Very nicely done radio story about the last few days of October for a Chrysler-Jeep dealership in Long Island, NY . . . trying to make their sales quota.

129 Cars | This American Life

If they make it, they'll get a huge bonus from the manufacturer, possibly as high as $85,000 — enough to put them in the black for the month. If they don't make it, it'll be the second month in a row. So they pull out all the stops.

So, what's it gonna take to put you into this podcast today . . .

btw, listen to the "unbleeped" version . . . it's like the Sopranos on HBO instead of basic cable.

Hahahaha, hope this will turn enough people off to the dealership that they don't make the quota for the next year. Why did those schmucks allow themselves to be "interviewed?"

I'll have to check it out later when I get the time.

I'd imagine it's pretty fascinating.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

It was a long but good listen, imo.

They spoke a little (too little) about sales techniques, which was revealing in a way. The primary value to a potential buyer is that if you are serious, buying in the last hour or two of the last day of the month can lower your monthly cost and payments substantially.

The did not mention leasing.

I love that show and only get to listen to it while driving. Heard part of that one on Saturday. Thanks for the link to the whole thing.

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You're a daisy if you do.
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84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
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Actually . . . Nah, I could tell you, but it's better to listen to it.

heard that one in the car. Good show!

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Cool. Podcast. Downloaded.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

Fascinating. Not a business I'd want anything to do with at all. The one thing that really stunned me was hearing there were about seven jeep dealerships within a ten mile radius of each other. I'm amazed any of them can stay in the black with that kind of market saturation.

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

Peter, it was interesting that they were getting shopped by buyers in NJ

I remember hearing that and made the supposition that there was a vast population around the dealership. iirc, Chrysler went through an aggressive process in about 2009 to shut down non-viable dealerships. Anyone know how many people are within 10 miles of the dealership in the show? I guessed probably several million, or more.

The adage is “As long as they get the name right…”

Finally got a chance to listen to it. Every but as interesting as I thought it would be. I was surprised to find myself feeling sympathetic towards car salesmen. I had no idea they were operating on that edge. I'm glad they put pics on the website so I could out a face with the voice, the ones I imagined weren't far from reality. The language wasn't over the top. It was about as one would expect behind the scenes in a high pressure situation that's not going as planned.

Well worth the listen!

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)