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65 Comments
- Beylan, on 02/23/2009, -1/+62I feel sorry for all those people out of work, but did we really need 20 different dealerships in every small town? Or a huge mega-dealership? They sell $20k+ items that (most) people don't buy very often, its not like its $4 coffee.
- terrachronos, on 02/23/2009, -0/+27Sorry for the people that lost their jobs but I for one am sick of 30 car dealerships along every major road around here. The culling of the herd was long over due. Maybe now US automakers will focus on QUALITY over QUANTITY. Cars should not be built to be replaced before the loan is up.
- badqat, on 02/23/2009, -0/+18It may be a "record", but for the record, there are too many auto dealerships as it is.
Locally, the Suzuki dealer, the Chevy/GMC/Caddy dealer, a Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealer, and another GM full line dealer have bit the dust in the last couple of months. The two GM dealerships are within 20 minutes of each other - and there is another one still kicking in between.
Does there really need to be as many GM dealers as McDonald's (or Starbucks)? - RealmDown, on 02/23/2009, -2/+19I'm sorry to see people out of work in a down economy, but so I despise car dealerships slick-as-oil sales tactics that there is some glee in there too.
- Trekhawk, on 02/23/2009, -0/+12This was going to happen eventually. With the advent of modern media and the internet there is no longer a reason to have a dealership in every small town, as it was in pre-1960s America. Then you had to advertise physically with the cars on the side of the road. Having a dealership in your town meant you could more easily research a prospective car. Essentially, Google killed the domestic, small town dealership.
- inactive, on 02/23/2009, -2/+13There are still plenty of jobs out there for smarmy con men.
- skipdog172, on 02/23/2009, -0/+9I think what we are seeing here is that clearly we(as a country) don't need as many cars as we go through to function as a society. Some people just have to have a new car every year, while others, buy a used car for cheap, run it until it for a good amount of years until it dies, or isn't worth fixing, and repeat. To me, buying a new car sounds like a waste of money. Over the last 9 years, I have purchased cars for: $1500, $300, $1800. They all had heating/air and worked fine. I spent 6-8 hours/week commuting to/from work so I sure pile the miles on. Would a new car purchased 9 years ago last me this long and for the same price? I doubt it.
- awootwoot, on 02/23/2009, -0/+5Too bad for the jobs lost; but their were entirely too many dealerships. So this is merely the market bloat reducing. Service (at least for the larger manufacturers) will still be reasonable. I have never understood there being so many dealerships. The only good that came from the overabundance of dealerships was the ability to have them compete to sell you a car.
- wonderchemist, on 02/23/2009, -0/+5Hey now, you know the Germans make great stuff!
- connieLingus, on 02/23/2009, -0/+5yep...capitalism is still working. for now at least.
- offon, on 02/23/2009, -5/+9In 2009 we will have a new record ;)
- carolinaws, on 02/23/2009, -1/+5I just wish one dealership near Charlotte would shut down. I'm sick of the fat hillbilly yelling in his commercials. If he takes the commercials off the air then I don't mind if the dealership stays open. (Except that it was from the same "family" of dealerships caught falsifying trade-in and loan applications for which the founder could have faced jail time).
- jjamminjon, on 02/23/2009, -1/+5Well played.
- inactive, on 02/23/2009, -1/+5But the elections are over.
- RyGiL, on 02/23/2009, -0/+4Shamwow commercials?
- sinurgy, on 02/23/2009, -1/+5***** these people and their cheesy ass sales tactics. I'm actually in the market for a new car and just doing some research gets me so pissed off that I just want to say ***** it, I don't want a car. You can't get any straight answers on ANYTHING. Price, model, financing, it doesn't matter, they will dodge all questions constantly attempting to figure out which way they can ***** you while dreaming of ***** you in all possible ways! Seriously, imagine if you had to purchase all products like that.
You: "Yeah I'm interested in a buying a can of Coke"
Dick: "Awesome! What kind of payment are you looking for?"
You: "Huh? I just want a can of Coke"
Dick: "Understood! Well check this out, what do you think?"
You: "That's a piece of bread"
Dick: "Damn straight and because I like you, that piece of bread is yours for only $20k. Plus fees, tax, gap insurance, low jack, desert protection package, etc."
You: "But I don't want a piece of bread, I want a can of Coke"
Dick: "Oh a can of Coke, my bad! What kind of payment are you looking for?"
You: "I'm not interested in payments, I just want a can of Coke!"
Dick: "Got it! Well lucky for you we have several options for you to choose from, check this out!"
You: "That is Pepsi, I want Coke"
Dick: "Well if you could give me an idea of the payment you're looking for, it'd easier to find the can of Sprite that best suits your tastes"
You: <pull out gun and shoot everyone in sight>
More cheese:
- Most ads show the high end model but the price is for the low end model
- They'll advertise incentives that only apply to a guy named Bill who resides 3 clicks East of a cactus only on Tuesdays
- "TAKE THAT TOY HAULER OUT THIS WEEKEND, 1/2 TON PICKUPS DRASTICALLY REDUCED", only pickups that are "drastically" reduced are 2wd V6 gas engined work trucks (i.e. you are not towing *****!)
- Any car on the lot, $199 down and $199 a month
I could go on and on and on and on....
!!!!!***** THESE PEOPLE AND THEIR VERSION OF "BUSINESS"!!!!! - moosejaw99, on 02/23/2009, -3/+7It's amazing how inferior products stayed in the market place as long as they did.
- wonderchemist, on 02/23/2009, -0/+4Or you can learn to change the oil yourself.
- Nickolassc, on 02/23/2009, -0/+4He wears a headset. That's how you know he's legitimate.
- acknotSW, on 02/23/2009, -0/+4yep, adapt or die.
- acknotSW, on 02/23/2009, -0/+4Didn't you see the commercial where the cell phone goes flying during the crash? THAT COULD BE YOU!!! OH MY ***** GOD, YOU COULD HIT A TREE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE AND DIE BECAUSE YOUR CELL PHONE BROKE IN THE ACCEDENT!!! HOLY *****, WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE ON-STAR?
Ok, got that out. To answer your other question, this is what one of my engineering professors told me, he works for one of the big 3 in an engineering position:
The big 3 have completely outsourced 90% of their engineering and R&D to other companies. To make matters worse, the people evaluating the proposals and work these companies turn in, for the most part, have little to no engineering background or experience. Engineers who work for the big 3 usually don't even see the systems and components they will be using to design the car itself until they have already been bought and paid for so to speak. This is the course the big 3 have chosen while their Japanese competitors design and manufacture their own semiconductors and microchips giving them complete control over the entire design processes. - thegreatgazoo, on 02/23/2009, -0/+3Eventually they will consolidate to a few dealerships that will have multiple brands. So if you are in the market for a small SUV, you can look at a CRV, RAV4, Escape, and similar cars next to each other so you can compare.
Kind of like the Car Max model, but for new cars. - Nickolassc, on 02/23/2009, -5/+8I hope GM goes out of business. They put out a ***** product at too high a cost. On-star standard on every vehicle? Who the hell needs onstar when they have a cell-phone. Not only that, but the feds can get a warrant to listen in on your conversations using on-star.
And seriously, why would I buy a GM truck with 13 control modules that cost over 1000 each to replace? Who designs this crap? - dhess, on 02/23/2009, -0/+3The picture of Obama has nothing to do with this story. Perhaps, in the future, you would do well to only include a picture if it complements the article.
- geesamba, on 02/23/2009, -0/+3There's your mold and mildew, right there!
- pantsperch, on 02/23/2009, -0/+3The fact is that the car dealership systems and the lobbying they have done to successfully take the choice out of the consumers' hands and essentially confine us to sleazy tactics, price collusion and limited supply by effecting arcane, stupid laws at the local level needs to be examined for the part they played in bringing down the auto industry.
- monkeyrun, on 02/23/2009, -0/+3Let's face it. It's a natural cycle.
Some people had their fun on the way up by over leveraging, the fall is going to be really hard. - drmangrum, on 02/23/2009, -0/+3Do different people own them? Bob's GM dealership isn't the same company as Dave's GM dealership.
If they were allowed ( by the company the dealer represented ) to build dealerships so close to one another then sale figures would have reflected there was a need at one point. - sndream, on 02/24/2009, -0/+3Great News. I hope Amazon or even Walmart will start selling cars soon because I don't want to be gouged by car salesman anymore.
- GamingTrend, on 02/23/2009, -0/+3Flip the coin - car dealerships that don't have to have 900 different cars that they are taking a loss on don't have to 'make it up' by raking you across the coals. I'd rather they had a lot less stock and sold it to me for a reasonable price.
Other than Pinnacle Nissan here in Phoenix. Those fascists can just go out of business and spontaneously combust. - Solstice, on 02/23/2009, -0/+3When GM sold 60% of the cars in the U.S., yes they did need that many dealers. They were an asset. Unfortunately, now they are a liability.
- brown2dw, on 02/23/2009, -1/+3Well U.S. auto makers will focus not only on quality but they have to focus on being competitive with foreign auto makers. Like the new ford fusion this car is the first competitive U.S. car on the market that can actually hold its ground against companies like Hyundai and Toyota.
- draxenato, on 02/23/2009, -1/+3It's a shame these folks lost their jobs in times of recession, but let's be honest, the auto industry is dying anyway, it was a matter of "when" not "if".
Strange as it may seem right now but I honestly believe a lot of good will come out of the economic crisis. Environmentally speaking we couldn't sustain our lifestyles of the last 30 or so years so an economic kick up the ass seems to be providing the incentive to clean up our collective act.
One industry dies and another will replace it. - Jeebugorn, on 02/23/2009, -0/+2there is a car dealership in columbus, ga that should go out of business. this place actually has 30 min commercials! i swear, every day i was at this army school at fort benning, ga (right outside columbus), i'd have to sit through 30 mins of the guy goin "SLAYYSHH ITT!!!" to the prices of his cars.
- Gustomucho, on 02/23/2009, -1/+3The car industry follows a 7 years cycle, you will be profitable for 5 years and for 2 years you will lose money, that's a rule of thumb but within the last 50 years it's a general trend. What we see now is the 2 years of slum, the problem is, people invested in other venture and lost lots of money elsewhere too. Just like GMAC who went for mortage and lost billions, they have a hard time to loan for new cars now because the lack of liquidity. They made some very poor choice with their 0% financing and mortage.
- Pinkertinkle, on 02/23/2009, -1/+3I still like the corvette c6
- wheresjim, on 02/23/2009, -0/+2We've lost 4 in the past year in the small town in which I live, spanning all automotive demographics: Ford, Chevy Honda and Lamborghini.
- inactive, on 02/23/2009, -0/+2Um you need people to sell stuff, you know, so there's places to go buy things. I don't want to order a car from Amazon...
- gkiltz, on 02/24/2009, -0/+2We have so many more than we need, and we'll never see the same level of sales we were seeing, partly because cars last so much longer than they used to!
The dealer problem is slowly solving itself! - Nickolassc, on 02/23/2009, -0/+2Keep one in the garage, one in the kitchen, and one for the car!
- wolfing, on 02/23/2009, -0/+2I just want one with no haggling. The whole 'let me talk to my manager' routine is really old and nobody believes it anyway. Put the final price on the sticker and that's it! I don't haggle with the manager to buy a computer in Best Buy or Dell.com, why can't cars be the same?
- RobotHater, on 02/23/2009, -0/+1I have family that are working at some of them. :-( stinks!
- moduc, on 02/23/2009, -0/+1Yea, that is a good thing. These dealers are blood suckers. Their missions is to con unsuspected users into paying them as much as possible. Sure, the users hate them.
I remembered they replace my speed sensor ($22 value) for several hundred of dollars. It's right under the car. They told me that they have to do calibration, etc.
I agreed, thinking they can't be that dishonest. I went home, saw the instruction from the OEM service manual I bought, it would takes probably 20 minutes. I was mad. I told them, but they said their procedure is different.
I haven't gone back there for service.
Another dealer, I took my car in, and they keep asking for money because they can't find the problem. They said: $100 for check up. Then $200 more to check the engine to see what's going on. Then $300 more open the valve cover to see if anything valves is bad.
Crazy.
Another dealer, right after I bought a Chrysler van, I notice noise in the front right hand side. So, I brought it in, they told me they fix the problem. Drive a day, the noise came back. I brought it in, they said they grease bearings. Then the noise came back. I actually notice that they just spray some oil into the area.
They then told me to pay $160 for parts only, (free labor). I refused. I fixed the things myself for $20. The bearing was bad. Replace it with the parts is only $20 bearing. I rented (free) spring compressor from a local auto store.
The same dealers also promised me a new radio/DVD player. They keep saying it's out of order. I pressed hard, they said they wait for a car with something like that to come to plug it out. That's a lie right there. They just changed their story. Then they never deliver. I ended up order one from eBay.
Good thing is that I now learn to fix most of the stuffs of my car now because dealers like that.
Next time I buy car, I buy it from craigslist. Screw dealers. - nutsackninja, on 02/27/2009, -0/+1I bought a sham wow :(
- mike648, on 02/23/2009, -3/+4Most of those unethical auto dealerships deserve to go under.
- Jeebugorn, on 02/23/2009, -0/+1correction - "i'd have to sit through 30 mins of the guy goin "SLAYYSHH ITT!!!" to the prices of his cars" while i was at lunch.
- moduc, on 02/23/2009, -0/+1I laugh so much watching this stupid commercial. The guy tries to con people, but it's right on the TV. When you look at the commercial, there's water around the carpet piece. Then suddenly, it's gone in the next video frame, before he started to put the towel on it.
Such as stupid editing job.
I wonder if there is a way to get these con-people. Sometime, the legal system does get them. There has to be a justified way to get these people. - moduc, on 02/23/2009, -0/+1Aren't they monopoly on the car type you own? Does it matter which dealership you go to? For example, they have computer system that would access your car record any time, which means they can put note on it, and wherever you go, you get a same offer.
Just a guess, but probably not to far off.
Let car manufacturers open up their spec (open cars). Let's all other auto services have similar access to the information, and that's when you have more choices. - geesamba, on 02/23/2009, -0/+1I for one appreciate being able to compare a car in Pittsburgh and be able to leverage that price for a car in Northern Virginia. AutoTrader, Cars.com, etc are giving you all the "competition" you need.
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