Or we just know how to deal with people. Nothing Jedi about it. Don't pretend like it's magic, because it's not.

 

Proclaim your attest for cars and give them the hairy eyeball. Say you only want the Fit.

At the Chevy dealer the first things out of my mouth to the sales guy was "I hate cars, I want to buy a Fit, but I want to see the Spark" He showed me a Sonic too because I thought the Spark and Sonic were the same things, but no pressure at all to look at anything else. He got the picture. He's still calling me to see if I actually bought the fit but you know how that be.

At least, that's how it goes for me.

Now the BS the guy keeps giving me about when my Fit is going to arrive, that's a different story. But I don't get pissed at it, I understand he's got to bring home a paycheck and wants to string me along as long as he can, lol. It is a case of being terribly misinformed and scared of loosing a customer.

I can only be thankful that I can do research on my own, decide what I want before I even walk on my lot, and convey to them EXACTLY what I'm looking for. This is the key here. If you are positively unsure, they will then proceed to steer you into test driving anything they want to sell/get off the lot, not what they think "you" want.

 

The sooner you realize that everyone has an agenda, the better. That agenda is not aligned in your favor, except in certain coincidental cases. Salesmen, service managers, politicians, credit card companies, etc. They all have an agenda. They're not in it to help you.

They can be nice about it or they can be jerks about it, but nobody's looking out for you except you. (and sometimes that's not even true)

 

Oh, I get that, and I'm pretty good at "dealing with people" but not everyone is. One purpose of this discussion is to help people prepare for the buying process and to help them avoid pitfalls.

 

.... or you were actually falling under their spell? I don't know about you but the minute they mention that the Civic interior is a way to get a feel for the new Fit's interior I would have started walking. I think the only thing they have in common is the new media/navi screen, maybe a few buttons, and that's it. Out of 10 salesman that I meet maybe only 2 or 3 aren't in sell mode right out of the gate. They're like good waiters... they'll help you when you're looking for help, and leave you alone when you want to be alone, and really want to make your experience enjoyable.

 

The new media screen is the highlight of the new Fit interior. The materials used are also the same, which is the other main aspect of an interior. How was I falling under their spell? The guy said check out the Civic to get a feel for something similar the Fit will be in, then the Civic wasn't mentioned again and all talk continues on the Fit. Yep, they sure were pressuring me to buy a Civic.

 

Of course that _is_ one way to car buying happiness!

I doubt that this is the case here or else he'd have that Civic!

 

I highly doubt the seat materials would be the same plus the two IP's don't look anything alike if you didn't notice. Maybe some materials or buttons but that's about it.


With regards to falling under their spell, it's one of the oldest sales tricks in the book to get you to peruse a product you weren't considering, whether it's an upsell or a downsell. Whether he was "pushing" you is beside the point because he was able to get you to look at a product you didn't want. It doesn't matter how he got you to sit in the Civic, getting you to sit in it at all was the point. If you don't think that was some sales strategy then I have a very nice lot to sell you in Louisiana.....

 

Well, the seat materials and plastics are pretty much identical. If you think Honda is going to put any more premium leather in a Civic, you're dreaming.

No tricks, just straight up dealings and discussion about the Fit. If the intention was to get me to buy a Civic, then that wasn't a great salesman in that regard. I'm betting that he was a great salesman and understands not to pressure people into buying something they aren't even looking for.

 

How do you know the seat materials and plastics are pretty much identical when you have yet to even see one in person (the reason you were in the Civic in the first place)? I find it hard to believe that the interior of a Civic is so similar to the new Fit that you can form an opinion on the Fit. As I said, the technique wasn't about being pushy, it was about sidetracking you whether you knew it or not and if you are in denial about it then that's on you. A good salesman will always offer an alternative, one way or another, if he doesn't happen to have what the customer is looking for... and it's not about pushing a product that a customer doesn't want, it's about giving the customer options. If you don't understand that concept then there's pretty much no arguing with you about it.

 

That about sums it up, imho.

Between the goofy split-screen dash and HVAC control unit alone, the Civic is much different than the Fit, and will give a much different feel. I'd have to think that the cloth pattern is different as well, seats are different, side window treatment is different, etc. The infotainment system does appear to be very similiar if not identical, though, so that would give a good idea of what the Fit's would be like. But yes, I'd agree that any comparison between the two without having actually sat in the Fit first is premature and speculation.