[Dave Z]

I too find that in today's market the local salesman usually is not an added value. However, having local people around that are not employed by the manufacturer does potentially give an arms length to the transaction potential. The local dealer also knows that in most cases the customer can go down the road to another dealer. If it is like Tesla, there is one deal controlled by the one factory. You have to take it or go elsewhere for a different brand.

Not sure if you're saying it's good or bad. Certainly I recall Autoland, a sleazy dealer, where they couldn't fix simple problems, and I overheard them tell someone "Well, you can always get a Ford from us" (they sold Chrysler, Ford, GM, and a few others).

I see almost no advantage in having franchised dealerships beyond the ability to cushion hard times by inflicting unwanted inventory on them, and a very small number of excellent dealerships. Oh, and I guess externalizing the cost of all that real estate.

 

[68RT]

Not sure if you're saying it's good or bad. Certainly I recall Autoland, a sleazy dealer, where they couldn't fix simple problems, and I overheard them tell someone "Well, you can always get a Ford from us" (they sold Chrysler, Ford, GM, and a few others).

I see almost no advantage in having franchised dealerships beyond the ability to cushion hard times by inflicting unwanted inventory on them, and a very small number of excellent dealerships. Oh, and I guess externalizing the cost of all that real estate.

When cars first came out it was absolutely needed. Just like brick and mortar stores, things have changed. But local repairs are needed and there is a need for local representation. Tesla has sent in a repair person but that can be a real problem at times. Somewhat mixed bag.

 

[Powdered Toast Man]

And lose all local influence which can support local activities. Many dealers support local parades, sports, civic activities.

So we're supposed to tolerate many shady and lousy dealerships because they sponsor some parades and little league?

 

[68RT]

So we're supposed to tolerate many shady and lousy dealerships because they sponsor some parades and little league?

And having a manufacturers store guarantees no shadiness? Honesty is not an inherent personal trait and morality seems to be less enforced these days.

 

[Dave Z]

And having a manufacturers store guarantees no shadiness? Honesty is not an inherent personal trait and morality seems to be less enforced these days.

I think it means less shadiness, in general. The person making a direct profit is far from the action.

 

[Cleffy]

I think the bigger issue of direct sales is the consumer protection, registration, and tax laws that revolve around the dealership model. It takes a lot of work to correct the bloat in these laws, and it's something politicians usually don't want to take on.

 

[06PTElectricBlue]

So we're supposed to tolerate many shady and lousy dealerships because they sponsor some parades and little league?

And having a manufacturers store guarantees no shadiness? Honesty is not an inherent personal trait and morality seems to be less enforced these days.

There are some dealerships that really care about people, and do good things because they do have local ties to the community.

In case none of you saw this from last month, near Elgin, TX a 16-year old had just left a Whataburger after a job interview, a Texas tornado came up and gave him the ride of his life. After being spun around by the storm and when the truck was finally uprighted, he drove off like nothing happened and he was headed in the opposite direction from where he was originally going. A miraculous story indeed that he will have for his grandchildren.

The kid didn't seek publicity, and it was lucky that a storm chaser happened to catch his wild ride that day. But when his story was finally told, a local dealership in Ft. Worth stepped up and gifted this young man a brand new truck.

The dealership didn't do it for the publicity, but because they care.

And if I was this young man, I would keep the truck, fix the blown out windows but leave the rest just like it is, as a badge of honor and a reminder of the day that he cheated death.

 

[Zagnut27]

There are some dealerships that really care about people, and do good things because they do have local ties to the community.

In case none of you saw this from last month, near Elgin, TX a 16-year old had just left a Whataburger after a job interview, a Texas tornado came up and gave him the ride of his life. After being spun around by the storm and when the truck was finally uprighted, he drove off like nothing happened and he was headed in the opposite direction from where he was originally going. A miraculous story indeed that he will have for his grandchildren.

The kid didn't seek publicity, and it was lucky that a storm chaser happened to catch his wild ride that day. But when his story was finally told, a local dealership in Ft. Worth stepped up and gifted this young man a brand new truck.

The dealership didn't do it for the publicity, but because they care.

And if I was this young man, I would keep the truck, fix the blown out windows but leave the rest just like it is, as a badge of honor and a reminder of the day that he cheated death.

The dealer didn’t do it for the publicity? And yet they somehow had cameras on hand and a massive check to present to the kid?

 

[06PTElectricBlue]

The dealer didn’t do it for the publicity? And yet they somehow had cameras on hand and a massive check to present to the kid?

The kid deserved his 15 minutes of fame.

He has a truck that could be called The Texas Tornado Truck, and could be featured in a Chevy commercial.

 

[68RT]

The kid didn't seek publicity, but the dealer saw an opportunity to promote his brand both personal and manufacturer. We don't know if he had help from the factory too.

 

[Zagnut27]

The kid deserved his 15 minutes of fame.

He has a truck that could be called The Texas Tornado Truck, and could be featured in a Chevy commercial.

Nothing wrong with that, he’s lucky to be alive. And even if the dealer did just do it for publicity, it still was a good thing to do. I just find it hilarious when people claim they’re not doing something for the attention, while they’re filming it for the news.

Its probably good advertising for Chevy too…”our trucks are so tough, they can survive a tornado! (disclaimer: kids, don’t try this at home)”.

 

[Dave Z]

I think the bigger issue of direct sales is the consumer protection, registration, and tax laws that revolve around the dealership model. It takes a lot of work to correct the bloat in these laws, and it's something politicians usually don't want to take on.

Ha! Not enough bloat on the consumer protection side, other than the inane "read and sign these ten pages of single spaced type in the next 30 seconds" rules.

One reason dealerships are so firmly entrenched is the number are in Congress. Another is wise donations.

There are some dealerships that really care about people, and do good things because they do have local ties to the community.

I certainly won't deny that. Ours is one of them. But they are far outnumbered by the cheating scum.

Chrysler is sometimes (like now) so paranoid about being cheated by these guys that it holds up legitimate repairs and payments to an absurd degree.

 

[valiant67]

The kid didn't seek publicity, but the dealer saw an opportunity to promote his brand both personal and manufacturer. We don't know if he had help from the factory too.

Yes, this was one of those situations that was beneficial to both parties. The kid got help. The dealer got good publicity.

 

[06PTElectricBlue]

The kid didn't seek publicity, but the dealer saw an opportunity to promote his brand both personal and manufacturer. We don't know if he had help from the factory too.

Before it was even announced on the news about the dealership gifting a truck, I had sent GM CEO-Mary Barra an email with links to the vids and the story from our local news paper.

And she sent me a read receipt @ 6:52am, just a minute after I had sent it.

And there may have already been others in her office building that had seen the kids wild ride, but in one of the news stories after the kid received the truck, there was some mention about the GM company contributing to the gift.

I'm certainly not taking any credit for bringing it to the attention of GM, I was just so surprised that she even read my email at that early in the morning.

 

[68RT]

Yes, this was one of those situations that was beneficial to both parties. The kid got help. The dealer got good publicity.

It definitely was the ride of his life. Had to have been properly buckled and he was on his way back from a job interview with Whataburger. He also got that job which he will need to pay insurance on a new vehicle. Could have been the worst day of his life and turned out that it could be one of his best

 

[06PTElectricBlue]

It definitely was the ride of his life. Had to have been properly buckled and he was on his way back from a job interview with Whataburger. He also got that job which he will need to pay insurance on a new vehicle. Could have been the worst day of his life and turned out that it could be one of his best

He went on a ride better than at any amusement park.

And it was just a good thing that there was a storm chaser there to catch the entire thing on film, without the film, nobody would have believed the kid of what happened.

 

[68RT]

He went on a ride better than at any amusement park.

And it was just a good thing that there was a storm chaser there to catch the entire thing on film, without the film, nobody would have believed the kid of what happened.

Better would not be how I describe it. Scary beyond any amusement park? YES!!! You can't do that intentionally.

 

[WXman]

My wife doesn't look at shoes online and then buy. She wants to go to a store that has shoes so she can see them, try them on, make sure it'll work for her. Gotta' get her hands on the product.

I feel the same way about cars and trucks and Jeeps.

 

[Doug D]

My wife doesn't look at shoes online and then buy. She wants to go to a store that has shoes so she can see them, try them on, make sure it'll work for her. Gotta' get her hands on the product.

I feel the same way about cars and trucks and Jeeps.

Indeed. I have never purchased shoes online. Simply because sizes are not always standard among makers. When my son played baseball, we found that Nike's tended to run small. Only found that out by visiting the store and trying them on.

I'd be real hesitant to purchase a vehicle online via Carvana or any other similar service. When we have utilized CarMax we have browsed online and then called CarMax to get the vehicle placed on hold until we can get there to look at it and kick the tires, sort of speak. A vehicle is the most expensive item people buy after a house. Considering that we might be spending $25K+ I need to see, touch and test drive it before I finalize my decision.

 

[ShawnP]

I love the haggling over a sale. It brings out the competitive side.

Obviously I know that the dealer will almost always get a profit and yes I them to profit so they stay around. I also want to sit in and drive the vehicle I am buying. I can't do the sit around and wait game. I do think if the dealership/manufacturer has given a customer a build by date. Every day that passes by the build date and the vehicle isn't made. Then the buyer gets say a .5 discount per day (above invoice). If you are months late on building the car. Then the customer will get a cheap vehicle. Manufacturers will definitely get their act together under said rules.