Spectre
The Deported
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2007
- Messages
- 36,832
- Location
- Dallas, Texas
- Car(s)
- 00 4Runner | 02 919 | 87 XJ6 | 86 CB700SC
I had the same experience looking for a truck a few years ago. All I wanted was a work package 1/2 ton with a 5.3 and a manual transmission, and a few other things that were on the option list. I went to 3-4 different dealers, and no one would order me one. "Oh, we've got lots of 4x4s, and automatics on the lot ..." FFS, when the dealers won't even sell cars ... yeah, time for new management.
As for 'helping to save the Big 3', I'd amend that to just 'help save GM'. Ford's probably fine and supposedly Chrysler is okay too. GM has shafted consumers for the last 20-30 years and it sounds like, from what Wagoner was spewing in front of Congress, that he still hasn't figured out that they, not the market, screwed up. I wouldn't consider buying a new GM vehicle until Wagoner and the UAW are gone, and they purge their dealer network of idiots.
Yup, GM didn't police their dealers or hold them to a code of conduct. They need to flush the entire company (as in rinse out with great torrents of figurative water, as opposed to "down the toilet") and then chop about 6000 of their 7000 dealers. Honda has about 1000 US dealers. Toyota has, IIRC, about 1500. The remaining dealers need to be few enough in number that they are easy for corporate to police but numerous enough that they have to fight over every customer. They also need to say "screw you Detroit" and move their HQ to some place that isn't in the "rah rah American carz are da best you betcha" belt so they can *really* see what people want, what people are *really* buying, and be able to hear real criticism of their products.