How far is too far to the dealership?

[jcims]

Hi Folks,

Trying to boil down some criteria, and one external factor is dealership quality. I've talked to dealers from all three of my short list manufacturers (one green, two orange), and they have all been very helpful. The problem is that one of them (Kioti) doesn't have a dealership nearby. The closest is almost 100 miles away.

The dealer in question said that they will only charge gas for any transport required for service (pretty awesome if you ask me), but miles are miles. The other two have dealerships within 20 miles.

I'm only going to be using this thing for residential use, so I'm hoping service calls requiring a transport are few and very far between. Honestly the biggest obstacle i see now is getting down there to test drive.

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[ScottK]

200 miles round trip if you want to go get parts for your tractor? Too far with gas prices going up - unless you've got a private helicopter. If you want the best resale potential, stick with the other orange or green.

 

[jcims]

200 miles round trip if you want to go get parts for your tractor? Too far with gas prices going up - unless you've got a private helicopter. If you want the best resale potential, stick with the other orange or green.

Do you usually have to go to the dealer though? Can't Brown handle most parts? (In case it's not obvious, i'm trying to talk myself into thinking that 100 miles isn't a big problem...lol)

 

[ScottK]

You will save money by going to a dealer 100 miles away, because you won't be doing much window shopping later - how's that ?

If you just need a small part, then yeah, brown (UPS) can do it. If you want other useful things like weights - forget it - shipping will cost too much.

 

[RoyJackson]

This is a question that only one person can answer..that's the original poster.
It depends strictly on your circumstances.

 

[Coolnslo]

My dealer is 60 miles. They provide transport for gas cost like yours. They also will make on sight maintenance calls. There is a fee, but the fee is less than the transport charge. Check with your preferred dealer to see if they will do this. I have no problem ordering parts on line and having them delivered. Check this out for your brands before you buy. It might help with your decision. Good Luck!

 

[DK35vince]

200 miles round trip if you want to go get parts for your tractor? Too far with gas prices going up - unless you've got a private helicopter.

Telephone..
I never go to a dealer to get parts. I call on the phone and they are delivered to my door.

 

[sugarmaple]

Well I have one orange dealership 10 minutes away, two 30 , and one 50 miles away, but the best price and service on my most recent parts purchase was 250 miles away. They found a very economical shipper, didn't just go with the first one they found, and palleted the load to be as compact as possible, n/c. Both the salesman and the business owner followed up after the sale, and this was not a huge sale, asking if everything had arrived ok and how my experience had been. Wow! I wonder who I will call for parts in the future? In fairness, the local dealerships each have their strengths and many very, very good people, but this one experience was so positive across the board, it really surprised me.

 

[JerryG]

The way things are today, the only time a distance dealer is a problem is if there is a major problem with your tractor. Every brand has a major problem from time to time, just look back through the forums.

 

[jcims]

Telephone..
I never go to a dealer to get parts. I call on the phone and they are delivered to my door.

Thanks folks for the replies. I guess there's no magic involved, my biggest uncertainty was how many visits would actually be required under normal circumstances (in my mind, no more than one per year, if that). DK35vince's response above is kind of what i thought would be the way to handle basic parts and maintenance items.

Hey Vince, two funny things. DK35 (HST) is basically at the top of the list, and stopping at the gas station at 66 and 322 (Country Fair?) is a tradition on our trek from Columbus to Kane/Ludlow (where i grew up). I actually hit a bear cub about 15 miles north of there on the way home last year. Small world.