Originally posted by DimitriPopov:
Its no more a throwaway car than any other. If you like it , thats all that fcking matters. What is with car salesman and mechanics telling people their opinions while they are working or selling their cars. You are supposed to be a professional , you dont state your friggin opinion. Especially about the same car that thsi person has , how stupid and how big of an ass can you be.



How is stating an opinion being an ass? Just because it might conflict with your own doesn't mean the other person is trying to bash you. I do not think that stating an opinion in a business world is unprofessional, so long as you don't try and imply that it is fact.

I've rarely seen a salesperson disrespect their own products, but trust me if one of them do I take it to heart and take the extra time to find out if the information was solid before purchasing.

I have firsthand experience at being a mechanic. I can honestly say that 95% of my customers valued my assesment of their vehicles. In fact, because of this message board I advised other Contour owners who had the Duratec motors to watch out for their water pumps because they were plastic and prone to being unreliable. A few actually made appointments to have them changed out with the metal Auto Zone replacements and ALL of them were satisfied with my work because I boxed up their old part as proof. One person who lives 30 miles away now makes the extra drive to get his work done through us when at all possible. One of the water pumps I boxed up had a hairline crack in it (black impeller) and showed signs of deterioration. The customer owning that car tipped me BIG time, and the same story... she was just in for tires when I originally told her about her water pump but has swapped her other service needs over to us.

Mechanics love junk cars that are out of warranty. The more we can depend on the customer to bring us their cars, the more secure our job becomes. But holding out on information becomes a moral issue. Do you keep your mouth shut and let someone blindly empty their pocket book or do you use that knowledge to give them a warning so that they can make an informed decision? You have no idea how many people come in to us who only know how to start their cars, drive them and MAYBE put gas in them.

There are a few things the regular car owner does not know that the mechanic does.
1. The labor costs of normal repairs to their vehicle, and yes it differs greatly between some vehicles.
2. The reliability of those parts when they go into the car as well as the surrounding parts.
3. The resale value of their particular car.

I won't go into all these as I have made my post long enough, but opinions help people. There is just a right way and a wrong way to express them. And as long as you express it in a way that leaves the customer the right to choose, you have done nothing wrong. You have given them extra information that they may not have had otherwise. I have never been chewed out for giving my 2 cents to a customer, and have made more regular customers because of it. No, not every Tom, Dick, and Harry get my 2 cents but I do give it out to regulars or people who talk to me after the work is done. Those who just want their work done and want to get out of there have their wishes respected, and that is apparent from the moment they bring the car to you.

And no, not all cars are throwaway.