Moving from new prestige car dealer to very high pressure sales oriented used car dealership

[u/marinkhoe]

I’ve been in car sales for about 4 years now 3 years at Nissan and the past year at a prestige brand dealership (Audi) all within the same dealer group.

My current role is honestly great from a lifestyle point of view. It’s literally walking distance from my home, the culture is good, low stress, not micromanaged, and very low-pressure compared to most sales jobs. The downside is that it’s slow. Volume is low, sales cycles are long, and while I’m doing okay, the income ceiling is clearly lower. I feel like I’m putting in solid effort but the money doesn’t really reflect that.

I recently interviewed at a high-volume dealership and the vibe was completely different. Very KPI-driven, very closing-focused, management riding you hard for results, high pressure, and working every Saturday and Sunday. They haven’t given me the exact pay details yet, but I already know the earning potential is significantly higher.

The thing is… I don’t know if I actually want that life.

I’m engaged, I value my time outside of work, my gym routine, my relationship, and just generally not being stressed or anxious all the time. The idea of being ridden all day every day, always being “on”, and losing my weekends honestly turns me off even if the money is better.

So I feel like I’m choosing between:

More money, faster pace, higher pressure, less life, or Less money, slower pace, low stress, better lifestyle

I’m not scared of hard work, but I also don’t want to burn myself out or sacrifice my mental health and relationship just to earn more.

I guess my questions are:

– Is this just the reality of sales if you want to earn more? – Has anyone here chased the high-pressure, high-income path and regretted it (or been glad they did)?

Would really appreciate hearing what others would do in my position.

[u/ajpg2]

Stay where you're at. I'd rather make less but have a better environment. Especially if you're engaged. Lots of men in the car dealership world hate their wives. Don't turn into one of them

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Thanks for posting, /u/marinkhoe! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of anything.

I’ve been in car sales for about 4 years now 3 years at Nissan and the past year at a prestige brand dealership (Audi) all within the same dealer group.

My current role is honestly great from a lifestyle point of view. It’s literally walking distance from my home, the culture is good, low stress, not micromanaged, and very low-pressure compared to most sales jobs. The downside is that it’s slow. Volume is low, sales cycles are long, and while I’m doing okay, the income ceiling is clearly lower. I feel like I’m putting in solid effort but the money doesn’t really reflect that.

I recently interviewed at a high-volume dealership and the vibe was completely different. Very KPI-driven, very closing-focused, management riding you hard for results, high pressure, and working every Saturday and Sunday. They haven’t given me the exact pay details yet, but I already know the earning potential is significantly higher.

The thing is… I don’t know if I actually want that life.

I’m engaged, I value my time outside of work, my gym routine, my relationship, and just generally not being stressed or anxious all the time. The idea of being ridden all day every day, always being “on”, and losing my weekends honestly turns me off even if the money is better.

So I feel like I’m choosing between:

More money, faster pace, higher pressure, less life, or Less money, slower pace, low stress, better lifestyle

I’m not scared of hard work, but I also don’t want to burn myself out or sacrifice my mental health and relationship just to earn more.

I guess my questions are:

– Is this just the reality of sales if you want to earn more? – Has anyone here chased the high-pressure, high-income path and regretted it (or been glad they did)?

Would really appreciate hearing what others would do in my position.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/at-the-crook]

IMHO - try to avoid the pressure cooker environments. The stress can really wear some people down.

Plus - you don't need to be on edge every day worrying about job security.