WHAT THE HELL IS A NAUGA?
March 1977. Standing on the showroom floor, the wind and dust are ripping across Oklahoma, and there are not many people shopping for cars today. I happen to see an old guy in bib overalls roaming along the line of new Grand Prix. He’s not taking much time on any one car, just glancing in the driver’s windows of the yellow ones. I used to remember all the colors official names, like Mojave Tan and Laredo Bronze and Claret; but no longer. Anyway, the yellow ones. Each time he walked away looking a little disappointed. I decided to brave the wind and dust and see what he hoped to find.
I approached the guy and, frankly, he looked a little seedy. He was kinda dirty and had manure on his boots. He was munching a huge plug of tobacco and, since I never saw him spit, I have to believe he was swallowing the juice. What a man! Anyway, I offered my hand and my name and asked if there was something of specific interest I could show him. “I’m Ben Tomlin. My wife wants yella. Has to be yella. I’ve looked at new Buicks and Oldsmobiles too, but it’s got to be yella. I noticed that yours cost a little more.”
“Sir, if you have been looking at Buicks and Oldsmobiles, then you should know this. A Grand Prix is a larger car than either a Regal or a Cutlass. They are 4” longer and the wheelbase is 2” longer; and, instead of having a 3.8 liter or 233 cubic inch V6 as standard equipment, a Grand Prix comes with a 4.9 liter or 301 cubic inch Pontiac V8 engine. Our Grand Prix is also 2” wider. This larger size means more legroom, more comfort for the driver and passengers. Also, you may have noticed that our Grand Prix has a much more attractive dash and offers a complete array of gauges…like the your pickup truck. Do you think that’s enough to make up for the 165 extra dollars it takes to buy one? “Hell, yeah. That’s worth $165. I wouldn’t have one of those damn V6s. I’ve heard they stall and don’t have enough power.” "Well, sir, I will tell you that if you get either of those cars with a V8, they cost more than our car. So, is there particular equipment she wants her new car to have?”
“She wants leather bucket seats, not cloth. She says cloth gets too dirty and is hard to clean.” I was stymied. None of the three cars he was considering offered leather interior…on any model. I was going to have to be creative. I didn’t want to lie to the man, so I thought about my words carefully for a moment and offered this. “Sir, our Grand Prix features genuine Doeskin Naugahyde (a trademark for imitation leather). Now, get ready. HE HIT WITH A BOMBSHELL. He looked a little puzzled and asked, “What the Hell is a Nauga?”
I couldn’t believe it. He had not heard of naugahyde, didn’t know what it was. Now, I could not resist. I decided to pull his leg a little. I smiled and responded, “Aw, you know what a Nauga is. You’ve probably seen them on nature documentaries before. They have curly antlers and there a vast herds of them roaming Africa. Pontiac subcontracts safaris that hunt Naugas, then they select only the best and softest hides available to use on Pontiac bucket seats. I don’t know that it’s true, but I have heard they are chewed by native women until they are soft enough to use for Pontiac seats.” I was waiting for him to laugh or call me a liar, but he was hanging on every word. He had even stopped chewing his plug. “Well….no shit. I’ve seen those” he said.
“Are any of these yella ones loaded….I mean all the goodies?” “Why, yes sir. If you will allow me to run back into the store for a minute, I will grab some keys and you are welcome to drive the one I’m thinking of. It has all the equipment you might want on any new car, including all the power equipment and the best radio we offer. Would she like a sunroof in her new car?”
“I believe she would like a sunroof. She would think that’s fun. I don’t care about it myself, but it’s her car, not mine. Does the car have a full warranty?” “Why, yes sir; and Ferguson Pontiac-GMC has the finest service department around. Should she need any kind of service or repair, our service department can take care of the problem. Let me go get those keys and you can drive the car.” “I don’t need to drive it. I’ll take it. Does it come with floor mats?” I could barely believe my ears. It had been too easy. Full sticker deals on American cars were kind of rare in those days.
Mr. Tomlin came into the store and had a cup of coffee while I wrote up the deal sheet. All of sudden, he said, “We don’t have a trade in. She wrecked it.” “Oh, my. Is your wife okay? She wasn’t hurt was she?” “No, she’s fine; but the car is a totaled.” I finished writing up the car information and excused myself to get the serial number and exact mileage. When I came back to my office, he had already signed the deal for full sticker price plus our added equipment, the body side molding and the floor mats. He asked, “Does it come with undercoating?” I smiled and said, “It does now.” and I added it to the deal sheet. “When are you going to bring your wife in to pick up the car? We’ll be done adding the undercoat by then and give the car a complete once-over, so she’ll be sure to be happy with her new Grand Prix.” I took him to Jimmy Walker, our Finance and Insurance (F&I) man, to pay for the car. He paid cash.
When they returned, Mrs. Tomlin was more than happy with her new Grand Prix. She gave him hugs and kisses and seemed to really enjoy sitting in the car. She gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek too. He winked at me when she did. He was happy that she was happy.
Six years and some tough emotional times later, I was working at Al Salyer Oldsmobile - Cadillac – Nissan. For a short time, I was the Cadillac manager. One day, the receptionist called me over to the Oldsmobile showroom. I had a customer. When I walked into the showroom, I saw Mr. Tomlin. He was smiling and we shook hands. He said it was time for a new car. It was his wife’s birthday. He said she wanted a yella El Dorado with yella leather interior. I knew my Cadillac inventory very well and knew that we did not have that car on the lot. I would have to find it in the locator or sell him something else. I was kind of reaching for straws when I said, “You know, Oldsmobile makes a front-wheel drive car, the Toronado; and it comes with all the equipment you might find on a typical El Dorado. They have a little more power, since they have a larger V8 and are a good bit cheaper.” I knew we had one of those in yella on yella and asked, “What do ya think?” “I’d consider it” he said, "but I'd like to drive an El Dorado." I let him drive an Eldo and he did not seem impressed with the power. “Kinda underpowered, isn’t it” he said. “That’s why I mentioned the Toronado. It has more power and the two models look very much alike.” We drove the Eldo over to the Olds lot and I showed him the yella Toronado with yella leather interior. When he drove it, the decision was made. He said, “I’ll take it. Make sure I get floor mats and undercoat.” “Yes, sir. I will do that. If you bring her back this evening, it will be ready to drive away.”
We went to my office and I filled out the deal sheet, making sure to add the undercoating. I took him to the F&I man. He paid sticker price and he paid cash. He seemed quite pleased with the transaction, but suddenly said, “Buzz, I do have one question.” “Yes, sir. What’s that?” He smiled big and asked, “These seats…..are they genuine Doeskin Naugahyde... or are they real leather?” He knew. He knew I had pulled his leg when he bought the Grand Prix, but he had come back to buy another car from me anyway. He had gone to Ferguson first, but one of the guys told him I was at Salyer. I had to wonder why, so I asked, “If you knew I pulled your leg and sold you vinyl seats instead of leather, why did you come back?”
"Well, some of us men folk have coffee together at the local café on Sundays while the women folk go to Sunday school or choir practice. When I bought the wife that Grand Prix, I told them the story you told me about the Naugas, they all laughed my ass right out of the café. They still pull my leg now and then; but I thought it was one of the best stories I’ve ever heard a saleman tell. ”
The Tomlins bought 2 more cars from me before I left the car business and sent me five or six customer who also bought cars. I guess a little “creative selling” works on occasion.
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