Automobile salesperson


The automobile salesperson is one of many sales professions. The automobile salesman is a retail salesperson, who sells new or used cars. Unlike traditional retail sales, car sales are sometimes negotiable. Salesmen are employed by new car dealerships or used car dealerships.

Car negotiation

The price of a car, unlike many retail sales, is often negotiable. New cars will often have a factory window sticker listing equipment and options, and the suggested retail price or MSRP. The salesman is traditionally paid a commission rather than a fixed salary, usually based on a combination of profit margin and unit volume.

Popular culture

The automobile salesman, particularly the used car salesman, has often been a source of characters, often negative, in movies and television shows and cartoons. History and fairy tales often characterize peddlers as negative influences, or outsiders out to take advantage of people. It is a very common theme for the ‘used car salesman’ to be cast as a shyster in popular culture.