In this day and age, one of he WORST things that can happen is to get a full compliment of brands in a given market area. At least that's what has happened here. Once upon a time, tractor/farm equipment dealers were a very localized business. With the reduced numbers of actual "production agriculture" farms, the equipment sales business has changed dramatically. Nowdays it's all about the "big boys", both farmers and dealers. The home-owner/ranchette/hobby farmer equipment market is so competitive (even cut-throat) that dealers feel they need a volume sales to survive. All that has led to a more "regional" sales base. With a full line-up of brands/dealers competing for a relatively limited market, too many dealers in one market effectively put each other out of business. At that point it becomes an "only the strong survive" atmosphere.
I live a short distance south of Louisville Kentucky. So, essentially I'm in the Louisville Metro area market. We have one full line John Deere dealer that's actually one of 5 outlets in a chain scattered throughout the state, a Deere industrial/commercial equipment dealer, and a few lawn and garden equipment dealers. When this Deere dealer came on the local scene 3 years ago, they forced 2 GREAT old time Deere dealers out of business. (Deere's corporate policy of promoting large "superstores" as opposed to smaller low volume dealers....) There's a great NH dealership with an also ran about 20 miles north of Louisville. The Kubota dealer in town is one of a chain throughout Northern Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Kioti has virtually disappeared after the one lone dealer went belly up. Massey Ferguson has 3 dealers, located on the extreme fringes of the Metro area, all 3 being excellent smaller dealerships. What was possibly the best dealership in the area, a FarmTrac retailer, has all but closed his doors. We have a wide assortment. Minhandra has made a couple attempts in the area but just hasn't really caught on here. Montana has a "dealer" such as it is, more or less just a guy who sells tractors out of his home. Range out a few miles into the rural areas, say 40 miles or so from the Metro area's borders, and you'll find a few smaller dealers still surviving, but non that are thriving.
But... NONE of them are really thriving. The Deere and Kubota dealers do OK, but rely on their network of stores to total a larger sales volume. The Massey dealers are doing fine because of their old fashioned small town family run business approach. Beyond that, they're all beating each other to death. We would be better off with a few LESS brands, or at the very least, a few less dealers. Competition is a good thing UNLESS all the players beat each other senseless.
Out of all these dealers, the LEAST likely one to give a buyer a bargain is the "big box" John Deere dealer. (less than 5 miles from my house) I've bought one tractor from them, and other than service, I won't be returning. The MOST likely to provide a bargain? The oldest, smallest, most low keyed one of the lot, a Massey Ferguson dealer who's been around since they sold Ferguson TO-20's back in 1950. Still in the same old building, still the same family running it. (3rd generation now involved) Big, fancy, modern, high profile is good in booming economic times. But, NEWS FLASH!!!! We aren't having that sort of times right now. The low overhead, low pressure old school guys are "business as usual" right now.
And no matter how good or bad the product is, no matter how much advertising dollars are spent on a corporate level, if you don't get a good deal and great support on a local DEALER LEVEL, you won't be happy with your purchase long term.
one of the Kubota dealerships was run by a company that has/had the reputation of being a jerk and not taking care of what customers they did have. the other one that gave it a go was a guy that his family is in the car business, so he thought he would get in the tractor business. the thing is, he knew squat about the tractor business! running a tractor dealership IS NOT the same as running a car dealership, and I guess that was his biggest mistake. I was too young when the Case dealership was in business, but have heard that they just couldn't compete. whatever that means, never heard of any other reason other then that one. i long for the day when someone who knows what they're doing brings a Kubota, NH, MF, etc. dealership near me and it's here to stay. 
