I had no plans--nor a desire--to buy a new car last - debfillman
I had no plans--nor a desire--to buy a new car last weekend. In fact, I was pretty devastated because I pretty much had to--my beloved 2015 Mini Cooper Hardtop 4-door was in rough shape and needed more work than made sense relative to age and mileage, and I was pretty heartbroken about it. So you can imagine how I went into this shopping and purchase process: unhappy, defensive, and picky.
José, my sales consultant, felt the brunt of it before we even met in person. Poor guy was treated to a flurry of text-based ultimatums about what I wanted and didn't want, what I would and wouldn't deal with during the process, and I can only imagine what he must've thought (probably something along the lines of "Anyone else wanna take this one? Yikes!"), but he still greeted me with a smile and the patience of a saint. This was even after I told him one of the cars he wanted to show me was "the color of sadness," aka, "NPC Gray."
Like I said--the poor guy had his work cut out for him with me!
I test-drove two cars, chose the one that was not gray, and then José did everything he could to get me a good deal on my trade, as well as a fair price. It was surprisingly painless.
The next day when I came back to do the paperwork and take delivery, I saw my old car sitting there outside the dealership, waiting for me to clean her out, and I burst into tears. As content as I was with my new purchase, I felt so guilty and sad to be leaving that little car behind. Most people would have laughed or tried to downplay it, or said some clichéd thing about it being for the best, blah blah, but not José. He understood, handed me some tissue, and shared a story about a car he'd once loved and lost. It's that kind of personal touch that differentiates a true "consultant" from a "sales guy," and it's people like him that keep me coming back to Hendrick Mini in general.
Everyone I dealt with was great actually--Craig, my service consultant referred me to José after expressing his sympathies about my old car too--these guys "get" that a Mini isn't just a car, it's a happy place, a refuge from an increasingly boring, stressful, colorless world where individuality and joy is harder to find in our surroundings. Look around--most cars look so much alike, you can't find yours in the parking lot! Not a Mini though!
Russ in Finance was also very patient--he too had been forewarned about me and how little time I wanted to spend hearing about extras like Gap insurance and extended warranties (less than zero)--but he took it in stride, and went over just what I needed to know so I could get going as quickly as possible. So if the thought of sitting in the Finance office fills you with dread (or righteous indignation based on past experience, as it did me), get your next car from Hendrick Mini. They may just change your mind!
All in all a wonderful experience, start to finish, despite the fact that I didn't want any of it to be happening. It's been almost a week now, and I'm actually already in love with my new car.
Thank you to everyone at Hendrick Mini for a great buying experience!
Read More
Dealer Reviews
Cars for Sale
Dealer Log In