Where you buy and where you go for service

[chh]

My closest MF dealer is 45 miles away, with an office(sales, parts,& no shop) about 25 miles away. They ticked me off last summer over not seeming to be able to fix a new tractor under warranty. They finally bought it back(purchase price back on another model) after several trips. I went to using a dealer about 50 miles away in another direction that I had bought a bunch of hay equipment from last winter and also bought a Montana from him a couple of months later. All of the routine service work I do myself. The only problem I had with the Montana so far they sent a tech to my house to check out and fix. IMO if you have to load and haul it to have it fixed it doesn't matter if it is 5 miles or 50 as long as it is a good shop that will make sure it is fixed the first time. If I need a part they can have it to me UPS within 2 days(usually overnight, regular shipping rate) if I don't want to make the run up there.

 

[AKfish]

I just might have the record for buying from a "non-local" dealer. I bought my tractor in Georgia.

As was pointed out - if you buy new; it's not a major concern and the need to "sit on the seat" is not critical.

My local dealer can be warm and cold.. Unfortunately, they have a business strategy of believing in the principle of a "captive" market and do not genuinely attempt to meet the customer "half-way" on a purchase.

So... after much effort on my part to facilitate a "local sale" (I was willing to eat $2K; they were more than $6K higher than the GA quote) I loaded up my truck and drove nearly 6,000 miles (round-trip) to pick up my new tractor.

The end-result is --- they NOW know that I "say what I mean and mean what I say" and if I don't believe they're dealing with me fairly; I use the door...

AKfish

 

[MossRoad]

I bought mine factory direct. No dealers anywhere except the factory. Made in W. Virginia. If something needs maintenance or repair, I do it myself. I enjoy that kind of work, though. Some folks do not enjoy it. Some folks do not know how. Some folks do not want to learn it. And some folks need the machine repaired ASAP to make money with it. Many reasons for and against doing it yourself.

 

[LBrown59]

I bought my BX23 in WV.
The 2 bx1500s in KY.
Never have had to take any of the 3 to any dealer.

 

[JohnDeere4300]

I bought my tractor with backhoe from a local...20 mile, done all my
business with him with warranty, Backhoe jack kept leaking, he would pack the jack, it would leak... he worked on the same jack several times, while under warranty he would keep it for a week on little simple things.

Many people was fed up with him, he just had one service man and
allot of people in line waiting on there tractors, then he started selling
Bombardier atvs and it really got bad with him, i had many people stop me in his parking lot wanting to know how i felt about him.

Then i got a letter in the mail from the main office of JD, asking me how i felt about him, i told them i was sick of him. they told me to find another dealer with better service and management.

I have three different dealers within 100 miles of me, i was still having problems with the BH jack and my warranty had expired, i then hauled my tractor 75 miles to another dealer, still having problems with the jack, this dealer has 13 service men and a much bigger place.
They found pits in the jack, ask me if i took a hammer to it... the pits was on the bottom of the jack, every time the jack went in/out it would let oil out from the pits, they put in a new shaft 3 years ago no leaks any more, then i bought some attachments from this dealer.

Then after my warranty expired i started doing my own service, i went back to the first dealer to get 5 gallon of oil, and it was $96. when i got home i called the dealer 75 miles away..~oil was $62.

So figure buying diesel to drive___75mile__ for oil, filters,..etc. and
your still in the hole.
I was at a trailer sales last week and across the road is the dealer that i bought my tractor from, i know the trailer dealer very well, i was there hanging out a while, we noticed two 18 wheelers pull in at
the JD dealer, they loaded up 3 tractors on one and buckets, bush hogs, tillers....etc. on the other truck and left,~~he may be done~
So the way i look at it, a person paying allot of money for a tractor
had better find a good dealer,__hard to do these days__.

The next buy i do from~JD~ i will ask allot of questions.

Bill______

 

[john_bud]

Bought local.

Service even more local - back yard.

Nice thing with nearly all Kubota and JD machines is that they don't need much at all outside of fluids, filters and a couple adjustments now and again.

A lot of times if you are in farm country, there will be a guy that is known to be a good wrench and can fix most any thing cheaper and faster than the dealer. So once the warranty period is over, you will probably either find him or do it yourself anyway.

 

[bandit67]

I bought from a dealer in Kentucky that delivered it to me in Colorado. Why? Because after I moved, the nearest dealer came with less than desireable recommendations from a lot of local homeowners that told me they felt like second rate customers behind all the big contractors, and it would take 3 weeks to a month and a half to get service done.

The salesman I spoke with gave me pricing, but only after I made repeated attempts to contact him - he didn't seem too interested in following up with me, and never initiated calls, and often didn't return calls. I also had stopped in to that dealer once looking for the salesman, but he was out, so I spoke with another salesman that didn't know a whole lot about what he was supposed to be selling. Just didn't get very good vibes from them.

My previous dealer's salesman also seemed to be too busy to give me a price, even after repeated calls & emails - he kept forgetting, or telling me he'd get right on it. I never did get a price from him. It was odd, as he was very accommodating just 3 years earlier when I bought a machine from him. That dealer is now 2.5 hours away from me. That dealer also focused more on construction and large farm equipment, and I think at the time, had a lot of sales going on with the big equipment, and let the smaller purchases fall through the cracks.

So I purchased from a dealer 1300 miles away who was extremely quick to respond and very helpful. Plus, he had a Colorado connection as his wife's family is from here, and they visit the state often. So far, I've had no need to get my machine serviced, but if a big repair that I can't handle ever comes up, I may try the nearby service dept, or will go back to the service dept that is now 2.5 hours from me, as I was happy with their work in the past.

If you find a good local dealer, then go with them. But if you get a bad feeling from them during the research and pricing period, then chances are you'll get that same type of service if you buy from them, and so if you can save enough by buying long distance, then that may be the way to go. Go with your gut, and if you can save some money in the process, all the better.

 

[canoetrpr]

Other than getting references from current customers that actually have had a local dealer go the extra mile, I think it is near impossible to tell whether or not it is worth paying additional $ to buy from a local dealer.

I'd say a net of $500-$750 (all things considered) would be my limit on a $20+k machine that I would be willing to pay extra for a great local dealer who I knew from references that I trusted was really great. Most of the time, you just don't know IMHO and in that case I'd keep the extra money in my pocket.

My experience with the dealer I bought from was less than pleasant. They are no longer a Kubota dealer. I do all the service myself and if something needs fixing, chances are pretty good I will be able to handle it myself as well. If I cannot, I think I will seek out a local mechanic. There isn't that much to most of the tractors we drive that really needs specialized care in a dealer's shop. I have the shop manual and will gladly share that with a local mechanic if I need him to do some specific work on my tractor which involves more than I am comfortable doing.

If I had a tractor that required so much servicing that I had to be concerned about my proximity to the dealer, I'd get another tractor!

I think it is more important that you have a dealer that will be responsive to you concerns, questions etc. even if he is a phone call or an email away - rather than one that is physically located close to you but is no where near as responsive.

For this reason, when it comes time to upgrade to a new tractor, I will look not only locally but also in the USA for the best deal I can find, after all costs are considered. I won't hesitate to buy elsewhere if it saves me money and will be even more inclined to if I find what I want at one of the dealers that have a good reputation on this forum like Barlows, Messick, Wallace etc.

 

[Thumper & Buttercup]

My Dealer is 25 miles away,

My first dealing with him was about 5 years ago, a used ford finishing mower, a friend told me about the no interest loans in 07 on a DX25E, went in and he gave me a real good trade in sight unseen on my Ford 9N.

A couple months ago we traded in the DX and a JD60 on the T2220, the way they have taken care of us and delt with us we are a customer for life. We get all our parts from them also.

Even got me thinking of trading in the IH1066 on a newer tractor in a couple years maybe.

 

[LBrown59]

Buying local wonn't do much good if you happen to move very far away.