C Kingsbury wrote:

Big snip


In real big-ticket items like cars or real estate, it's not unusual that you
really don't even see the smart and or wealthy buyer face-to-face until the
deal is closed. If they're buying a car they do it by faxing or calling the
sales manager directly, and if they're buying property, they often do so
through a buyer's agent. The biggest money is often the quietest.

-cwk.


One day, while working in the yard in his old Navy boondockers, an old
tee shirt, and old ripped blue jeans, my younger brother decided it was
time to buy the Mercedes that he had always wanted. So, without
changing clothes, he stuck his check book in his hip pocket, jumped on
his motorcycle, and drove 30 miles to the nearest dealer.

As he walked in the dealership, he saw exactly the car he wanted- all
the options and even the right color. So he stood around with his
checkbook in hand trying to look like a customer. The salesmen, all
playing gin rummy at the counter, studiously ignored him. Finally,
after about ten minutes, one of them decided that this guy was not going
to leave until somebody talked to him. So the salesman walked over to
my brother and asked if he could help him.

My brother said, "Yes. I want to buy this automobile. How much is it?"

The salesman replied, "It is really expensive, and the upkeep is quite
high, too. But we have some really clean one owner used car out on the
lot. I would be happy to show them to you."

My brother said, "No. I want to buy this car. How much is it?"

The salesman again went through the nice clean used car bit.

My brother, now barely in control of his temper, coldly looked the
salesman in the eye and said, "I don't want a used car. I want to buy
this car. HOW MUCH IS IT?"

When the salesman started with the used car bit again, my brother left.
On the way back, he became more and more angry, so he stopped by our
father's house to tell him the story.

After hearing the whole story, my father said, "If you still want the
car, go home, put on a suit, and drive back down there in your
Rolls-Royce. I am sure that they will sell a car to anybody driving a
Rolls."

Postscript 1: He bought a BMW.

Postscript 2: Several years later, my brother was the lead CPA on the
staff doing the annual audit of guess what large automobile dealership.
After the closing conference, the owner asked if my brother had any
observations he might like to pass along, even beyond financial matters,
to help the owner in his business. My brother related this story. The
owner asked if he could still identify the salesman. My brother pointed
to a salesman visible through the office window. The owner sighed, and
then said, "It figures. He is my son-in-law."

Hank
Comanche N5903P