For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for January 25, 2021

that cheesy grin of the salesman reminds me of the cheesy grin of TJ in Luann

I can honestly say that is a comparison I have never made with a car salesman. Nevertheless, given the size of the salesman’s mouth and the look of his teeth, I would be afraid the guy would pick me up in his mouth and then take me to feed his family under the earth. It’s either that, or I would ask him if he was a Blue Meanie from Pepperland in disguise.

If the strip was actually up to date that salesman would have to have his mouth wide open. That’s what the front grill of most modern cars look like to me.

HmmmmIdont trust this car salesman!!!!

Worse case of lockjaw I ever saw.

Is the salesman trying to get some dental work done? Or is it just that he has been outside too long and his face is frozen?

I’d go to a different dealer.

Wait ‘tilll you meet the salesman’s girlfriend: Harley Quinn.

The last time we needed to get a new car, we went to the biggest (both in size and popularity) in our area…and were so mistreated it wasn’t funny. We did get a car there that we love (a ‘13 Chevy Impala), but we’re not going there ever again, and warn everyone we know. My husband even wrote a review, telling our whole story.

Lynn’s Comments:

They say that each car has a “face.” By the way the lights are placed and the grill is shaped, a car can have a real personality. One of the Volkswagens was designed to have such a visible face that eyelashes were created just to augment the illusion! I noticed recently that the new Lexus has a face…it looks surprisingly like a boss I once had. If I owned a Lexus, I’d call it “Mitch.”

I don’t know why they call them grills. Have you ever seen one used at a barbecue?

It is bad enough going to ‘car lots’ in the spring, summer, and fall to do it in winter is very bad—putting up with all that the salesmen are ‘shovelin’ along the the snow ! ! ! ! !

I don’t like chrome much. It needs attention. I told a used car salesman that I didn’t want chrome and he spent most of his time telling me how great the chrome was on every car he showed me. I went somewhere else.

And all this time I didn’t see there was an upside to masking.

Gosh, in all my life I’ve never seen so much sincerity in one individual. Never.

Just like funeral directors.

This is what I look like when I meet a car sales (person)

Means go to a different auto lot. Last year we decided not to fix cars up one did run and drivable that sold first, so decided to look into autos one from owner that sold fast, we would check out first that price was in our range from private owner yes buyer be ware, next was at small town away from metro town, they had a used car they claimed to check out, I noticed engine light on did not know what was coming, after we bought it, they lied to us stating they had diagnosed that car 2x, cost us $1200 more to fix. I told them I was not happy with them. The car though is very pretty, sadly we bought a SUV gas hog 21 mpg city, I am used to 26 or 27 in city. The car we was interested in change to turbo that is expensive to repair.

i experienced the ol’ bait-and-switch/high pressure at a local dealership recently. i went to check out a car that was advertised at a fair price. While they were taking my old ride out for trade-in appraisal, and i was sitting at their desk, i was informed that there about $2000 in “prep & certification” fee upcharges.

i said that i was done with them, and asked for my keys back. It took them an hour to give them back, during that time they kept coming back to me with a manager and two or three counter-offers.

Next day i went to Enterprise & bought the same same model vehicle at the advertised price, no haggle, no surprises. Never again am i going back to a “dealer.”

i kept getting follow-up calls from the first dealership for another week… DONE.

I’ve been trying to buy a new truck, and I’m paying cash. I’ve been saving up for one for the better part of 5 years, and I finally have enough to buy the exact truck I want. But the salespeople at the 2 dealerships in town are less than enthusiastic about taking my cash. I’ve explained that I’ve never financed a vehicle and always pay cash, but I’ve been told that I can’t pay cash and must finance. One salesperson told me I need to make at least 6 payments before paying off the truck, so I said I would make a payment each week for 6 weeks and then pay it off on the 7th week. You would have thought I said I was going to steal the damn thing! The guy practically ran to his boss and “tattled” on me. The boss came and began to lecture me on car buying “rules”, so I turned around and walked out. Needless to say, I’ve yet to purchase my truck. I’ve never run into this before. When I bought my Firebird in 2001, I paid cash. Now she’s ready to retire after 155 thousand miles, to be given antique status in a few years, and only be driven on weekends but I’m adding miles to her almost every day because nobody will take my money.

A little red nose and red wig, he’d be Pennywise!

And they are also asking if Elly is the Missing Link.

Looks to me like the obvious choice of salesmen that a dentist would make. I wonder if John will offer to do some work in exchange for getting some $$ knocked off of the sticker price.

Remember the days when the salesman wanted some cash, that he put in his pocket, and said he would give it back to you after they talked? The trick was, you would get so disgusted about the dealing, you would walk out and forget to take back your money.

Car salesmen are consistently on the list of most hated professions. I’m glad to see the rise of the mail-order car.

Not only that, but I think his face is frozen.

Looks like his face froze in that expression.

I’ll bet he’s glad he doesn’t have to sell Edsels.

Could be up-dated, mask on the salesman, “grill bras” on the cars.

PLease! It is bad enough to have to wear those horrible masks everywhere. Cartoons DO NOT need masks. It is not so much that I disagree with masks so much if they work, it is just that I am sooooooooo tired of them.

As scary as those teeth are, they are not nearly as frightening as Elly’s sudden loss of a forehead in the final panel.

The salesman will freeze that way till you decide and pay the bill. The smile will give way to grim look as if you have stolen. After that he will move on to the next catch.

If everyone looked like what they worked with, it would mean that Elly selly potatoes!

Used car sales reps are near the bottom of the pecking order in terms of professions. Their lot (pun semi-intended) was chronicled impeccably in 1967 by the band the Southbound Freeway in their hit song, Psychedelic Used Car Lot Blues. Not much has changed in that respect in the 54 years since that song was released.