-
This thread is just the tip of the iceberg.The people ahead of the curve aren't Googling for answers — they're already in here, having the conversations you haven't found yet. DealerRefresh is free.Get the full picture →
Terms/Phrases in Car Sales or Sales in General You Find Offensive
- Thread starter ewalraven
- Start date
This thread started out uber slow, but now we are gaining some good ground. Keep 'em comin'!
- Dec 30, 2009
- 1,882
- 477
- First Name
- Yago
Once I moved away from the dealer and because a "vendor" the first business that we had (which we still have) was photo service.
After years servicing accounts 3-4 times a week some dealers still call my guys "the sticker guy".
After years servicing accounts 3-4 times a week some dealers still call my guys "the sticker guy".
"Lizard" - the guy that sneaks up on the lot weekly that never buys but lurks.
A "dagot" - - this was used on me my 2nd Sat out of college selling cars. I went out to wait on a couple at 10mins to close, 30 mins later I came back inside and my boss was waiting at the door, I was pumped, had his name, phone, address, and was to call him Monday to show him a new Sierra. My boss said "That's f-ing great, that DAGOT was here 3 weeks ago and before that 2 weeks ago and kept me late, so dont go out there anymore when he pulls up at closing" - I asked what is a DAGOT; he said "Don't Anyone Go Out There, and when you here it lock the door and get away from the showroom so he doesn't see you" As we left he asked if I wanted to go get a beer with him of all things, no - I wanted to sell a truck. 2 weeks later I sold the guy a Sierra. And later that week when we were all at the bar, the GM had us all leave the bar with the bill on the table when the desk manager went to the bathroom. Story was he later told him to never walk out on the dealerships customers at 5 mins to close.
A "dagot" - - this was used on me my 2nd Sat out of college selling cars. I went out to wait on a couple at 10mins to close, 30 mins later I came back inside and my boss was waiting at the door, I was pumped, had his name, phone, address, and was to call him Monday to show him a new Sierra. My boss said "That's f-ing great, that DAGOT was here 3 weeks ago and before that 2 weeks ago and kept me late, so dont go out there anymore when he pulls up at closing" - I asked what is a DAGOT; he said "Don't Anyone Go Out There, and when you here it lock the door and get away from the showroom so he doesn't see you" As we left he asked if I wanted to go get a beer with him of all things, no - I wanted to sell a truck. 2 weeks later I sold the guy a Sierra. And later that week when we were all at the bar, the GM had us all leave the bar with the bill on the table when the desk manager went to the bathroom. Story was he later told him to never walk out on the dealerships customers at 5 mins to close.
Last edited:
This one may be a South Florida thing....
"Chalupa" - Trade-ins that are old, tired and headed to the wholesale lot
"Chalupa" - Trade-ins that are old, tired and headed to the wholesale lot
- Feb 21, 2011
- 147
- 60
- Awards
- 1
- First Name
- Emily
Once you've been in the car business awhile, you tend to forget that there are terms that we use everyday, but that the general public doesnt have any idea what we're are talking about. Like if a car's been "PDI'd"?
Up Bus - the (imaginary) flood of customers that salespeople sit by the window and wait for
TO / Fly by - Manager intervention
Cant buy air - Horrible credit
Shipper - A person that exports vehicles to other countries
Ghost - Zero credit score
Touch desk - Update the Sales Mgr of status
Papered - Deal written up but vehicle not physically delivered yet
Spins - Manufacture Incentives for Salespeople
The tower - Sales Managers Desks
A stroke - getting credit for a deal
Up Bus - the (imaginary) flood of customers that salespeople sit by the window and wait for
TO / Fly by - Manager intervention
Cant buy air - Horrible credit
Shipper - A person that exports vehicles to other countries
Ghost - Zero credit score
Touch desk - Update the Sales Mgr of status
Papered - Deal written up but vehicle not physically delivered yet
Spins - Manufacture Incentives for Salespeople
The tower - Sales Managers Desks
A stroke - getting credit for a deal
Last edited:
- May 1, 2006
- 3,907
- 2,882
- Awards
- 13
- First Name
- Alex
for
- May 1, 2006
- 3,907
- 2,882
- Awards
- 13
- First Name
- Alex
More good ones (outside of the orignial intent of this thread), but focused less on "inside the business":
- Mar 21, 2012
- 1,117
- 1,493
- Awards
- 10
- First Name
- Ryan
Calling an Avalanche a truck
✨ AI Highlights
Automotive industry professionals share the extensive, often derogatory internal slang used in car dealerships to describe customers and situations — terms like "maggot" for internet shoppers, "stroker" for non-serious browsers, "bogue" or "starchy" for credit-challenged buyers, and "rat" for worthless trade-ins. The thread reveals that such language is widespread across dealership cultures, spanning credit status, customer behavior, financial deals, and trade-in quality. The key takeaway is that while some terminology is purely functional shorthand, much of it reflects a dismissive or adversarial attitude toward customers that insiders acknowledge but rarely confront openly.
Replies
Views
19
11,795
Started
Last Reply
Latest posts
-
Where Dealership SEO Growth Often Comes From
- Latest: darrenstromain
-
