Comments on: Car Dealers Reeling From Forced Closures

Many To-Be-Shuttered Chrysler Dealers Offering Deep Discounts To Avoid Bankruptcy

[brianbwb-2009]

"I'm angry," Signore said. "This is my asset - they're stealing it away from me."

Who's stealing it?

[brianbwb-2009]

"This is my retirement ripped right out of my hands," Signore said.

Sounds like "entitlement frustration" to me...

[rhs648]

The dealers knew well in advance that the company was in dire straits, as most consumers did. The dealer in this story waited until the last minute to prepare for the inevitable, and got nailed, it is his fault, and no one else.

More convoluted thinking and illogical rationalizations. The dealers did not know which dealers would be closed. Dealers could only wait until they received word from the manufacturers. Do you expect them to turn on a dime. If your employer tells you on Thursday that your job will be terminated on Friday, is that enough notice to satisfy you?

[brianbwb-2009]

"... And some of us don't have sympathy for people who miss payments or pay them late or get over their heads in debt." Posted by rhs648

That's right, and the rest of us also have no sympathy for a company that overpays upper management, cooks the books, sell useless product, then finds themselves also over their heads in debt.

[brianbwb-2009]

"...If they loose their dealership with Chevrolet is it not possible thay may become a Toyota dealership?" Posted by Squirrel_Dawg

Entirely possible, but not very likely, the problem is that ever since the 1970s, Americans have been losing their earning and spending power, now it is less than 20% of what it was in 1972.

The fact that US car companies insisted on making gas-guzzling, poor quality products and overcharged for them, helped the foreign companies gain a foothold, but the underlying factor in this is that the US economy, which has contracted for the Average American for the past 40 years, makes it difficult, if not impossible for people to buy a new car.

How do you sell cars to people who cannot afford them? Even Toyota, and the others cannot do this.

[brianbwb-2009]

The dealers knew well in advance that the company was in dire straits, as most consumers did. The dealer in this story waited until the last minute to prepare for the inevitable, and got nailed, it is his fault, and no one else.

The neo kkk idiots trying to blame this on the president ignore that this is the result of years of corporate corruption, intransigence, and the futile attempt to continue a business model that was OK in the 1960s, but had long since become obsolete.

No real story here, the contributor would have better served by showing how it was the blind trust in a crooked corporation, combined with hubris, that created this situation.

"You had to take more cars to qualify for incentives," Signore said.

That is like a casino in Vegas saying that if you bet more, they will throw in a complimentary meal. Go for it if you want, but if you lose the bet, was the meal worth it?

[rhs648]

I don't have any sympathy for any car dealer. I think they all feed the customer a line of crap telling them this has to be and they can't sell the car without that going with it. Well what goes around comes around guys..... BITE THE BULLET.
Posted by number1GI

And some of us don't have sympathy for people who miss payments or pay them late or get over their heads in debt.

[rhs648]

At one time in the history of automobile marketing there were a few vehicles on dealers' lots called 'demonstrators'. A prospective customer would be given a ride and a test drive. If you wanted a test ride/drive in another, okay. If you wanted to buy, you sat down with the salesman and picked out things like the upholstery, car color, engine size, etc. Your car was built to order, and delivered in about six weeks. No, you couldn't drive it off the lot this afternoon. But, the overhead costs for the dealer were lower. There were no huge lots loaded with floor-planned vehicles, sales forces and people standing around like vultures waiting for prey. Of course, the downside was that you had to wait for the new car to arrive. It was actually exciting. Ah yes, the good ol' days.
Posted by riob678


riob678 - This would not sit well with the soundbite generation who have to have instant gratification. Instant gratification is partly why so many people are in debt and our economy is in such poor condition. In my case, we started with an apartment, then an inexpensive home, then a step-up home, and finally an expensive home. This took thirty years, a lot of patience, and discipline to save money each week. Too many young people feel entitled to skip steps and start at the top.

[number1GI]

I don't have any sympathy for any car dealer. I think they all feed the customer a line of crap telling them this has to be and they can't sell the car without that going with it. Well what goes around comes around guys..... BITE THE BULLET.

[Squirrel_Dawg]

I have a question... Will this not open the door in rural America where a Chrysler dealer or Chevrolet dealer has been in operation for over 70 years to be courted by Toyota, Nissan, or maybe Volkswagen? They have car lots in the small towns that have been there for 70 years with faithful customers. If they loose their dealership with Chevrolet is it not possible thay may become a Toyota dealership?

[riob678]

At one time in the history of automobile marketing there were a few vehicles on dealers' lots called 'demonstrators'. A prospective customer would be given a ride and a test drive. If you wanted a test ride/drive in another, okay. If you wanted to buy, you sat down with the salesman and picked out things like the upholstery, car color, engine size, etc. Your car was built to order, and delivered in about six weeks. No, you couldn't drive it off the lot this afternoon. But, the overhead costs for the dealer were lower. There were no huge lots loaded with floor-planned vehicles, sales forces and people standing around like vultures waiting for prey. Of course, the downside was that you had to wait for the new car to arrive. It was actually exciting. Ah yes, the good ol' days.

[Riteaidbob3]

Hugo Chavez Obama will go down as the most destructive President ever.

[elz523]

So Nobama thinks FIAT is going to save Chrysler. What a joke that is. Shows you what a boob he really is. If Mercedes Benz could not save Chrysler what makes that boob you all voted for think ---Fix It Again Tony---Fiat will save them? LMAO!!

My advice? If you need a new car and intend to keep it till it's worthless then buy a New Chrysler/Jeep. If your thinking of selling it in 3 to 5 years better buy something else. Nobody is going to give you squat for a Chryslafat!
Posted by thgdriver at 6:21 AM : May 24, 2009

Why would anyone listen to the advice of a right wing patsy? Just having a right wing point of view shows that your judgment is clouded and intelligence questionable.

Obama inherited the auto mess. Nothing he would do would escape the criticism of the right wing. If he had let them fail (which, by the way they are in bankruptcy) and their jobs and the jobs of their suppliers go away, the rights position would be the opposite of what it is today. That's hypocrisy, that's the right wing.

[rhs648]

Automobile dealers are going to court over the forced closing of their dealerships. The forced closings under the auspices of the government may amount to illegal seizure of their franchises. Whether a dealer sells one car or a thousand cars, market forces dictate whether they can stay in business. It should be obvious to everyone that the government has been pulling the strings and telling GM and Chrysler what they must do. This type of control by government is almost unheard of in America. The idea that any corporation is too big to fail defies logic and is an affront to the American people. Before you glorify the forced closings of dealerships and the owner's loss of money, remember that your property could be seized or liquidated at some time in the future. Even if you don't like a car dealership or the brands they sell, you don't have to buy their products.

[rhs648]

The world of selling cars has long needed a makeover. Companies like Saturn have the right idea with the no haggle pricing and other dealers need to follow. This, "let me talk to my manager" nonsense drags out an already long process and makes it horrible.
Posted by YCantWeAllGetAlong

Having purchased a Saturn in 2000, it was one of my bigger mistakes. The resale value was a disaster after three years. If the no haggle idea is so great, why didn't Saturn do better? The answer. So so quality and very low resale value.

[babooph]

The dealers should be told to make a deal or do without-that's what they told their customers for years.

[thgdriver]

And if everybody did what you suggested and bought a new Chrysler/Jeep, wouldn't that keep the company in business.

3 to 5 years from now Chryslafat will be nonexistent, Take that to the bank my friend. I only hope 5 years from now America has a new man in the white house.

[thgdriver]

So Nobama thinks FIAT is going to save Chrysler. What a joke that is. Shows you what a boob he really is. If Mercedes Benz could not save Chrysler what makes that boob you all voted for think ---Fix It Again Tony---Fiat will save them? LMAO!!

My advice? If you need a new car and intend to keep it till it's worthless then buy a New Chrysler/Jeep. If your thinking of selling it in 3 to 5 years better buy something else. Nobody is going to give you squat for a Chryslafat!

[b-gene]

"This is my retirement ripped right out of my hands," Signore said.

1-800-WAH-WAAH.

[YCantWeAllGetAlong]

While I am not surprised at what Chrysler has done, I hope that those in a position of power in that company lose everything. Treating people like Greg Signore, with 60 years dedicated to Chrysler, like they are will ensure that I never buy anything by them. It's horrible what they are doing.

The world of selling cars has long needed a makeover. Companies like Saturn have the right idea with the no haggle pricing and other dealers need to follow. This, "let me talk to my manager" nonsense drags out an already long process and makes it horrible.