I've been involved in the purchase of half a dozen new cars over my life, all straight cash up front, and the experience has never been anything less than a surrealist drama in which my appearance at the dealer seemed to be their first clue that some sort of transaction might be required.
Sadly to say, it was a different flavor of the same story picking up our Smart car from the dealer, where innovation does not seem to have extended to the sales process. Yes, they have an order backlog to work through. And yes, they weren't anywhere near as clueless as the Subaru dealer we dealt with a few years ago. And we appreciated the Obama-like, near-cultish enthusiasm of the sales staff. But it still seems like they didn't really need to wait until midway through the 2-hour-plus sales process to get clear on which particular vehicle we were buying.
Highlight of the event: Almost having our new car locked in at the dealership overnight because nobody could get the garage door open.
