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  #1  
Old 05-15-2009, 02:03 PM
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I Cannot Feel Sorry For the Car Dealers...

It's unfortunate that many people will be unemployed as a result of GM and Chrysler eliminating dealership relationships. However, car sales is a sleazy business and I cannot conjur up any sorrow for them.

The Chrysler dealership where I purchased my long-gone 260E back in 1999 (it was a trade-in) was on the hit list. Considering I was WAY overcharged for it, and the problems the car had, I am not sorry that they are going down, ten years later.

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Old 05-15-2009, 02:08 PM
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The dealerships will not necessarily be eliminated. Many of them will surely continue selling cars, just not new GM or Chrysler cars.
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  #3  
Old 05-15-2009, 02:24 PM
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It's very hard to have sympathy and empathy for the majority of dealers that give the business a bad reputation.

Scenario # 1:

2000 BMW 5 series I was looking at.

"If the car you are trying to sell me simply needs a wheel balance to correct the horrible vibration and pulling to one side as you say, then have it done and I will come back." Is what I told the salesman at the local used European car emporium, his response was that they would knock $30.00 off the price.

Get real, I know the car was wrecked because the vin on the front fenders and hood don't match the rest of the car. A wheel balancing isn't going to fix it, because if it would you would have done it.

Different dealership, 2001 Jaguar Vanden Plas

Salesman tell me the a/c needs a little freon(blows hot air), and that all cars need this done every year because we live in a hot climate.


Funny how if you want trade a car in, it gets nitpicked to death and usually one gets a low wholsale offer, but the car they are selling is supposed to be worth every overpriced penny. As if I've never owned or don't already own the same make and sometimes model.

I won't get into the $700.00 dealer fee one place tried to sneak into the paperwork after we had agreed on a price(plus tax,tag,title). I took my cashiers check and walked out.
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Old 05-15-2009, 02:37 PM
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There are going to be even more tools and toolboxes on CL for sale by unemployed techs. If I was a mobile tool dealer (Snap-On, etc) I'd be nervous as hell about techs skipping without paying their accounts.

We will lose 9 Chrysler stores in STL. Only one of these stores sells any other brands, and the one that does sells Chevrolet. The dealer says he expects a letter from GM any time now pulling that franchise too.

With the market the way it is, what brands would these dealerships pick up? If they couldn't sell enough Chryslers, why on earth would any other company want them? It's the same idea as a restaurant that fails...the chance of another restaurant being successful in that building is slim, because the public will associate that building with the failed endeavor.
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Old 05-15-2009, 02:51 PM
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Their only chance is probably to sell used cars.
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Old 05-15-2009, 02:55 PM
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Of the 9 local Chrysler stores that got the boot, all but 2 are way too big to be used car stores, and several have remodeled in the last couple of years, so there's a load of overhead there. The used car market isn't exactly on fire right now, even little used car lots are closing around here.

I'd hate to own ANY car dealership right now.
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Old 05-15-2009, 03:02 PM
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Dealarship selling tactics are common lore, especially with the invasion of information available on the Internet. I doubt anyone (except for the families of said dealerships and their brethren) feel the least bit of empathy for their demise.

I've considered on-line new-car purchasing, but don't know anyone that has taken advantage of that process. Anyone had any experience with that good or bad?
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  #8  
Old 05-15-2009, 03:03 PM
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The economy cant absorb this number of people within a window like this-all those chrysler dealerships-then bam, even more GM dealers. Most of those unfortunate people will have to do something else for a lot less compensation-----------------when they are able to pull out of their tailspin. A parts counter Guy for example, tough luck. There wont be any new jobs created for many years. The mechanics- The fortunate ones will have to muddle thru in a Goodyear store where they will have second rate benifits that they pay most of the cost of (Not really benifits). Then just as many have to compete with illegal labor from you know where in small indy shops-- Or another Scenario is a VERY few # are mechanics/bodymen and enter an upsidedown parallel universe---- and somehow get hired by Manheims Auto Auctions- the worlds largest provider of automotive services. After going thru a yr or so of hell trying to cope without a job they enter the recon facility and find that it's full of hispanic workers-more than half are resident aliens who have had full paid health insurance for anywhere from five to 18 yrs or so, and then the games begin because they are white. Sabotage of their work, Workplace mobbing, targeting for termination by sometimes malicious line managers.
The salespeople, well not a lot of folks have sympathy for their hardship, the service writers will get some other service related job after a long search, but the job market has shrunk too much for people to keep on as they have before the guano hit the turbine.
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Old 05-15-2009, 03:04 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davestlouis
Of the 9 local Chrysler stores that got the boot, all but 2 are way too big to be used car stores, and several have remodeled in the last couple of years, so there's a load of overhead there. The used car market isn't exactly on fire right now, even little used car lots are closing around here.

I'd hate to own ANY car dealership right now.
I never had any doubt there would be job losses from this. I was just saying not all of these dealerships will close. As to how many will close, we'll have to see, it certainly could be more than half. I can't say I feel terribly sorry for them either, but I wish them luck finding another job.
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Old 05-15-2009, 03:08 PM
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I was just at the Mobil station close to Century Chrysler Jeep, in Wentzville MO. Century got dropped by Chrysler, and they buy fuel at the Mobil. Once they stop selling cars, they will also stop buying fuel, and their porters won't stop in for candy bars, and the salesmen won't grab a 12 pack on the way home...the ripple effect will be amazing. Even on a small scale, it's astounding how far job losses reach into a community.
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Old 05-15-2009, 03:10 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by G-Benz View Post
I've considered on-line new-car purchasing, but don't know anyone that has taken advantage of that process. Anyone had any experience with that good or bad?
I bought a new Corvette online about 8 years ago from an out of state dealer, shipped to a local one where I picked it up. Except for dealing with the local one (that I had to pay like a $200 prep fee), it was a pleasant experience.
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Old 05-15-2009, 03:11 PM
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dieseladdict, I suspect the dealership's ability to survive after the loss of the franchise is very limited...my guess would be 75% will close completely within 24 months. Either way, it's a messy situation, and the remaining dealers are not any less slimy than the ones that lost the franchise. I wonder if the remaining dealers will become even MORE slimy, given the loss of competition in the market.
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Old 05-15-2009, 03:15 PM
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So much for creating jobs
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  #14  
Old 05-15-2009, 03:21 PM
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I truly wonder what he average new car sales guy is going to do for a living, given the consolidation going on. If he's a real "closer" or "gunslinger" he can probably land somewhere and continue to crack skulls and close deals, but a normal, non-hard-closer is probably SOL in the car biz. I think most prospective employers look at car salesmen as damaged goods, and likely won't consider them at all. Then what? Sales have been awful for a year or more, so a guy doesn't have much by way of cash reserves, so his house and personal cars go bye bye. I wonder how many suicides and murder/suicides we'll see on the heels of this situation?!
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Old 05-15-2009, 03:25 PM
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Bad car buying experience from a used car dealer a couple days ago in San Jose CA

Here is my picture album of the day we went to San Jose to get the car, a lovely 1992 Ford Taurus GL with just 65k on the clock. Finally bought it for $1978 plus fees and tax.

and with a problem.


Catherine at the dealer in San Jose waiting for the "dealing" to begin




The dealer did nothing, so we all had to wash the car ourselves at the dealer!!!











Dayla sprayed Catherine with the dealer's hose!!!





Here is the car up on the rack the next day at Jim Burke Ford in Bakersfield, getting the brake rotors machined. It had new brake PADS, but ALL FOUR brake rotors were warped and bad.


The replaced a bad brake switch also that caused the brake stoplights and high mounted 3rd brake light to fail to illuminate.



As you probably know, I feel strongly the dealer took unfair advantage

I feel strongly the dealer took unfair advantage of my girlfriend's daughter, and me (who paid for the car), well knowing we had come all the way from the Lake (Isabella in Kern County) to San Jose to look at the car (227 miles!!!) and we were treated badly because of this on many levels.

They reneged on their promise to at least have the car washed if not fully detailed and cleaned up, so the three of us actually used their dealer equipment and washed up the car ourselves, while laughing and trying to put a good face on this.


On the price they hammered us as hard as they could, so Catherine, the 20 y o daughter, who watched silently, saw all that, on the negotiating part, and could say how it went, ---- it was hard, grueling, tough work, to get anything out of them. Their asking price was 2250, but taking into account tax, licence, document fees, smog fees and other things it came out over 2600. This I refused to pay, and with that in mind, withdrwe 2200 cash and put it in an envelope from the Bank, and showed them THAT when it came right down to nuts and bolts time.

They still managed to extort another 175 out of me to finish the deal, and it was CLEAR to me that they put NOTHING into this car when they got it from the auction. They did not even top off the automatic transmission fluid which needed it, and I had to ask the Ford dealer to take care of that.


I purchased the car from a dealer, with the idea that at LEAST they would go through it, first before selling it, as they are required to do, to make it road safe before selling it. (not like private parties that can sell you ANY piece of junk).


This would include making sure the tires, lights, brakes, horns, turn signals, and all fluids are safe.

THIS THEY DID NOT DO. We noticed on the test drive the brakes juddered badly, (I suspected front brake rotors were bad.)



On the drive home we noticed that the brake lights and high mounted 3rd brake light NEVER worked when Catherine would step on the brakes, and Catherine can tell you we tested this in the parking lot outside Mimi's in Gilroy and elsewhere several times to be sure.

These two faults should have been corrected at the DEALER'S EXPENSE -- which they refused to do!!!!


Therefore as they were immediate concerns, I took the car to Jim Burke Ford in Bakersfield, and had them corrected, for a cost of about $365.


Unbelievably, this selling dealer made Catherine sign a paper (A "due bill" that is part of every dealer used car or new car sale) that said "Dealer will pay for NO REPAIRS after sale."


I never saw this, because I was outside still washing the car when Catherine went inside to sign all the papers.


I would NEVER HAVE agreed to this, as by that paper they were actually attempting to foist upon Catherine the responsibility THEY have by LAW to fix those brakes and lights BEFORE selling the car. Yes it is true that she will have to fix the air conditioning herself, I understand that.



I will set out today to start writing letters of complaints, because nobody is absolutely sure which has the jurisdiction, and I asked in person at the DMV offices in Lake Isabella and Bakersfield and got different answers.


It is either the Office of Investigative Services of the DMV; the State Department of Consumer Affairs, or the Bureau of Automotive Repair that has jurisdiction, and maybe all of them.

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