I've noticed that the sales people know less than me about the jeeps sitting on their lot, much less one that is yet to come out. It's scary that someone like myself that is new to the jeep world knows more than the guy sellling it. Hmmm maybe I should get a job their?

Agent 000

· #17 · Jun 18, 2006

As of yesterday, my dealership still has not received any detailed information about the '07 JK's. We get a lot of customers asking for detailed information about the new models, and I let them know anything that I have knowledge of (reading through this forum, off-road magazines and such). We normally get the full specifications on the vehicle about 30 to 45 days before the vehicle is introduced. Our online training for the new JK's is scheduled for July release, that said, however, we still don't have the online training available for the new Compass that is due out next month.

BTW, as of two minutes ago, there is still no information available on our Chrysler Dealer Connect Website (no, there is no way you can access the site) pertaining to ordering the new '07 JK Models (that means we cannot spec out a vehicle, tell what options/colors and packages will be available, or have pricing for any of these vehicles or options).

Some of us not only sell Jeeps, but we are also loyal Jeep owners as well (previously had an '01 Cherokee Sport, now have an '06 Wrangler X).

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TurtleMacLeod

· #18 · Jun 20, 2006

fourfishes said:
I was at the dealership 3 days ago and they have finally received info on the 07's. Color charts and all!!!!!!! Orders start on July 5!!!!! I can't wait!!!!

I just went to the dealership in Toledo, Ohio (about ten minutes from the plant that's building these things . . .) last weekend and they had no knowledge of when it was being released and had not recieved any promotional stuff.

If you have a color chart, could you scan it and post it? Because even the main Jeep site still has not revealed any colors. I've seen postings that say that there will be "9 exterior colors" but they won't commit to what those colors might be.

Or, just tell me . . . is there an orange for the new lineup?

scottyc

· #19 · Jun 20, 2006

If you click on view 360 in the jeep.com 07 wrangler gallery, you get:

Stone White
Steel Blue Metallic
Jeep Green Metallic
Flame Red
Black
Bright Silver Metallic
Rescue Green Metallic
Light Graystone
Red Rock Crystal

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79031

· #20 · Jun 20, 2006

Yup, those are the ones. The swatches I saw at the dealership were a bit bigger, however. I wanted the orange, too. I guess I'll have to settle for Rescue Green. There was also some information(very limited) on the different models and what came standard with what. No pricing, however. I guess just some preliminary info. Like I said, The paperwork clearly stated in bold at the top that dealer orders would begin on July 5. It did not get any more specific than that. No info on what model was coming out first or if they all were. My dealer seemed to be guessing that the Rubicon would not be introduced right away. He stated that in the past Jeep has been known to introduce the base models first to get them out on the road and produce more interest and then get the nicer ones out. I know I am going to be bummed if that is the case!!

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