The Walmart of car sales - Sales Associate AutoNation Employee Review

3.0
Aug 29, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

This was my first car sales job. It taught me how to sell cars. Great customer interactions made my day! I knew I did a good job when they gave me a hug or a little gift. Gave me confidence.

Cons

Lots of cons: upper management would belittle you, make fun of/rip you apart in front of everyone, the payplan breeds weak salespeople/order takers and is in direct conflict with how the sales managers get paid. Employees don't care if a sale makes gross, they get paid based on units while management is on gross. Floor flooded with salespeople, they hire anything off the street (ever sit next to someone with recent charges for beating a woman? ), people would fight for half deals (cars 1-10 is $50 a car) so during slow months you're gonna have people after you for $25. Turnover is bad, partly due to the toxic culture in the dealership. The GSM would make thinly veiled threats to people about them getting fired in the middle of the showroom, would insult you, etc. Numbers were always faked (cars marked sold when the customer didn't even put a deposit down, appointments were faked, etc) The hours are terrible too. It got to a point I was starting to hate my life. It's a great way to learn how to sell cars though, and with the right sales managers on your side and teaching you, you can go anywhere. Never touching a corporate owned dealership again.

Explore other reviews about AutoNation

5.0
Jul 12, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great company to work for, Great team, more than a team felt like family.

Cons

Long hours, Low work/life balance. Senior Management could improve a little

1.0
Jun 9, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The department is work from home.

Cons

They do not provide any equipment/laptops and make you pay for your own virus protection. Extreme micromanagement leaves employees with little autonomy and creates unnecessary stress. Frequent layoffs and high turnover. Inconsistent scheduling and long hours, including recurring 10-14 hour days yet ending the week with no overtime. Employees are blamed for slow business conditions they cannot control. Unpaid on-call expectations when the work load is low. Low compensation relative to workload. Management often complains about having to answer employee questions, creating an environment where people feel discouraged from seeking guidance or clarification. Employees are treated as replaceable rather than valued contributors.

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