I was expecting issues with the car dealers around. Most that I have seen are posted and if I was going to by a car I would have to do it their way
. Not really.
Background:
I needed to replace my daughters car (really mine, but she drives it). She is a college student (out of state) and the old car was getting to be very unreliable. So I did my research and came up with a few models to look at. I knew what I wanted so it was only a matter of where to buy.
The story:
I checked the thread (stores that infringe) for dealerships that are not carry neutral (posted no guns). Unfortunately, the dealers near me were on the list:cuss:. So I began looking for other dealers and found two that were not too far and weren’t listed.
My daughter and I hopped into the car and went shopping. As we pulled into the first dealer I scanned the doors for anything posted. We pulled up directly in front of the door and I saw nothing. Good so far, we got out and went in.
I should point out that I normally conceal, but on hot days I am more casual. The gun was covered by my un-tucked shirt, but the grip would significantly print if I was anything but standing perfectly straight. Keep in mind that I am 6 ft 2 in 180lbs so I can’t hide much.
We were greeted by a salesperson upon entry and went to look at the model on the floor inside the showroom. There, I had about 40 minutes of bending, reaching, stretching, twisting and maneuvering about the vehicle. I had to pull my shirt down several times just by habit. But I believe parts of the gun were visible more than once. No comments, no reaction, no notice at all that I could determine. Test drive went the same way.
Three days later we went back for a more critical look under similar circumstances. It was another hour and a half with no reaction at all. I’m starting to think everyone is blind, or I’m really good at casual concealing. We negotiate a successful deal with a trade-in.
Two more days and we go back to pick up the car and complete all of the required paperwork. When all was said and done, they ask if I had any comments. I mentioned that the dealer that was closest to me was posted and that I would prefer to work with someone who doesn’t restrict firearms. Since I carry most of the time this would cause problems for buying or future service. I explained that this is what brought me in the dealership originally and that I was pleased that they were not posted. The salesperson (she) looked at me a bit puzzled and said “Why would we care? Most of the guys here are gun people. We wouldn’t have any problem with that.”
I was really expecting more of a reaction. What a pleasant surprise. I thought it was worth mentioning Braeger Ford, 4201 S. 27[SUP]th[/SUP] Street in Milwaukee. For some reason a majority of dealerships in SE WI seem to be posted. Maybe I just haven't looked enough.
I’ve tried to keep my story to the gun related issue. Sorry about the lengthy story. If you want more info on the car deal, just PM me as I don’t want to clog up the forum with that.
Feels good to vote with the almighty dollar... or even several thousand of them. I'm glad I had a choice of dealers and found a good one.
:banana:
Rob
. Not really.Background:
I needed to replace my daughters car (really mine, but she drives it). She is a college student (out of state) and the old car was getting to be very unreliable. So I did my research and came up with a few models to look at. I knew what I wanted so it was only a matter of where to buy.
The story:
I checked the thread (stores that infringe) for dealerships that are not carry neutral (posted no guns). Unfortunately, the dealers near me were on the list:cuss:. So I began looking for other dealers and found two that were not too far and weren’t listed.
My daughter and I hopped into the car and went shopping. As we pulled into the first dealer I scanned the doors for anything posted. We pulled up directly in front of the door and I saw nothing
. Good so far, we got out and went in.I should point out that I normally conceal, but on hot days I am more casual. The gun was covered by my un-tucked shirt, but the grip would significantly print if I was anything but standing perfectly straight. Keep in mind that I am 6 ft 2 in 180lbs so I can’t hide much.
We were greeted by a salesperson upon entry and went to look at the model on the floor inside the showroom. There, I had about 40 minutes of bending, reaching, stretching, twisting and maneuvering about the vehicle. I had to pull my shirt down several times just by habit. But I believe parts of the gun were visible more than once. No comments, no reaction, no notice at all that I could determine. Test drive went the same way.
Three days later we went back for a more critical look under similar circumstances. It was another hour and a half with no reaction at all. I’m starting to think everyone is blind, or I’m really good at casual concealing
. We negotiate a successful deal with a trade-in.Two more days and we go back to pick up the car and complete all of the required paperwork. When all was said and done, they ask if I had any comments. I mentioned that the dealer that was closest to me was posted and that I would prefer to work with someone who doesn’t restrict firearms. Since I carry most of the time this would cause problems for buying or future service. I explained that this is what brought me in the dealership originally and that I was pleased that they were not posted. The salesperson (she) looked at me a bit puzzled and said “Why would we care? Most of the guys here are gun people. We wouldn’t have any problem with that.”
I was really expecting more of a reaction. What a pleasant surprise. I thought it was worth mentioning Braeger Ford, 4201 S. 27[SUP]th[/SUP] Street in Milwaukee. For some reason a majority of dealerships in SE WI seem to be posted. Maybe I just haven't looked enough.
I’ve tried to keep my story to the gun related issue. Sorry about the lengthy story. If you want more info on the car deal, just PM me as I don’t want to clog up the forum with that.
Feels good to vote with the almighty dollar... or even several thousand of them. I'm glad I had a choice of dealers and found a good one.
:banana:
Rob
