Feb 2010 New Pickup Sales

[bdeboer]

Well I hope your wrong else just like the post office (if they get their way) you wont be able to get parts or shop for a car on Saturdays

JB.

I'd be more worried about the service manager going "postal".

 

[bdeboer]

I think that has a lot to due with where you live. Many have lost GM based jobs here so its a hard sale for GM products living in the mid west auto belt. I am sure things are different in Texas, Connecticut, ect.

Chris

Here (central ohio) the strange thing is that the Toyota dealers seem to be offering the best discounts on their new trucks. A friend was having issues with a local GMC dealer not wanting to honor a coupon that came in the mail on an ordered truck at the time of sale. I was looking online with him for left over '09 trucks etc. and was impressed by the discounts the Toyota dealers were offering. He did end up buying the ordered GMC two weeks after the fact when the dealer called back and said they would honor the coupon. This probably had something to do with the end of the month.

He started looking at buying something a couple of years old with low mileage. The pricing on these trucks still seems to be within a couple of grand of new.

He was seriously considering a Tundra. He test drove one at a local dealership and said he would think about it. By the time he got home the dealership had left a message increasing the out the door price by a $1,000 due to a mistake. He called a second dealership and asked about a couple of their trucks with "special" internet pricing. The salesman said they couldn't test drive them because of the accelerator fix hadn't been done yet. They would call in a couple of days when the trucks were ready. The dealership didn't call, so he calls the salesman back. The trucks had both been sold.

The he returns to the GMC dealership to pay for the truck and they still tried to change the agreed upon out the door price when he was paying for the truck.

My question is?? The economy sucks, what is wrong with these dealerships?

I also forgot to mention that he was a cash buyer, had sold his existing truck etc.

 

[Bird]

you wont be able to get parts or shop for a car on Saturdays

You know, in many ways, our blue laws have been repealed, but in Texas, car dealers cannot sell vehicles on both Saturday and Sunday. They can be open one of those days, but not both. Naturally, nearly all are closed on Sunday. And that law only exists because the car dealers wanted it that way. After all, if I'm a dealer, I'd like to have a day off, but I can't take that day off if other dealers are open because they'll take my business.

I haven't asked anyone about it, but my local Ford dealer has more GM and Chrysler products on the used car lot than I've ever seen at a Ford dealer

I said that just from the impression I got driving around their lot a couple of times in the last week, but now Chris made me curious so I checked their inventory list of "Pre-Owned" vehicles. Ford - 51, GM - 10, Chrysler - 8, Honda - 2, Hyndai - 2, Kia - 5, Mazda - 1, Nissan - 2, Toyota - 4, and VW - 1. So, 18 GM & Chrysler products isn't as many as I would have guessed. Incidentally, this Ford dealer is on I-35E and within 3 miles, there is a dealer for each and every one of those brands, except the VW. For a Volkswagen dealer, you'd have to go about 10 miles.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Here (central ohio) the strange thing is that the Toyota dealers seem to be offering the best discounts on their new trucks. A friend was having issues with a local GMC dealer not wanting to honor a coupon that came in the mail on an ordered truck at the time of sale. I was looking online with him for left over '09 trucks etc. and was impressed by the discounts the Toyota dealers were offering. He did end up buying the ordered GMC two weeks after the fact when the dealer called back and said they would honor the coupon. This probably had something to do with the end of the month.

He started looking at buying something a couple of years old with low mileage. The pricing on these trucks still seems to be within a couple of grand of new.

He was seriously considering a Tundra. He test drove one at a local dealership and said he would think about it. By the time he got home the dealership had left a message increasing the out the door price by a $1,000 due to a mistake. He called a second dealership and asked about a couple of their trucks with "special" internet pricing. The salesman said they couldn't test drive them because of the accelerator fix hadn't been done yet. They would call in a couple of days when the trucks were ready. The dealership didn't call, so he calls the salesman back. The trucks had both been sold.

The he returns to the GMC dealership to pay for the truck and they still tried to change the agreed upon out the door price when he was paying for the truck.

My question is?? The economy sucks, what is wrong with these dealerships?

I also forgot to mention that he was a cash buyer, had sold his existing truck etc.

I would have walked on all of them. I go in telling them in they have one chance to get me in the vehicle or I am walking and no more than 5 minutes. Give me the bottom line out the door price and they will have a sale contract in 15 minutes. When I bought my Titan I showed up at 9am when they opened. I had looked at the truck when the dealer was closed. I offered them 5 grand less than sticker and told them just that. The sales lady went and got the sales manager and we had a deal in about 3 minutes. It does not always work. I have walked more than I have bought and never stepped foot back on the lot.

I have found dealing on the last weekend of the month at the time the doors open is the best. They are trying to end the month on a bang and selling one in the first 5 minutes makes them think this is going to be a great day.

The games with the GM is what my uncle went though 2 years ago. He was driving a 05 Expedition and wanted a Suburban. They jacked him all around so he walked across the street and bought a F-150 and was in and out in under 1 1/2 hours.

Chris

 

[dodge man]

First off, you have to look at more than 1 months sales. Maybe Dodge had a strong Feb. last years and a weak one this year, I doubt it but you never know. 20 years ago Dodge had pretty weak truck sales and when they added the Cummins and then redesigned in 1994 it really boasted the sales.

The telling stat to me is Chevy and GMC. Ford has always bragged that they had the best selling truck with the F150, but the fact was Chevy and GMC added together always sold more than Ford, that doesn't appear to be the case anymore.

 

[bdeboer]

I would have walked on all of them. I go in telling them in they have one chance to get me in the vehicle or I am walking and no more than 5 minutes. Give me the bottom line out the door price and they will have a sale contract in 15 minutes. Chris

He did walk twice, and had ordered the truck the way he wanted it. 2 wheel drive 1500 crew cab GMC 6.2L towing package etc. He was replacing an '05 1500 HD chevy 2 wheel drive. Around here there are very few 2 wheel drive trucks on the lots. Did not want 4 wheel drive.

I think after getting jacked around at the two toyota dealerships he decided to wait them out a little. He did check out the local Ford dealer, they wouldn't talk to him about anything that wasn't on the lot.

I have had good luck with the end of the month purchases myself, and have had out the door prices change during final paper work at a different dealership.

 

[flusher]

I haven't asked anyone about it, but my local Ford dealer has more GM and Chrysler products on the used car lot than I've ever seen at a Ford dealer. I don't know whether they're trade-ins or whether he's buying them somewhere, but he has a big supply of late model GM and Chrysler products on hand.

My local Ford guy is the biggest truck dealer in northern CA. And he's been a Dodge/Chrysler dealer for the past 3-4 years and last year he bought the Chevy/GMC dealership in town. Talk about one-stop shopping.

 

[dgl24087]

My local Ford guy is the biggest truck dealer in northern CA. And he's been a Dodge/Chrysler dealer for the past 3-4 years and last year he bought the Chevy/GMC dealership in town. Talk about one-stop shopping.

Same here, a dealer about 9 miles from my house has Ford, Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep, Chevrolet, Toyota/Scion, Kia, Subaru, and Mitsubishi all in one location.

 

[Duffster]

It is my understanding that in the Fox Valley, Bergstrom sells every brand of auto there is.

 

[the forgotten man]

the bail outs are exactly why i wont buy a GM or Chrysler.. period