Chrysler doesn't want your money

I think it's slightly different in Europe, I've never heard of anything like that.

To be honest though most people here buy 1-3 year old cars that have just had their first MOT, because you get it cheaper (someone takes the depreciation for you) and most faults will have been fixed under warranty before you go near it.
 
NooDle said:
This may be an extreme example, but this is the sort of service I am used to here in .be. perhaps this is pot nossible in the Uwe Ess of Eh?
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Oh it's possible. Just not from 99% of domestic automaker car lots.

I've even had a couple awful experiences with service departments (going in for an alignment and getting a new starter?!? :?), so it's not just sales. Most domestic car lots, and a few imports, just completely fail at policing their dealers. GM, in particular, has been doing this for decades ... and they still don't seem to get the problem.
 
epp_b said:
Are they even allowed to do that? I mean, I know that car dealers make money by raping you for the financing, but, seriously, who doesn't accept cash?
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That doesn't seem right but i dont think there's any laws that keeps a private business from refusing to sell a product to a willing buyer. It's just poor behavoid.
 
tigger said:
GM, in particular, has been doing this for decades ... and they still don't seem to get the problem.
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There's just too many of them to police, and they (or at least someone in upper management) finally figured that out. There's something like ~7,500 GM dealerships nationwide. That's 150 dealerships in every state. Comparatively, Honda has something like 1,000 dealerships nationwide.
 
edkwon said:
That doesn't seem right but i dont think there's any laws that keeps a private business from refusing to sell a product to a willing buyer. It's just poor behavoid.
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I doubt it's illegal but it sure as hell is out the "Bad Business 101" textbook.

If I want to buy something and can pay for it, it's not going to make me feel great about supporting local dealers if they flat-down refuse me. Okay, so they wouldn't make a chunk of profit but they would make something at least - even if it's through the servicing over the years.

Look at Lexus and Daewoo in the UK. Daewoo was very popular due to its 'no-haggling' policy, which simplified everything. And Lexus is renowned for excellent customer service and dealerships (I read a WhatCar mystery shopper report which said "I walked into the dealership, spoke to the salesman, told him what I was after and he showed me a manufacturer printout of what the cars cost for the dealership to buy in, and then he said "Name your price, as long as you leave me some profit".)
 
teeb said:
"I walked into the dealership, spoke to the salesman, told him what I was after and he showed me a manufacturer printout of what the cars cost for the dealership to buy in, and then he said "Name your price, as long as you leave me some profit".)
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I had a similar experience with our old VW dealer. He made something ridiculous like 150? profit on a 15k? car, and was happy with it...
 
NooDle said:
I had a similar experience with our old VW dealer. He made something ridiculous like 150? profit on a 15k? car, and was happy with it...
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Any profit is good profit, yeah? ;)
 
Spectre said:
Apparently there are some GM and Chrysler dealers that would disagree with that.... :p
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Apparently there are some GM and Chrysler dealers that are being dissolved. Coincidence? I think not! :p
 
Dogbert said:
Apparently there are some GM and Chrysler dealers that are being dissolved. Coincidence? I think not! :p
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Can't happen fast enough for me.

One of the things that keeps dragging my family back to the Jaguar marque is that while there are *some* bad dealerships (some of which are *really* bad) bearing the Jaguar brand in the US, they are not par for the course. The only brand that's given us a consistently good experience (in general) is Jaguar. A case of you get what you pay for, I suppose. :dunno: To be fair, the Jaguar dealership population got winnowed down several times from 75-90, so the survivors at least meet some minimum standard.
 
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Speaking of dealerships going under, I've read that GM sent out a video/email/whatever to all their Saturn dealerships telling them not to worry, and they're actually trying to find a company who would be interested in a ready-made dealership network in the US.
 
Dogbert said:
Speaking of dealerships going under, I've read that GM sent out a video/email/whatever to all their Saturn dealerships telling them not to worry, and they're actually trying to find a company who would be interested in a ready-made dealership network in the US.
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If that's true, my guess is that they'll sell out to the Chinese.

Which means that I'll win a bet with some union idiot that said that the first bailout would mean that none of GM would have to be sold off and would "protect our jobs!"

Second guess: Fiat or Peugeot.
 
I thought Fiat was going into some Chrysler dealerships?
 
From what I was reading, it's not actually a done deal yet.

Besides, does anyone *really* think that Chrysler will actually live that long?
 
If Fiat snatches up 30-odd percent of Chrysler, I do. Or at least, their dealer network will be in-tact enough for Fiat to slide some cars in before grass comes in through the foundations.
 
Spectre said:
From what I was reading, it's not actually a done deal yet.

Besides, does anyone *really* think that Chrysler will actually live that long?
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I've been meaning to post this for ages.

Here is a page from Chrysler's viability plan submitted to the US gov't.

...what the shit? A five year old with MS Publisher could do better...that's absolutely terrible design. (The plan page itself, not the 'new 300C').
 
teeb said:
...what the shit? A five year old with MS Publisher could do better...that's absolutely terrible design. (The plan page itself, not the 'new 300C').
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Actually, both.
 
Our Honda dealer will import you one from Japan and spec it for the UK if it is not available here - some civics and Odysees have been done like that. It seems that they have some special relationship with Honda in Japan.

All our dealers will 'bite your hand off' if you wave readies at them.
 
Just like the VW dealer I was in a few weeks ago. I asked to test-drive a TDi Jetta (09), and the dealer said "We don't want to put extra mileage on our cars. Why don't you drive this 08 Malibu instead?"

Guess who is not getting my money..
 
You are kidding me? Seriously WTF!

You live in the land of Capitalism but it seems from the point of view of car dealers, at least, to be going to hell in a hand basket!

/EDIT Want to book a test drive in the UK?

https://www.volkswagen.co.uk/book-a-test-drive

there you go. Quiky seriously that is madness!
 
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