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2 Customers Go Into Dealership At The Same Time. Then They Tell The Salesman That They Both Want The Same Corvette

'You did it exactly the way it should have been done.'

2 customers go into dealership

Photo by: Unsplash.com

Mustafa Gatollari

By: Mustafa Gatollari

Mar 14, at 4:00pm ET

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A car salesman, or any salesman for that matter, will almost always try to make the purchase of a good or service seem like a pressing matter. They’ll try to lead you to believe that if you’re not buying whatever you’re thinking of signing on the dotted line for at that very instant, you could be letting go of a tremendous opportunity. Oftentimes, this isn’t the case, as there’s plenty of inventory to go around for everyone.

But there are instances where two people will walk into a car dealership at the same time and want the same exact car, and there really is only one available. That’s what TikTok user and auto sales rep Jeff the Car Guy (@car.guy.jeff) said happened with a particular Corvette.

Two Corvette Buyers Walk into a Dealership…

Jeff posted about the situation in a viral post where he delineated how the interaction with the two prospective clients went down. In this particular instance, the sports car in question was a rarity: a 2005 C6 Corvette convertible listed at under $20,000.

Further compounding Jeff’s sales woes is that his dealership didn’t have any other vehicles like this specific Corvette in its inventory, as he says his shop specializes in Chrysler, Ram, Dodge, and Jeep sales.

Jeff says customer #1 came into the showroom to inquire about the car and, after inspecting it, took it for a test drive. His interest in the ride persisted, prompting him to head back inside with the sales team to negotiate the sale.

After Customer #1 worked out the final sales price with the team, he began filling out a credit application to begin the process of taking ownership of the convertible. But Jeff says this wasn’t smooth sailing, as the dealer’s finance department had a tough time locating the man’s credit profile.

As this was going on, Customer #2 visited the showroom without an appointment to check out the very same C6 Corvette. Jeff spotted this potential buyer and let him know that there was another gentleman at the dealership who was actively filling out paperwork for that very vehicle.

‘I Don’t Know if it’s Going Good’

Jeff says he did temper his reply by telling the prospective buyer that he didn’t know the status of the sale, just that Customer #1 was at a sales desk “going over pricing” with an employee. The TikToker went on to tell Customer #2 that a full commitment hadn’t been reached.

Jeff added to his viewers that if Customer #1 had agreed to pay for the car in cash at its offered price, then there wouldn’t have been an issue. The dealership would’ve sold him the car. However, since Jeff went into the showroom and saw Customer #1 was still going over pricing, he grabbed the keys to the Corvette to let Customer #2 test drive it.

Just like the other client, Customer #2 loved the car, but he intended to buy it with cash. Jeff states, "He looks at the number, he goes, ‘Yeah, I’ll take it at that price. Should I just go home, and you guys let me know if it’s available?’”

This is what Jeff says made the situation so difficult. He went on to state that while some car sellers would have probably just given the vehicle to Customer #2, since the other buyer was at the dealership first and undergoing a credit check, he was still entitled to a chance to buy the vehicle.

“Because it was tricky, and I can see how some people would say, ‘Well, OK, he got to the finish line first; it’s his car.’ And I can see that on a lot of things. However, when we get to the point of credit, in my opinion, that is not the point to pull the plug out from under Customer #1.”

‘Just Give Us A Couple Minutes’

Following this, Jeff says that they needed some time to learn whether or not Customer #1 was able to finance the car. Typically, Jeff says that securing financing on an older car is a tough prospect, and that buyers must have “rock star credit” to do so.

Ultimately, they were unable to get a lender for Customer #1. This prompted them to ask the man if there was any way he could get enough cash to buy it outright, but he could not.

Subsequently, the dealership brought Customer #2 to meet with the sales team, and he was able to drive off with the convertible. At the end of his clip, Jeff asked viewers if he went about the sales process the right way.

Several commenters expressed that they thought Jeff and his team did the right thing in giving Customer #2 the chance to buy the C6.

“The only answer is first person to commit gets the deal. Signing a purchase order and giving a credit app is a commit,” one person wrote.

Another stated, “Number 1 gets the car. Just because your dealership can’t finance the older car, that isn’t the customer’s fault. If the deal falls through number 2 gets the car.”

Profit Takes Priority?

Other car buyers have shared buying situations that differed greatly from the scenario Jeff presented.

One Reddit user posted to the site’s r/askcarsales sub, where they detailed how a dealer issued a “bill of sale and confirmed financing” of a car purchase. On top of that, they said they “confirmed [their] appointment to finalize paperwork and take delivery.” However, sales reps ended up selling the car to a different buyer.

When the irate customer inquired about the frustrating outcome, they said that the dealer didn’t guarantee delivery of the vehicle, stating that this perk is reserved for customers who finance through the dealership’s team.

Other folks in this Quora post who discussed a similar situation stated that dealerships aren’t legally obligated to sell a customer a vehicle unless their sales agreement mentions a vehicle hold.

One user in the same discussion thread shared that they had a dealership try to pull out of a sale and tell the customer to return to the vehicle. Instead of contacting the dealership, the buyer reached out to the lending company providing financing for their ride. As it turns out, the lender said everything was fine on their end and that the car legally belonged to them.

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Afterward, they contacted a dealer sales rep, who eventually admitted that another buyer interested in the same car offered $4,000 more than what the original buyer had offered. So, the dealership tried to make more money off the car. The first buyer informed them that they wouldn’t be giving back the car, thwarting the dealership’s attempt at turning a higher profit off it.

Motor1 has reached out to Jeff via TikTok direct message for further information. We will update this story if he responds.

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