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December 13, 2005
Women and buying cars do not mix, according to many salesmen
Winter weather has a very negative effect on our cars, from the salt and sand they lay on the roads to the freezing cold weather we experience here in Minnesota. Either way, these conditions cause many people to take their vehicle in to a mechanic to aid the car’s transition into winter weather. My car, however, has a larger problem. It needs to be sold and a new car must be bought.
As a woman, I find it intimidating to buy a new car from a dealership for the sole reason that many car salesmen are discriminatory toward women, proven by personal experience. I have had salesmen talk down to me, snap at me, or ignore me completely. Many, assuming that I don’t know anything about cars, have tried to take advantage of me and sell me a car for more than it is worth, or with more miles than it should have. I know that I am not the only one who has experienced this.
My trials and tribulations in searching for a car are numerous. I once had a salesman get frustrated because he couldn’t please me with the cars he was showing me. He then proceeded to yell at me because I didn’t like any of the cars he was showing me that were within my price range. Would he have yelled at a man when he couldn’t please him? I don’t think so. Another time, I was searching for a car with my father when a salesman approached us. The salesman proceeded to tell my father about the car we were looking at, when I was the one who was answering his questions.
I felt like I was being treated like a child, like I was a lesser sex as a woman and shouldn’t know any specifics about the car which I wanted to buy. Surprising to the salesman, I knew exactly what I was looking for, how much it should cost, and how many miles should be on the vehicle for the year it was. Is it true that most other women shopping for cars do not know what they’re shopping for? It doesn’t make sense not to do research about a large purchase such as a car.
At first I wondered if it was just my age that the salesmen were stereotyping against. It would be understandable if the salesmen assumed I was too young and didn’t make enough money to pay for the car, or wasn’t going to follow through with the car purchase. However, I found out that I am not the only woman who has experienced this prejudice.
The Oracle is appalled by these discriminatory actions. Women should not be treated this way. Most women know what they are looking for and what to expect when they are shopping for a car or in any venture they partake on. To assume that a woman is ignorant to car shopping simply because she is a woman is wrong and offensive. We encourage every woman to educate herself before she goes shopping for items that may be deemed as a man’s arena, simply for the fact that she could disprove the salesmen and work to remedy this stereotype.
- Sarah Kirchner
Posted by msveum at December 13, 2005 12:53 PM
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