1974 Plymouth Valiant - 2013 Dodge Dart - 2013 Chrysler 300C
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25,606 Posts
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 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.
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.