Even at the best of times, convincing someone to buy a new car isn’t an easy job. The average new vehicle costs around $48,401 as of January 2025, per MoneyGeek. And, understandably, getting someone to part with that amount of money over a car requires a substantial bit of convincing.
People, in general, don’t trust car salesmen, which doesn’t help matters. A study from early 2024 found that 76% of respondents did not trust car dealers to be transparent about their pricing, with others claiming that they felt pressured into buying things they might not need.
Over the years, many users have shared their dealership horror stories, from people being charged hundreds for cheap fixes to having their car payments increase dramatically.
Now, a former car dealer is sharing a story from the other perspective, this time concerning just how hard it can be to sell cars.
Why couldn’t this dealer sell Chevrolet cars?
In a video with over 53,000 views, TikTok user Chris (@carsandkeys) claims that he “got fired from my job as a Chevy salesman because I couldn’t convince people to buy a new Chevy.”
He then states that he began the job in 2011, a time when he says the experience of selling new Chevrolet cars “sucked.”
As evidence, he recounts an experience selling a single car before revealing that, in his four months working for the dealership, he only sold 8 cars. The reason, he says, is that “I just didn’t have it in me to convince people to buy brand new Chevrolets,” noting that things would be different if he were tasked with selling Lexus cars in 2005.
“I was at one of the worst brands, at the worst times, with the worst products ever,” he summarizes.
Were 2011 Chevrolet cars really that bad?
While Chris makes it seem as though the year he was working was amongst the worst for the manufacturer, many commenters were curious to know if that was the case.
The answer is a bit complicated. Different models are thought to be of poorer quality in different years, but in general, it does seem that Chevrolet vehicles in 2011 suffered more problems than others.
For example, the website Chevrolet Problems, which sources its data from CarComplaints.com, offers a detailed list of the worst Chevrolet vehicles. Among them are the 1st Generation Cruze, the 2nd Generation Equinox, the 7th Generation Malibu, and the 2nd Generation Silverado—all of which Chevrolet produced in 2011.
Other resources also make similar claims about this era of Chevrolet vehicles, claiming that cars like the Chevrolet Cruze were notoriously unreliable around this time.
@carsandkeys $1400 was my first commission when I used to work at a #Chevy #dealership #Chevrolet #Impala #carsales #cars ♬ original sound – Cars&Keys
Commenters share their thoughts
In the comments section, users recounted their own experiences working at car dealerships.
“I used to sell Nissan in 2015. Got fired after 2 months. Went and sold Toyotas and quit after 2 months to go back to community college,” said a user. “I have a doctorate now.”
“2011 had to suck,” added another. “I did it in 2015 and it was much easier [because] the 1st post bail out developed models were coming out and they really did turn a corner in quality.”
“As someone who own an impala of the 2010, yeah I understand why you didn’t sold any Chevy,” offered a third.
The Daily Dot reached out to Chevrolet and Chris via email.
Update Feb. 1, 2024, 7:46am:
In an email to the Daily Dot, Chris explained that some of his issues came from the fact that he is simply “not a salesman.”
“If I don’t believe in the product, it’s hard for me to convince you to drop tens of thousands of dollars on a crappy product,” he said. “A friend got me the job in the used department selling used, which had a larger variety. But then they wanted me to move to new. It being my first week, I didn’t say no.”
According to Chris, Chevy’s biggest problem at the time was “the quality of the materials used.”
“HVAC controls were chipping off only a few years later,” he recalled. “It’s ironic the low quality cars were released before the recession so there shouldn’t have been an excuse for such low quality. And there was no uniqueness in any of the models.”
“The current line is only slightly better. Quality is up but the price is as well. The Corvette is amazing. The Tahoe/Suburban/Escalade have reached a price point that if credit wasn’t available to lease these cars, they wouldn’t sell any,” he continued. “I so badly want to be proud of an American car company. But there’s a hundred vehicles that are better options than our American ones. It’s impossible to recommend them.”
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