Manchester City Forums

As I officially become a grumpy old man on Saturday, the government will start to repay the loan that I have been giving them over the last 40+ years.
I decided to buy a car with some of this money and have spent some considerable time touring garages and car showrooms.
I have decided that most of the car salesmen are of such an obnoxious breed as to persuade people not to buy cars rather than the other way round. ( I obviously exclude our own dear sensitive and gentle ESM from this group).
I have been almost literally bullied and pressed by them trying to tell me what i want and how much I should pay.
I have been told that I don't know what I want and that I don't understand--not the best thing to tell a teacher in any circumstances.

A typical conversation goes like this

Salesman "Can I help you? are you looking for any thing in particular?"

Me " I am just looking at what you have . i will give you a shout if I need any help"

S "Yes but what are you looking for exactly"

M " nothing in particular , I will just wander about to see what you have. I will call you if i need you"

S " we have any car you want."

Me "Do you have a 1934 Wolsley Sunbeam with the 12 HP engine?"

S " Err what?"

M "Obviously you don't have any car that want"

Then they chase you back to your car talking about finance and warranties when it is clear I am leaving anyway.
The ultimate was one man who as soon as I arrived opened my car door before I had even turned off the engine and said " What car are you looking for?" He did not understand the subtlety of my answer "one with electrified door handles."

Now I know, as many of you will have surmised over the years, that I am not the world's easiest customer but there are limits as to how pushy salesmen can be. I know that many of them have targets and are on commission etc but surely they must realise that their behaviour is more likely to lose them sales than win them.

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The Senior Member

Can't say I'd noticed.

Enjoyed this little tale Bert. Keep us updated.

Haha, excellent work Bert, keep them on their toes. Perhaps you could start a company in which you could hire yourself out as an awkward customer either for training purposes or to upset a competitor. There might even be a TV program in there.

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303 power

Salesmen are terrific Bert.

If Henry Ford listened to his customers he would have built them a faster horse. Trust in these individuals, I suggest next time you walk in and say 'I have xxxx amount to spend, how can you make my life better?'.

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KYPU

How old / cantankerous do you have to be to qualify for the band of brothers?

At the risk of making you appear slower than you can be the meaning of the title refers to ESM being a denizen of the motor trade and the pushy ,ignorant salesmen being of the same ilk.

I am old , grumpy and cantankerous.

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The Senior Member

Oh right, I didn't know ESM was in the motor trade, I thought it was a brotherhood of elderly gentlemen with superiority complexes.

Sooooo, what exactly are you after bert....
Believe it or not bert, i had one of these given to me when i was 17, it never saw the road , as it needed a lot of work to get it right,but it was supposed to be done up by me and my step dad then into a like custom car..
But you'd look the part smoking around in one mate...


Or other than that...

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I Belong To City
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BJWB.1920-31/12/2010.

my grandad had a humber.

built like a fucking tank it was, walnut dash and everything.i loved that car *sigh*

Brilliant car
my previous father in law had a 1963 hillman super minx very similar.

I have seen a black x type jag

I have been divorced once . i can't afford to do it again

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The Senior Member

Always liked the super snipe up there, looked like a 55 chevy...kinda
my stepdad, has still got a ??(Dammit i can't remember what it is)***, the big beetle back end, swooped over from the roof like...oh god what is that dam car... one, cool bus..
and im sure him and his mate have a ford pop knocking about somewhere.
grand dreams of doing them up, they would probs be like tissue paper now...

The X type is basically a mondeo like what i and bastardo have..get a mondeo bert and join the club...Has to be a estate.

***Ive remembered ..Its a standard vanguard that he has...

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I Belong To City
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BJWB.1920-31/12/2010.