TV Salesmaen

[rrheik]

We have spent the last couple of days looking at Super Duty Fords and Chev/GMC 3500s. It seems you can never find a salesperson who has a clue about the truck, let alone it's towing capacity. (i.e. whenwe asked three different Ford salespeople the fuel capacity of a F250 or a F350, we were told 40 gal is the standard. Wonder why the window sticker says 30.5... Asked about towing specs. on the F250 and F350 which shows *if equipped for 16,900. Of course they all said they are equipped for the 16,900, so I guess there is no need for a "*" to say if specially equipped. Chevy/GMC didn't do much better on any towing or fuel queries. It sure would be nice to find a salesperson who really knew about the product they were selling.

bob

[sreigle]

Bob, the 30.5 gallon tank is on the Ford shortbed trucks. The longbed has a larger tank but I'm not sure the capacity.

I have the 2008 advance towing guide in pdf format on my laptop. It's 373kb. -- I just emailed it to you. I couldn't find the guide at a dealer but the dealer's regular brochure included towing information based on engine/trans/axle/etc., same as in the towing guide.

[rrheik]

Thanks Steve apreciate the information.

bob

[dscott]

Bob,
You sure made agood point,our dealers up here do not have a clue about towing capacity.I have been looking at the Ford 350 4 door short box 2008.The salesman says it can tow any 5th wheel.GMC,and Chevy says the same thing about there 3500, for a lot less money and have more reasale.But they don't have a 4 door short box.

[Wrenchtraveller]

I deleted my earlier post as it was a bit harsh and not really fair to some good Ford salepeople but I will have to say after buying 8 new Ford trucks and 1 new Ford car in in the last 35 years, I have found Ford salesmen to be very ignorant of the product they sell. I always have researched the GVWR and the GCWR and I study the brochure and I always know more about the vehicle than the Ford Salesman.
In 02 we bought a new Honda Accord and this was a completely different sales experience. The young man we bought the car from actually knew a lot about the product he was selling. Honda has sales proffesionals. Ford has a few good sales people but quite a few fall into the waste of skin category I had ranted about in my first post.

[ggranch]

I recently bought a SD F-350 and fully agree with the "waste of skin" label. The sales crew consisted of a frontman (salesdude), a floor manager (actually knew the product), and the finance guy (a real professional. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the ""aftermarket sales rep" who actually tried to sell some products. By the way, the fuel capacity on a Ford SD long bed is 38 Gal. Bob

[jrgwdenner]

Sounds like truck salesmen are as uninformed as RV salesmen. We generally find that we know more about the RV product than the salesmen and we certainly know more about how much truck one needs to pull their particular model. It really irks me that salesment will sell a heavy fiver to someone with a truck that doesn't have the power to pull or stop it. Just to make a sale!

[jretz]

While looking for my truck I ran into a couple of salesman on larger Ford lots that when I started asking specific question on the towing abilities and options admitted they were not that familiar with the trucks. They then got another salesman who was "knowledgeable" about the trucks. They answered my questions by stating they had a truck on the lot that would fulfill my needs and proceeded to show me more trucks and never answered the questions. To them it is all about selling a product they have on hand and convincing the customer that that is the one they need.

I finally bought my truck from a local small town dealership that is very community oriented. We were treated like life long customers and if someone did not know an answer they checked with someone else or the service department to make sure we had the right information. I did not think these types of dealerships still existed. Just remember, when you go onto a car lot you are usually looked at as a number to meet a goal, if they can not answer your questions satisfactorily I would move on to another dealership. I found that the car and truck manufactures web pages are very informative and you can have load yourself up with the needed information to be an informed buyer when you go onto the lot.

Good Luck in you search for that great new TV

[Amps]

When looking into buying my TV I first went to a Dodge dealer to get info on their product. The salesman was really up to par, he went into his office and came back with a very well written 2006 truck specifications Guide. This guide is really easy to use and follow so no more need for a salesman.
The Ford and GM dealers never did show me any written (official) specifications other than broad number with all kinds of '*' and if equipped.....
Before buying one must really look into these numbers especially those little '*'.

[Steve and Brenda]

Ever notice that its true across the sales spectrum? Go to a Circuit City or Radio Shack and ask a technical question and you'll get the same blank stare. Thank goodness for the internet and forums such as this one!

[Cat320]

I call the salesmen "order takers" because that is all they are. They are bad regarding towing information, twice as bad on cargo capacity...other than "it can handle it." I had a GMC salesman tell me the rear axle capacity is the same as the cargo capacity...wonderful, my dually has a cargo capacity of 8,200!

[sreigle]

A couple of weeks ago I went out and test drove the Dodge, GMC, and Ford. I have to say not one of the salesmen were even close to knowledgeable about anything other than some of the options and features of the truck. Capacities and ratings were not even something they're aware of. The Dodge saleskid admitted he'd only been on the job two months. The Ford saleskid three months. The GMC salesman didn't say how long but appeared to have more experience. But he still didn't know much about the vehicle capabilities. Like the rest of you, my research equipped me with more info than they had. I even had to correct a couple of them when they gave me incorrect information.

I'm test driving all three again next week in another state and I'd bet the experience will be similar. You just cannot rely on what a salesperson tells you.

[exav8tr]

I had this very same problem with the GM dealer in my area. At one dealership I was directed to a vey nice lady who knew absolutely nothing about trucks. She said she would "ask" the boys. Well, they knew just as little, I asked for another salesman and I thought she was going to call the ACLU on me. I told her I did not want to train a salesman just wanted to speak to a salesman who knew something about trucks. I ended up walking out and going to the other dealership. Asked for a truck expert and the salesman said try me. I asked if he was a truck expert and he said somewhat. I asked him what the GVWR was of a certain truck and ke couldn't answer, he went and got a sales manager who gave me some erroneous figures. When I showed him the placard inside the glove compartment he was flabergasted. He asked me if I was a salesman looking for a job. I told him I just wanted to talk to someone that knew something about trucks. What a total crock. Professionalism, for the most part, is DEAD today. The Ford guys and Dodge guys knew just as little. One has to do their homework, figure out what truck to buy and then go to the fleet sales department and order it, then take off the salesman commission for doing all your own work. Unfortunately it is not just the car dealeships either. Many salesman know nothing about their products. They want you to do the homework and they collect the cash........IMHO End of Rant

[sailer]

guys;;; FORD has a towing book you can get at any good dealer that will tell you what weight it will carry , how much it will tow and how much fuel it will haul.. the big dif i found in trucks is not what they can pull but what they can haul down the rd and not be white knuckels ,,,. the foreign jobs can pull more but they can't handel the load , i know ,, i traded a 06 nissan with tow for a ford ,, no comparison so it takes a heaver truck to handel the load not just pull it , but handel it

john

[snfexpress]

May I suggest that you contact th Fleet manager at any of the big 3 dealerships? For me, this works out the best for these reasons:

Knowledgeable about just about everything with the truck/van/commercial vehicle he sells because they are usually being used in a commercial capacity and are often converted into something different, like a pizza van or carpet truck, etc. Since he also finances the entire package, ie truck and carpet equipment, he has to know what will go with what and the weights, etc.

The fella I use in Reno knows alot about the vehicles he sells - and he doesn't sell cars!

My 2c

[Dave e Victoria]

I agree with Michael. I have bought my last 6 cars and trucks through fleet managers. They are typically better informed and not into pressure sales. The first one (a Dodge) came from a Costco promotion. The others (Honda, Ford and GMC) came from internet sales contacts. The best part is walking into a dealership, being acosted by the typical saleskid and telling them you are going to see the fleet guys. The response is very telling.
Dave

[Cat320]

quote:Originally posted by sailer

guys;;; FORD has a towing book you can get at any good dealer that will tell you what weight it will carry , how much it will tow and how much fuel it will haul.. the big dif i found in trucks is not what they can pull but what they can haul down the rd and not be white knuckels ,,,. the foreign jobs can pull more but they can't handel the load , i know ,, i traded a 06 nissan with tow for a ford ,, no comparison so it takes a heaver truck to handel the load not just pull it , but handel it

john

BTDT...IMHO, Ford is no better than the other two. Their brochure does not cover all the bases when it comes to cargo capacity. There are too many options...2wd, 4wd, reg cab, ec, cc, sb, lb, etc. When I was doing my research, I asked to look at an F250 psd, cc, 4 x 4, sb...says 2800 lbs of cargo capacity in the brochure. The truck on the lot, identical to the specs above, had a cargo capacity (on the sticker on the truck) of 2507. 300 lbs less than what the brochure would have you believe. Towing capacity is good, cargo capacity is way off.

[sreigle]

Just an fyi, the F350 crewcab shortbed Lariat, SRW, PSD, TorqShift I test drove said 3150 on the sticker on the door pillar for carrying capacity. That one had a few more options than we want, such as a dvd player for the backseat, the ladder thingy on the tailgate, the cargo extender thing and some more. But if we go F350 rather than 3500 in GMC or Dodge the cc should be about the same or slightly more than the F350 I drove.

In my research I found the glovebox manuals, the owners guide, diesel supplement, and some others in pdf format on the Ford site. So I spent last evening perusing those manuals. I even found something we have on ours that I didn't realize was there until I went out and looked at the trip computer. And I tend to read the manuals cover to cover, but I sure missed these features on the computer.

So, if anyone wants a copy of the manuals, email me (envelope icon above this post). I also have the "2008 Advance Towing Guide" in pdf format. I'm still trying to find the same things for the Dodge and GMC. Next week we'll test drive all three again and about a week after that will probably pull the trigger and buy or order, if we can get a decent deal.

I don't know what the cc on the pillar was on our '99 F350 and '03 F350. I didn't even know that number was there. But this '05 F250 has higher numbers for everything else. So a new F350 SRW should be the same numbers (or close) with higher CC than we have now. We'll probably still be a bit over that CC but should be ok on GVWR if we get the Ford. The build list includes an option for 11,400 GVWR on the SRW unless I'm misreading it. That's one area the Dodge and GMC can't seem to match in the 3500 SRW so that's something I have to consider.

[rrheik]

Thanks for the comments. Good idea Mike and Dave to talk to the fleet managers. This is why I really love this forum. There are so many of you experienced rvers that really help rookies like myself. Fortunaely I have met a few of you on the road and have gotten excellent advice. Now I shall wait and see how Steve makes out on his quest. I think at this point we will shoot for a F450 after its first year of performance. Thanks again.
bob

[Cat320]

Steve...that sticker on the left rear door or rear door pillar with the cargo capacity, did not come out until either the 04 or 05 model year, not sure which.