L.A. SPEAK

Some of the behind-the-scenes slang used by car salespeople:

door whore n. Salesperson who takes on too many customers and doesn’t follow through with them. “That door whore gave his card to everybody and didn’t get a single deal.”

ether: n. A customer’s blind confusion or excessive excitement while contemplating a deal. “She’s under the ether ; move in.”

gold ball: n . Impeccable credit or a customer with such.

grinder: n. Customer who questions every price on the sticker and insists on a good deal on everything. “That grinder got me down to invoice and free floor mats.”

laydown: n. Customer who pays full sticker price or more. “He was a complete laydown. He even went for rustproofing and an extended warranty.”

lick paint and suck chrome: v. To get excited about a car, especially after a test drive. “He liked it so much he was licking paint and sucking chrome. “

roach: n. Person with bad credit who shops for a car anyway. “Why do I always get the roaches ?”

run hard and put away wet: adj. State of an improperly maintained car. “You could tell the car had been run hard and put away wet. It smoked, choked and croaked.”

skate: v. To take a deal or customer away from another salesperson unfairly, usually by lying. “He told the customer I was at lunch and skated me.”

sled: n. Large, old, battered car not worth much as a trade-in. “That goof wanted $3,000 for his ’81 sled. “

upside-down: adj. When a customer owes more on a potential trade-in than it’s worth. “She was upside-down , so the bank wouldn’t lend any more money.”

whorehouse: n. High-volume dealership that has a rapid turnover of salespersons.