Ridgewaycynic2013 Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 Years ago, if a Ford dealer announced he was seeking a Chevy franchise, Ford Motor Corporation would have been over taking down the Ford sign before the ink on the Chevy contract dried. Nowadays it seems that big automotive groups will sell you anything from the Big 3, as well as just about any import. I suppose there's some merit in volume buying, but haven't state and federal governments always equated monopolies not in the public's interest? Small new car dealers years ago were not only competing against other brands, they were competing against the dealer in Akron, or Orchard Park, who also sold the same brand. When did the dynamics get turned around? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 (edited) Go ahead, what is your personal interest in this? I'm always interested in trends and how things are heading in the business world.... Edited April 19, 2018 by row_33 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teef Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 i think these large dealers that sell volume tend to be better for the comsumer, (i'm only going off of my recent experience) especially in terms of price. West Herr owns a ton of dealership in the buffalo and rochester area. i was told that last year they sold over 50,000 cars. the dealers include all brands such as ford, chevy, bmw, mercedes, etc. they really seem to feed off the volume, and will get the cars off the lot. i went in to look at bmws recently, and they did everything they could to find me ways to get incentives. they asked me where i worked, went to school, (you could get discounts on both depending on the answers) offered me a solid deal on the trade in, and ultimately told me to give them a price that i felt comfortable with, and they would find a way to make it work. they just wanted to sell cars, and because of that, the place was packed. there wasn't an available salesman, so i had to make an appt to come back. at another dealer down the street, who is not part of a large group, acted like it was lucky to be there, offered me the least on my trade it, and made me wait for 45 mins even though i had an appt. i didn't go back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgewaycynic2013 Posted April 19, 2018 Author Share Posted April 19, 2018 10 minutes ago, row_33 said: Go ahead, what is your personal interest in this? I'm always interested in trends and how things are heading in the business world.... Hearing Tasker on the radio on Murphy's show, and remembering hearing him shill for one of the car lines associated with a mega group. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 8 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said: Hearing Tasker on the radio on Murphy's show, and remembering hearing him shill for one of the car lines associated with a mega group. good answer one of 4 or 5 i was hoping for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teef Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 (edited) 2 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said: Hearing Tasker on the radio on Murphy's show, and remembering hearing him shill for one of the car lines associated with a mega group. by shill do you mean a paid spokesman? wouldn't you take money to say a few words in front of the camera? edit: or on radio Edited April 19, 2018 by teef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 8 minutes ago, teef said: by shill do you mean a paid spokesman? wouldn't you take money to say a few words in front of the camera? did back in the day, will more carefully weigh it in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgewaycynic2013 Posted April 19, 2018 Author Share Posted April 19, 2018 6 minutes ago, teef said: at another dealer down the street, who is not part of a large group, acted like it was lucky to be there, offered me the least on my trade it, and made me wait for 45 mins even though i had an appt. i didn't go back. You would think the smaller dealer would be bending over backwards to get your business. I'm that old that I remember brand loyalty and dealership / salesperson loyalty factoring into choices made by my father and grandfather. 8 minutes ago, teef said: by shill do you mean a paid spokesman? wouldn't you take money to say a few words in front of the camera? edit: or on radio It depends. If it's me, I would have to approve of the practices of whatever entity I'm acting as a spokesperson for. When viewing a high profile third party acting as a spokesperson, they're all shills until I get the backstory. It's the cynic in me. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teef Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 2 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said: You would think the smaller dealer would be bending over backwards to get your business. I'm that old that I remember brand loyalty and dealership / salesperson loyalty factoring into choices made by my father and grandfather. i think it's just so much easier to to give deals when you sell in volume. i just assumed they were given bonuses by corporate if they hit certain numbers. i understand where you're coming from though. my dad always owned cadillacs, and always bought from the same guy dave. even when my wife bought one, we went right to dave. since then, dave has moved on. guys who have sold me my last 2 cars have moved on as well, as i always get the letters telling me where they've gone. i think the industry is just different. online sales have really equaled the playing field, and i think it's all about deals vs loyalty. i went to a dealer an hour and a half away to get my new car two weeks ago. why? they gave me the best deal, and i felt like they wanted my business. it's a tough business it seems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgewaycynic2013 Posted April 19, 2018 Author Share Posted April 19, 2018 29 minutes ago, teef said: i went to a dealer an hour and a half away to get my new car two weeks ago. why? they gave me the best deal, and i felt like they wanted my business. it's a tough business it seems. My son saw a sedan online through a mega used car group over a hundred miles away. The salesman and car were here the next day for a test drive, a few days later after the deal closed the salesman, the car, and a chase car and driver were back to deliver it. Things have changed, haven't they! My dad was a truck driver hauling various routes throughout New York State, he would stop at various dealers if something on a lot caught his eye, or if he had previous 'good' dealings with a dealership. Al Zimmerman Oldsmobile in Akron (old location) got a couple of sales simply because my father thought him a good honest person selling a good product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadingpain Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 Would love to see the traditional automobile dealership business model be utterly destroyed into oblivion, immediately. I should be able to to order my car online like an Apple I-Phone, with a fixed price that has no haggle room whatsoever. If you want to drive the car/see it in person before you buy, you go to the service center where you can get your car worked on or parts, and where representative models are kept on hand for test drives. No sales commissions for anyone located at the service center. You can have someone at the service center punch in your order for you while you sit with them, if you don't want to do it on your own at home. The car business is one of the sleaziest you will find, and it is now a dinosaur, a thing of the past....or at least it should be. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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