Dealer dealings and decisions

[Kevin37]

The shopping and info gathering continues.........
Went to my local JD dealer (14 miles from property) last week to speak with the sales guy about pricing for the set-up I'm looking at. Same guy I've dealt with before and have not been impressed with his service. He spoke to me the first day out and walked me around some tractors, but getting information out of him was like pulling teeth. If I had not known what questions to ask (Thanks to TBN & my brother-in-law) I don't think the sales guy would have said more then 10 words. Went into his office, he pulled his books down and gave me a price for 4710w/power reverser, FEL, and 6'cutter. He didn't itemize the prices or write it down, I had to borrow a pen and quickly scribble the numbers in my brochure. No big deal! NOTE: That set-up was not in his inventory, but he said he could locate the tractor. Nothing definate at this point and I tell him I'm still trying to decide. I call back a couple days later to ask a few questions and he says he forgot to add the price of the blade for the cutter.....add another $500.....um...Okay??? A few days later I get a message from him......"My tractor is in, when do I want to set up delivery?" Well......I don't! So the wife and I drive out the other day to clarify some things (which brings me back to the first sentence of this post.) We stand around inside while they page salesguy, he walks in from service, says hello, how can I help you? The four of us (ME, Wife, ten day old son, and salesguy) are now standing in the doorway, she's juggling baby and gear, I'm juggling brochures and notes and a pen trying to remember all my points and questions, and people are coming and going through the door bumping us everytime they pass. If I were a fly on the wall, we would have looked comical. Salesguy stands there, arms folded across chest, says "uh-huh" about 60 times, and tells me he doesn't reccomend the hydro I'm now leaning towards.....um...okay...After 5-10 minutes and no more information then that, I ask if he could just write up an itemized price for that set-up with a hydro and mail it to me.His reply...."uh-huh". We leave, frustrated, would have been nice to sit down somewhere, go through my notes so I don't forget anything, and actually have a CONVERSATION! On the way home we decide to stop at the other JD location. One mile off the highway, same name & owners, and 25 miles from my property. Without mentioning previous dealings up front, we meet a sales guy who tells me all about the equipment, and actually offers to let me test drive both the hydro and power reverse! The wife and I both got a chance to cruise the lot! The sales guy was friendly, still does some farming and knew his equipment. Gave pro's and cons to both sides. We didn't prompt anything from either location.....both were approached in the same manner initially. Is it just me?? Where would you go?....and then I'll tell you "The rest of the story!"

 

[Bob_Skurka]

First, my experience with JD was the same. That is why I own a Kubota, a Cub Cadet and a New Holland. If I was you, I'd buy from the dealer that would talk to you if he had a good price. But I would also compare the other brands. If you want hydro, then you can compare CASE IH and their DX tractors, KUBOTA or NEW HOLLAND's TC tractors. If you don't want hydro, then the entire world of the Korean tractors also become options and Kioti, Century and Branson seem to be good looking feature laden machines.

 

[GregJ]

Kevin,
If you have a bad feeling about the first dealer, keep shopping. I shopped green and orange and went to 5 different dealers before I found exactly what I wanted in both the machine and customer service. It was amazing how much more comfortable I was with my decision when I had a salesman that presented all the options, analyzed my needs, made great suggestions and let me test any of the equipment I wanted. My purchase became a "no-brainer" instead of a tentative, stressful decision. I still stay in touch with my salesman and he is as helpful today as when I was shopping. Make sure the purchase "feels good" instead of pressured. We're not talkin' pocket change here.....

Greg

 

[OkeeDon]

Which one was the branch store, and which one the main store? I actually had the same experience. Several times, I've extolled the virtues of my dealer, but I've not related the first day, before.

Sunrise Tractor has a main store in Fort Pierce, FL, about 15 miles from where I live, now (and will for the next year), but about 40 miles from my property in Okeechobee, where the tractor is located. They also have a store in West Palm Beach, about 50 miles South, and, at the time I purchased my tractor, they had a small sales and parts outlet in Okeechobee, only about 3 miles from my property. That's where I went, first.

There was one guy, there, who was surly, silent and even a little rude. After I asked a few questions without much in the way of answers, I asked him what I had to do to get my questions answered (no one told me I was supposed to be nice to him; it's his job to serve me). He grudgingly said that I could find out everything I wanted to know in Fort Pierce.

I went there the next day, found out I knew the general manager from a previous connection, was assigned to the sales manager, had a pretty darned good experience (not perfect, but what is?), and bought the tractor.

Later, I found out that the building where the Okeechobee store was located was leased, and the owner had sold it. The store was closing at the expiration of the lease. The main store is building a new location, and will open a new store in Okeechobee after that one is finished. The "salesman" in Okeechobee was a parts man; he didn't have any answers but hated to admit it.

The lease has expired; the Okeechobee store is closed (a rental place bought it, and they'll be a nice addition); the new Fort Pierce store is half built; and until they get a new Okeechobee location, the dealer will give me free pickup and delivery from Okeechobee or send a service truck.

When the new Okeechobee store is set up, there will be a service department and new people. My own project should be finished by then, and one of the sales people might even be me, because I'll be looking for something "fun" to do.

So, while it would be an unusual coincidence if your situation was the same, my bet is there is some underlying reason why you had such a different experience at two different stores for the same dealer.

 

[Kevin37]

Here's some more......
The location where I got treated better is a brand new store...same town they were in, just moved a few miles and built a new store. Huge indoor showroom, large outdoor lot with a bunch of inventory. I had been there last year for different reasons and always got good service. The location with the so-so sales guy is an older, smaller store and I don't know which is the main office. Both are on the same highway just 25 miles apart and my property is between the two! I did tell the friendly salesman before we left that I had been to the other location and wasn't pleased. I wasn't sure how or if the two communicate and I didn't want to seem "sneaky". After all, they both work for the same company. They both ended up giving me prices, and they seem to be close, although they weren't fully itemized and I don't know exactly what the "incentives" covers. Funny thing is..it's the same tractor. I'm sure they are looking at the same inventory sheet and only one location had a hydro. For the shoppers out there, I am also looking at the Kubota L4630 with the same set-up. It just seems to be lacking a couple HP at the PTO according to specs. I haven't driven one yet....thats next week. BTW, Kubota is a couple grand less for the basic tractor! Hard to ignore that.

 

[twabscs]

Kevin,

I got the run around from many dealers when I started the process. I probably spoke with and visited 8-10 dealers (either orange, green, or blue). One thing I learned was to put in writing exactly what I wanted. I typed up a page with the specifics (which I got off of the info on this great site), and either faxed it or hand delivered it to each dealer. I called it a "Request for Price". Each dealer then had to respond in writing with the exact equipment and itemized prices.

Most dealers didn't have a problem with this (although it did take some time) and it was then very easy to compare prices.

Heck, without my itemized list, it took me 90 minutes at one Kubota dealership because the guy didn't understand all of the options that I wanted. I was helping him look through the Kubota price manuals so make sure he "got it right." Luckily I brought along a picture of a bolt-on toothbar as he was really confused by that...

Most dealers expect this type of behavior from an experienced buyer and all of them must deal with businesses in just this way. Of course, you also have to be comfortable with the dealership in other areas too, but don't let the pricing hasssle bum you out. List exactly what you want and make them respond in writing.

Using this process it is also easier to "dicker" as you get close to the actual purchase as you have all of the exact info right there side by side.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Kevin, I finally got the pricing for a 4710 down here in Texas.
It has me wanting to upgrade.

JD4710, 4WD, Ehydro, R4 tires, DSCV's, and FEL for $23,300.

Online price for this model equiped the same is about $25,500.

I would recommend the hydrostatic. Not trying to start any arguments here. The upgrade for this model is only $1000.
I can do things with my hydro that I wouldn't think about doing with my power reverser.

Remember, good salesman can be very beneficial and most places have good and bad ones. The Trick is to find the helpful one with years of experience being at one dealership.

Good luck with your search...Kyle

 

[Kevin37]

Kyle
Thanks for the info. $23,300 seems like a really good price compared to what I've found. It seems the dealers here are at about $24,000 for the same thing, but again, I haven't gotten a completley itemized price to know what the options and attachment prices are. Writing everything down is definately the way to go. That's my next step this coming week when I go back to the Orange/Blue dealer and do some 'driven! It was a blast test driving the hydro and power reverser, and there is no comparison to ease of use for an inexperienced operator like myself. Plus there's the "Wife" factor. She could easily handle the hydro and also drove it last week. Frederick County MD is having their fair this week, so that's also on my list. I think I could kill a few hours there in the equipment section! Does anyone know if dealers have specials at county fairs....like at boat shows?

 

[riptides]

Probably just me,

But the first time I talk price, I expect a seat, a list of wanna-haves and the price list as I go out the door, with a smile on my face.

I also expect more "Yes's" than "u-huh's" and some corrections to clarify things.

-Keep shopping.
-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[stnickstoys]

Kevin,
I have a good friend that's a JD dealer and have seen first hand how his guys treat their customers. I'm convinced that they think because they own 5 surrounding dealerships that they have the market locked up and don't have to work for customers. That's why it is so much fun for me to sell Century tractors in the middle of his huge JD area. I think half the fun of selling tractors is meeting new people and hooking them up with great tractors and equipment.
Just my two cents worth.
Nick

 

[Kevin37]

Yeah....you would think those things would be common sense.
In a previous life, just out of school, I sold cars for about two years. (Wise-guys please refrain from used car guy jokes /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif) I wasn't that good at it, Country boy in the city and all that, and my old boss used to say I couldn't sell a hooker in a lumber camp! But I knew and learned the basics of how to treat a customer, especially people spending that kind of money. Most don't take those purchases lightly because it is a MAJOR life purchase. I certainly put my upcoming tractor purchase in that catagory. I don't expect butt kissing to get me to buy a tractor, but I do expect good customer service. I'm a tractor newbie and it sure would be nice to take delivery of a new machine and have a salesman or someone from the dealership spend some time showing me the basics of how to operate my tractor and gear. This is where friendliness and personality would be a plus I would think. When I give the dealership my check, I want a warm and fuzzy feeling about coming back for service, advice, and future purchases. I don't think that's too much to ask.

 

[Cort]

I had the same experience as Greg.

To reiterate what he said, shop until it becomes a "no-brainer" instead of a tentative, stressful decision. I had such a miserable time shopping that I had actually decided to wait until the spring. That was until I found the right dealer and the right tractor (In that order!).

He didn't seem like he was too into "dickering," but that didn't matter because I had no complaints about his prices. I even explained that for my personal use I didn't think I needed to pay for brand-name implements. Instead of scoffing at me, he went out and found exactly what I wanted at the prices I wanted to pay.

He dropped off my new MF GC2310 on Saturday!

- Cort

 

[riptides]

I hope you plan on posting some pics of your new machine.
Congradulations!

There is a Massy Dealer up the road from me. I like his sign,
" red in your shed, green in your pocket" Makes me smile every time I see it!

-Mike Z.

 

[shoppintractors]

<font color="blue"> If you don't want hydro, then the entire world of the Korean tractors also become options and Kioti, Century and Branson seem to be good looking feature laden machines. </font>

<font color="red"> UPDATE </font>

Kioti now offers a hydrostatic transmission in a 21hp model. It's the CK20. It's available in hydro or gear versions. Kioti also has a CK25 and a CK30 in development and hope to see production models of the CK25/CK30 in 2004.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I didn't know that Kioti came out with a hydro. But I guess just like with any brand new model, I wouldn't buy something until it proved itself in the real world. When I buy truck transmissions I buy Allisions, when I buy truck engines I buy tried and true Cat. I guess my point is that Kioti may make the best hydro on the market or they may make the worst, but I wouldn't buy it until they sold a bunch of them and other people had all the problems. Kioti does make a fine tractor, but I would not buy the first model year of any manufacturer, so I guess I would rule out the Kioti HYDRO transmission for at least one or two model years. Just my opinion.

 

[Tonester]

""When I give the dealership a check, I want a warm and fuzzy feeling about coming back for service, advice, and future purchases. I don't think that's too much to ask.""

Boy did you ever hit it on the head!!! In my recent search, I really liked the green and orange tractors alot, but felt so **** uncomfortable with those "used car salesmen" (sorry!) that I walked away stressed and unsure...right into the Massey dealer, who at first was a distant fourth on my list. I was immediately at ease with those folks. As you can see from my picture at the left, I now own a Massey, and have not looked back. They have already gone above and beyond, loaned me a loader until my real loader comes in, upgraded me to a really nice Woods tiller at a ridiculously good price when they admitted the Massey tiller was on long backorder, extra parts gratis, free loaded tire upgrade to R4's, double manufacturers warranty....the list goes on and I'm smiling!

Keep lookin' til you smile...don't worry so much what color it is!!!!

Do this: /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif <font color="blue"> </font> <font color="blue"> </font>

 

[shoppintractors]

<font color="blue"> I guess my point is that Kioti may make the best hydro on the market or they may make the worst, but I wouldn't buy it until they sold a bunch of them and other people had all the problems. </font>

Bob,

I think your inference is a little strong here (and other people had all the problems.) That's a pretty big assumption. More and More CK20's are hitting the streets. One CK20 owner just reported today, he has 130 hours on his tractor with no problems. New Holland has not gone without problems on their New TC24 Model. But, I'm not here to bash any particular model or manufacturer. I just think when very generalized statements are made no Manufacturer or Models need to be mentioned.

I apologize and did not mean to hijack this thread. Just my.02 cents worth.

Don