Many people expect brand loyalty from dealership employees. But a saleswoman who works for Chevrolet bucked that trend. She bought a Dodge Durango. In a TikTok that’s generated over 5,200 views as of this writing, Chevy saleswoman Hope (@hopedealswheels) says she drives her Dodge Durango to work and explains why she decided to pass on a Chevy. In the TikTok, Hope acknowledges that it isn’t common for car salespeople to drive a different brand than they sell. "So yes this is pretty controversial. I work at a Chevy dealership, but I purchased a pre-owned Dodge. That’s the car I drive every single day,” she begins. She elaborates on her reasoning in the caption. "Yes the brand matters, but finding a properly maintained vehicle that fits your budget sometimes supersedes going with a specific brand or even buying new/preowned,” she writes. So for Hope, the main priority was owning a properly maintained car that fit her budget. "People do ask me, ‘What do you drive?’ and I tell them I drive a Dodge Durango. It’s 10 years old with 45,000 miles on the odometer," she shares. Hope says that it just wasn’t in her budget to buy a brand-new car. "So I went with something that was in pristine condition. That’s what matters,” she explains. Hope emphasized the importance of the car's condition when buying a pre-owned vehicle. "It doesn’t matter if the car is new or used. It matters how the vehicle was maintained,” she continues. With her Dodge Durango, she is the second owner in 10 years. Additionally, she emphasizes the importance of keeping the interior clean, inspecting the engine, and reviewing service records. "It’s all about quality. Doesn’t necessarily matter if you are buying new or pre-owned,” she concludes. Budget Over Brand Loyalty? Some viewers applauded her decision to stick to her budget rather than buy a new car. "If it fits your needs and your budget, more power to you,” one wrote. "Smart! Investment in something else other than a depreciating asset,” another commented. "New vehicles are cool, they just depreciate so much. I got my Sierra pre-owned. Only 3yrs old when I got it, clean record and everything. The price from when the original owner bought it to when I bought it depreciated so much,” a third added. "Well said, but the best cars to buy are from the elderly people, with all due respect, cus they're always in pristine condition cus they don't drive fast and they take good care of them,” another suggested. Do Sellers Have to Drive the Brand They Sell? While Hope’s decision to drive something other than a Chevrolet may be controversial, she’s doing nothing wrong. Most dealerships do not require employees to drive the vehicles they sell. "At my dealership they don’t give a [expletive] what you drive. However, I definitely buy all my vehicles here because we get a significant deal on it,” one Reddit user wrote. "I doubt it would be an issue, unless the owner/management is like a [expletive] about it or something,” another added. However, some suggest this may impact the sales pitch, as buyers may question their credibility when a salesperson doesn’t use the product itself. "No, but would you trust a person selling Toyota if they were driving a Dodge or Ford? If they don’t believe enough in their product to drive it themselves, why should you buy one from them?” one Quora commenter shared. Most people are suspicious of salespeople from the start, the National Association of Sales Professionals notes. Trust must be earned through the sales process. "Nine out of 10 people have a negative perception of salespeople. Salespeople don’t even trust other salespeople,” Unbound Growth reports. So when trying to sell a car, it may be more challenging to earn the customer’s trust and secure the sale if they know that you don’t trust the product enough to drive one yourself. Motor1 has contacted Hope via Instagram and TikTok direct message. We’ll update this if she responds. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team
