If you are good at dealing with people and if you understand the workings of automobiles enough to explain them to others, the natural thing for you could be to become a car salesman. However, every job has its advantages and disadvantages, and you should weigh the ones specific to selling cars before you commit yourself to this line of work.

Money

Since car salesmen make their money on commission, the amount of money you make could be a pro or a con, depending on how successful you are. If you work hard all month and do not sell a single car, all of that work could result in little or no payoff. On the other hand, if you do sell a large number of cars, the fact that you can make $1,000 or more per car can make your occupation extremely lucrative. However, merely selling cars is not enough: If you have to cut deals to do so, that $1,000 per car can end up being $100 or less.

Schedule

For most people, the schedule that a car salesman works is a disadvantage of the job because they have to work at times when customers are free to come in and buy. This means working nights and weekends. However, if you are looking for a job to occupy your time and keep you from getting bored, the rigorous car salesman schedule could be appealing to you.

Perks

Many car dealerships let their salesmen drive demo vehicles. This is a low-cost method of advertising and building employee morale. If you are a salesman, this means that you could drive a wide variety of attractive and stylish vehicles without having to actually purchase them. (However, not all dealerships allow their salesmen to drive demo vehicles.) Additionally, if you purchase a vehicle, you may do so at a rock-bottom price.

Strain and Stress

On the positive side, working as a car salesman is not physically taxing. It does not usually involve any significant amount of manual labor. However, on the negative side, it can be very stressful. Coupled with the long hours and taxing schedule, the stress of dealing with difficult customers and complicated paperwork can take its toll.