Okay, to say I am not a car person ... well, I so dreaded the process of car shopping that I had been driving my very indulgent mechanic's loaner for three weeks. I'm taking time to comment on my salesman, Tan Nguyen, at the Dick Hannah Hyundai dealership in Portland. I set out last Saturday as I had on two previous car-shopping forays, for what I feared would be a tedious and exasperating experience. (In all fairness, the previous car dealer visits went okay.) Salesman Tan took care to size up my needs and my attitude about automobiles (I keep my cars for ages) and intuitively guided me toward what I needed and what pleased me and nothing more. While I arrived with the Elantra in mind after grudgingly done research, I was open to looking at other cars on the lot (some more expensive), but he kept me on track by reminding me of my priorities. He didn't waste my time at all. I was impressed by his informed and detailed opinions about each make and model I saw there and others I mentioned from my prior experiences. He knew which would or would not suit me. Tan seemed rightly proud of his officially certified expertise on several makes of car and was generous with it. The test drive went well, the Elantra does impress. Tan was instructive, even amusing, throughout. I believed I don't go for gizmos in general, but his confidence in the value of each feature was convincing. Later, during the transaction, he was respectful of my wishes and helpful as I thought through my options. Once the sale was closed, his service continued: Tan kept my flagging attention as he explained my new car's accompanying literature. He set up the blue tooth and made me practice. He followed me home in the old car, gave me a few more Elantra lessons in my driveway and got a colleague to follow us for his own ride back. He has since called to make sure everything is working well and offered me further blue tooth training if I visit again. I'm giving my salesman credit for a painless, pleasant experience, but I'd be fair to note the professionalism of Dick Hannah, the dealership that chose to hire him. Tan is a recent transplant to Portland. I'm a native. He seems to get us.
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