[2000Z-71]

On the way home from Sunday's autocross I stopped in at Power Dodge just to see if they had a new Challenger RT. No, I'm not serious I already have an overweight undertired pig and the Challenger is at least another 350lbs. heavier than my GTO.

I pulled up in my car, parked, and walked over to the Challenger they had parked out in front. It was an RT with an automatic and a $5K "adjusted market value" sticker in addition to the $35K window sticker as well as $2K worth of floor mats, undercoating, and window tint I actually had a few minutes to look it over before the salesmen descended. The doors were unlocked with a key in the lockbox on the driver's side window. Here's the first laugh, it has a keyless ignition, if the key is in close proximity, the car will start. Yes having the key inside of a lockbox mounted on the driver's side window is close enough.

Salesman comes up asks me if I drove up in the GTO and I said yes. Here's the second laugh, he informs me that I should trade it in because the Challenger is faster. Really I asked, how is that possible when it weighs more and has less horsepower and torque? His answer was, "It has a Hemi!" Now I'm amused, "Really what's a Hemi?" I ask. He replies, "It's like a turbo only it's not." I ask if he could pop the hood and show it to me. He pops the hood and points to the plastic cover over the intake manifold. "See it says right there Hemi!"

He asks if I want to drive it. I was honest and said that I really only wanted to take a close look and get a brochure. We go inside, the salesman starts to run all over the dealership looking for a brochure. I looked in the rack I was standing next to, grabbed a brochure and tried to make a discrete exit. No such luck, numbnuts sees me and comes running across the showroom floor.

For the last laugh he insists that I take the car for a test drive, he's even brought a dealer plate out. My pacience is blown and I just decided that I'm going to have some fun with him. I told him to wait by the car and I would be back. I went to my car, got my helmet out of the back seat, walked back towards the saleman and proceeded to put my helmet on. Sat down in the driver's seat, tightened up my chinstrap looked over at numbnuts in the passenger seat and asked, "What's the matter don't you have one?"

" Sir, I just wouldn't feel comfortable with you driving."

[NJSPEEDER]

Car salesmen are dumb because they are, for the most part, just salesmen. When I was in college I had the typical retail sales job and I won a bunch of awards for being good at it. I worked at Best Buy, I sold stereos, TV's, Appliances, all kinds of stuff. Wanna know the best part, I don't know a damn thing about any of them.

The truth is that most consumers are not well informed, or informed at all for that matter. Most people shop two things, the title and the cute. They want a brand they have heard of and an appearance that they think will impress their friends. This is how people end up driving overpriced, bad mileage, poor performing, gas guzzler taxed pieces of crap.

BTW, If I had a bunch of extra money and was just shopping for a car that rides nice, seats 5 rather well, and has a little(and I mean little) bit of pop, I would shop the Challenger. A friend of mine had a 300 and now has a Charger, built on the same platform, and it is a great car for trips and trips to games.

-Tim