Buying a car in Belgium…
There is an interesting article in Reveries about an American expat’s experience in buying a car in Belgium. He found what he wanted, did not have to “negotiate,” and the sales rep became most friendly and helpful after the purchase…
Which experience is better for the customer? Which one is better for the dealership? And which one do you think is better for the automobile manufacturer?
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March 18th, 2007 at 12:15 am
These are three great questions.
For the customers I’d say the answer is “depends”. Most people are uncomfortable at best with negotiation and unable to negotiate at worse. If the a fair price is being offered the cutomer and if it is the same price everyone pays all in all it’s a good for all around.
One price selling is usually good for an auto’s resale value if it is the same for everyone buying the car.
Overall I think that the dealership and manufactuer gain a great deal of good will among buyers with a practice like this.
This is from a US perspective. I really don’t know what the auto industry’s reputation is in Europe.
I worked for Saturn here in the US for three years and I saw first hand the results of a brand that utilized this sort of sales model.
Thanks for offering up such a good conversation.
Keep creating,
Mike