1987 Ford dealer directory

[kevins]

many manufacturers are also copying Tesla and moving to direct on line sales, when the manufacturers are only making 1 or 2% profit and the dealers at least 5% you can see why the manufacturers see this model as tempting.

[sierraman]

I think direct selling can only be a good thing if it gets rid of the dreaded salesman in the dealers. The problem is the slimy bastards would move on to something else like phone shops or selling solar panels. 

[Dobloseven]

57 minutes ago, sierraman said:

I think direct selling can only be a good thing if it gets rid of the dreaded salesman in the dealers. The problem is the slimy bastards would move on to something else like phone shops or selling solar panels. 

Serious question.Have you actually been in a main dealer and spoken to a sales person this decade? Because in my experience,they don't actually seem that bothered about selling cars.In the past,yes, they'd be trying to pin you down for a sale,but seems totally different nowadays.A while back I called in at the local Skoda dealers.Interested in a Kodiaq.Sales guy said he was busy and the only car they'd got in was the one he was using.Gave me the keys and told me to have a look.It'd got his child's car seat and his lunch in it.Had a good look,gave him the keys back and thanked him.No follow up or anything.Called in at quite a few places and similar experience.Happy to let you have a look,but no real sales talk.Perhaps a softly softly approach works better.It is annoying if someone is stood over you,making out they're you new best friend.

[sierraman]

34 minutes ago, Dobloseven said:

Serious question.Have you actually been in a main dealer and spoken to a sales person this decade? Because in my experience,they don't actually seem that bothered about selling cars.In the past,yes, they'd be trying to pin you down for a sale,but seems totally different nowadays.A while back I called in at the local Skoda dealers.Interested in a Kodiaq.Sales guy said he was busy and the only car they'd got in was the one he was using.Gave me the keys and told me to have a look.It'd got his child's car seat and his lunch in it.Had a good look,gave him the keys back and thanked him.No follow up or anything.Called in at quite a few places and similar experience.Happy to let you have a look,but no real sales talk.Perhaps a softly softly approach works better.It is annoying if someone is stood over you,making out they're you new best friend.

Yes actually. I went with my old man into Vauxhall at Chesterfield. The lad he was speaking to was a fly by night fucker, other interactions were at a place, the name escapes me but it might have been the Car People. Folks used to knock Daewoo but they were the first to have a no commission/no pressure platform, the model should be you’ve a guide and someone to demonstrate IF you need it. Not some grease ball asking you your wife’s name or about your job/dog/blood group etc. 

[Richard_FM]

I remember Gordon Ford had a few showrooms in & around Stockport, including a small one at the Texaco in Marple.  This was rebuilt in the 1990s & stopped being a dealership.

 

[Dobloseven]

On 07/11/2025 at 22:15, sierraman said:

Yes actually. I went with my old man into Vauxhall at Chesterfield. The lad he was speaking to was a fly by night fucker, other interactions were at a place, the name escapes me but it might have been the Car People. Folks used to knock Daewoo but they were the first to have a no commission/no pressure platform, the model should be you’ve a guide and someone to demonstrate IF you need it. Not some grease ball asking you your wife’s name or about your job/dog/blood group etc. 

When I bought the Rexton from the local Stellantis place last year,the guy I dealt with couldn't have been more pleasant.Respected the fact that having looked into buying one a few years previously,I knew much more about them than he did.Gave us the keys and told us to go for as long a drive as we wanted, it'd got plenty of fuel.Happy to let me prevaricate for a few days,with only one very polite follow up call.Handled the somewhat dodgy part exchange very well too.Chatting with him, he'd been a chef in a previous life.Do wonder about these big places though.There seemed to be a lot of folk sat behind desks staring idly at screens.

[Richard_FM]

6 hours ago, Dobloseven said:

When I bought the Rexton from the local Stellantis place last year,the guy I dealt with couldn't have been more pleasant.Respected the fact that having looked into buying one a few years previously,I knew much more about them than he did.Gave us the keys and told us to go for as long a drive as we wanted, it'd got plenty of fuel.Happy to let me prevaricate for a few days,with only one very polite follow up call.Handled the somewhat dodgy part exchange very well too.Chatting with him, he'd been a chef in a previous life.Do wonder about these big places though.There seemed to be a lot of folk sat behind desks staring idly at screens.

When I bought my NOS Micra in 2017 the staff member at the Stockport showroom tried to push me towards a brand new one, but the one in Altrincham offered me exactly what I wanted.  Both dealerships were in the same chain so it couldn't have been the training!