2 3 4
Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
2/19/15 3:14 p.m.

Sorry, but if I had people crap on me for being Jewish all my life, I would get bent out of shape if it happened in an unexpected place like a car dealership. I can almost guarantee you it was done with historical implications.

Jerry From LA
Jerry From LA Dork
2/19/15 3:36 p.m.

When talking about the Luftwaffe, I would bet the farm the salesman was inferring the nine years in question.

yamaha
yamaha MegaDork
2/19/15 3:37 p.m.

In reply to Appleseed:

OK, the point I am making is WTF did a 100yo organization do exactly to get thrown into a offensive remark? Last I checked they weren't the Waffen Schutzstaffel

kylini
kylini Reader
2/19/15 3:45 p.m.
trigun7469 wrote: ...New Motors is the local BMW/Subaru/VW (formerly KIA) I despise them and will never do another deal. They are so arrogant...

Is it run by this guy?

(tl;dr: watch Eastbound and Down, especially this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8tg_J2gbPo)

Rupert
Rupert Dork
2/19/15 3:57 p.m.
Feedyurhed wrote: The only "good" experience I have had at dealerships purchasing a new car has been Subaru. Typically it seems import dealerships are slightly more buyer friendly than domestics although they seem to be getting bad too these days. My Mazda Miata purchase was a nightmare. I walked several times only to have the dealer call me back days later to renegotiate. They wouldn't accept the Ford employee discount (still partially owned by Ford back then), they refused the Mazda Motorsports discount. They tried the $1200 fabric protector and paint sealant package and the ever popular $500 pin stripes. They wanted to apply the rust protection in the worst way which I think was $800.00. I would walk out they would call. Finally in the end, with the paperwork all done the addition was off, $300.00 in their favor. Honest mistake? I don't know. I would actually like to get the new 2016 Miata ND available later this year but I can't even imagine the monumental Mt Everest pile of BS one will have to put up with to get even MSRP on a new redesigned, latest/ greatest, and well received Miata with good reviews. Guess I will be waiting a few years.

I agree with Duke, laws were made to protect dealers from the car companies. But those laws are now out of date. There are tons of ways dealers are protected without the government giving them a very expensive free ride. What the poor potential customer has to deal with is a monopoly kept going by the government to allow dealers free rein. If you don't think so, check your state government's campaign contribution lists. Auto Dealer's groups and Booze distributors are usually right at the top of the lists.

In Ky. you can't order adult beverages to be sent to your home. It's a felony! It's also a felony if the vintner, in California or wherever ships it to you. The distributors claim this is protecting the interests of the public. It's protecting the interests of the distributors. The laws were possibly needed at some time but are truly out of date. The world has grown up enough now that there are ways to get that "demon likker" out of the hands of fifteen year old kids. If anyone wants to. I had no problem buying booze across the counter at 15, which was 1961. That's probably true of most of you as well. Those laws are just to keep the distributor's prices sky high. It also means we can't buy the vast majority of brands out there. Because the distributors get to pick and choose whose products they put on the market. And it is all about which beverages make them the most profit. Not which are the products the consumer wants to buy.

If Tesla or anyone else wants to deal with the customer, let them. It's their reputation and long term survival on the line. Now, if you can buy a car equipped as you want from a dealer. You are the person in the middle. Any warranty issues are the company's fault according to the dealer and the dealer's fault according to the company. It's the buyer who probably paid too much because of the dealer monopoly that is stuck either way.

When dealing directly with the company directly, there is no question of who should do the warranty repairs. They either do what's right or they don't. If they don't, they don't stay around long.

We, the customers should be able to continue to buy brands through dealers if we wish. Or buy brands that don't have dealers, if we wish. We are the people spending the money. We should be the people who can choose the method we prefer. In a few years, the market will adjust one way or the other based on the real world and we will probably have the better examples of each!

Curmudgeon
Curmudgeon MegaDork
2/19/15 5:44 p.m.

It was me who brought up the dealership thing. Honestly, I don't give a tin E36 M3 how cars are sold, if someone wants to buy a new car directly from the manufacturer that is fine by me.

BUT!

If there is no dealer network to fix that fine ride when it goes tits up, I don't want to hear a single peep. The dealership model may have been originally intended to protect the dealer from the manufacturer undercutting them via direct sales but the positive things for the customer (service and parts readily available) are the best side benefit.

At their current rate, Tesla will never be able to have as many service and parts points as, say, Subaru. That will KILL their sales. And you can tell Elon Musk I said that.

In fact, all he needs to do is study what happened to Cannondale motorcycles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannondale_Bicycle_Corporation#History

Datsun310Guy
Datsun310Guy PowerDork
2/19/15 7:14 p.m.

I learned long ago that car dealers and "most" salesmen are not "car guys". They are businessmen looking to make a profit - just like I do when I sell hoses.

Ian F
Ian F MegaDork
2/19/15 7:37 p.m.
Curmudgeon wrote: In fact, all he needs to do is study what happened to Cannondale motorcycles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannondale_Bicycle_Corporation#History

Those of us in the cycling world still wonder WTF they were thinking with that venture...

Brokeback
Brokeback Reader
2/19/15 9:51 p.m.
Ian F wrote:
Curmudgeon wrote: In fact, all he needs to do is study what happened to Cannondale motorcycles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannondale_Bicycle_Corporation#History
Those of us in the cycling world still wonder WTF they were thinking with that venture...

Proud owner of 1.5 non-running cannondale quads...I wonder wtf they were thinking with regularity while working on engine/frame. They did have some cool ideas for them, but they are far outweighed by the bad!

2 3 4

You'll need to log in to post.

Our Preferred Partners
5P3AzjtOsYRjMO0x6esioRQ0lKt97ZWLImQfteoMZgdY9HI0DCMOrd3igCqAUNWZ