You remember the guy....

[Donny Carlson]

who drove his Ford SUV into the dealer showroom and set it on fire?

Here's security camera vid of the incident from inside the show room:

http://www.m90.org/index.php?id=12972

[MarauderMarc]

Thats probably what alot of people wish they could do but dont. Ive felt that way before when I think Ive been screwed. They must have really pissed him off!

[TripleTransAm]

It'll buff out...

[DEFYANT]

Ford should take note of the BS the dealers pull on their customers.

Imagin if we could cut the middle man (dealer) out of the deal. Like mail order your car. Simply pick your options arange the financing with your bank to pay Ford and in "X" time, your car is delivered to your house or youpick it up at a distribution center. It could come with the instructions that the dealer would do to "prep" the car.

I think I'm on to something.

[Dark_Knight7096]

You ever seen "Falling Down"? Yea, kinda like that. Well, figure car dealerships always ram it right through your backdoor, he just wanted to return the favor, that's all.

[TripleTransAm]

Imagin if we could cut the middle man (dealer) out of the deal. Like mail order your car. Simply pick your options arange the financing with your bank to pay Ford and in "X" time, your car is delivered to your house or youpick it up at a distribution center. It could come with the instructions that the dealer would do to "prep" the car.


Interesting idea, but it wouldn't work for me.

Consider the Marauder's suggested retail price.

The sticker on my MM#1 was $49800 CAD which works out to the 2003 equivalent of $33600 US. This was at the time where US cars were already sub-$30k. US MSRP was $35000, right? No fricking way I'd pay that!

So after pitting some dealers against each other in a combat to the death (I wish), the best deal was the $29000 US which ended up being the car we chose.

Same story for my 1998 WS6... $4k CAD below MSRP to bring it to a grand total of $25000 US for a limited edition one-of-3000 car with about 345hp net at the crank, which was being sold for about $4K US ABOVE MSRP in other markets due to high demand. And this wasn't even for a car that was in stock (they tried to get me to take a 1997 WS6 instead, but I stood firm).

No, the dealer is a necessary evil, if you're patient and not afraid to abuse them as needed.


Now, for unsold cars, that's another story... they should be returned to the manufacturer for credit. That way, dealers don't get stuck with manufacturers' mistakes. They don't sell, you ship 'em back and let the mother company worry about it. Best way for the manufacturer to get real and immediate feedback on whether they've overpriced a car. I can imagine awesome prices on leftover cars available straight from a desperate manufacturer. ;)

[Marauder386]

You guys do realise this man committed suicide over this also...dontcha ?

:coolman:

[DEFYANT]

They could eliminate all the BS with the dealers if they simply sell the car for the right MSRP. Currently they set the price high to give the dealer something to work with.

Sell us the car at the cost to build it + a REASONABLE profit.

When you figure in all the BS we as buyers have to do with hagleing and running around to different dealers, we'd save time and money if we could simply order up the car we wanted at the preset price.

If you contract to build a house with a builder, how would you like to have to do so through a real estate agent just because....

[DEFYANT]

You guys do realise this man committed suicide over this also...dontcha ?

:coolman:


I had not heard. That is terrible. I would not want to be a guy who played the shell game of trickery that set this guy off. Regardless of right or wrong on the customers part, the dealers guy will have to live with this.

[TripleTransAm]

Wasn't this the original thread? Did it really end up being 'trickery' or was it just a case of bad bargaining skillz?

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=24677&highlight=dealership+fire

[TripleTransAm]

Sell us the car at the cost to build it + a REASONABLE profit.


Depends on your definition of reasonable. In a few months I'll be having a heart-to-heart discussion with my Director over what's a reasonable salary for the quality (and volume) of work I do for his department... we'll obviously have differing viewpoints on what's 'reasonable'. ;)

Basic model pricing follows this formula:
G + R - E + e / D = final price.

And dealers do serve a useful function in keeping inventory so you can go and abuse ... er, test a sample of what you'd like to buy.
(again, my WS6 serves as an example: I ordered the car based solely on a photo in the brochure, not having seen any real ones and precious few having been delivered by early March 1998 when I say down to spec one out). Only 1 month after my order was accepted by the system (when they unlocked 300 additional vehicles for a total of 3000) did I actually see one up close during a business trip to Chicago. I only got to 'drive' one when I fired my own car up as it was sitting in the plant parking lot awaiting shipment. Talk about nerve wracking!).

Lastly, I guess dealers serve as the marketing arm for the manufacturer. They are the ones who go out there and try to put the cars in your driveways. However, it seems that over the years they went overboard in taking profit on the sales... perhaps out of greed, perhaps out of frustration from getting boned by the manufacturer, who knows...

Best situation: have regional 'stock' centers where you could go test/oggle a car and be served by non-commissioned reps, and then order it straight from the maker. Hopefully, the manufacturer would see fit to price the models in line with reality and not the formula I included above.

[RCSignals]

Ford should take note of the BS the dealers pull on their customers.

Imagin if we could cut the middle man (dealer) out of the deal. Like mail order your car. Simply pick your options arange the financing with your bank to pay Ford and in "X" time, your car is delivered to your house or youpick it up at a distribution center. It could come with the instructions that the dealer would do to "prep" the car.

I think I'm on to something.


I think at one point Sears sold cars that way.

[DEFYANT]

I had not been to that thread, thanks.

I've delt with good dealers and sneaky ones. By far, I enjoyed the CARMAX way of buying a used car best.

Looks like this horse has been flogged already and popular opinion is against me :shrug:

I'd like to know the details on the sale. Either they were slick or he really was dumb....

[LCSO34]

You guys do realise this man committed suicide over this also...dontcha ?

:coolman:

Yes, hung himself in an airplane lavatory from NYC to LA.

[RoyLPita]

That dumb S.O.B. went straight for the blue GT supercar. May he rest in pieces.

[jimlam56]

I had not been to that thread, thanks.

I've delt with good dealers and sneaky ones. By far, I enjoyed the CARMAX way of buying a used car best.

Looks like this horse has been flogged already and popular opinion is against me :shrug:

I'd like to know the details on the sale. Either they were slick or he really was dumb....
I worked for Carmax many years ago, was a sales trainer that traveled to new store openings to initiate the newbies. It was the most honest car seller out there, they wouldn't budge off their posted price for anything, and people respected that. Sure, they made their margin, but they didn't sell junk. Customer service was top notch. Of all the folks I trained, the ones that had the hardest time were ones that had prior car sales experience...they just didn't get the no pressure part...My proudest moment was turning a 55 year old housewife who hadn't worked in 35 years into the top salesperson 3 months running! Honesty is the BEST sales tool!

[MarauderMark]

Well at least this could be used as a good threat when buying a car.:D
you see this guy that was my brother , yeah thats right we come from the same father too.

[dwasson]

Car salesmen are like gongs. They need to beaten regularly.

[TripleTransAm]

Honesty is the BEST sales tool!


I'm in total agreement. So far my dealer-related car purchases were as a result of total honesty, and incredible politeness and respect as well. You could tell they really worked hard for me during the negotiations, which I was not expecting, so I did not hesitate to give them my business. I have not hesitated to completely disengage myself from discussions with a dealer who'd give me the creeps, and the honest ones have benefitted.

[CBT]

Yes, hung himself in an airplane lavatory from NYC to LA.Why? Didn't like the complimentary peanuts?

[TripleTransAm]

Why? Didn't like the complimentary peanuts?

Rather, I don't think he liked the rates he was given by his travel agency.

(and to think, if he had only seen that "I just saved a bunch of car insurance" commercial his life might have just turned right around...)

[ole69]

Let's see
1 - stealership lobby - $500,000
1 - Ford GT - $200,000
6 - assorted other showroom cars - $200,000
1 - order of legal fees - $250,000
1 - count of arson - 15 years
1 - attempted murder - 20 years\
1 - order of restitution - too much


Or how ever it allegedly goes, he did the right thing ( both ways )
As long as he's not rich, sueing his estate would be worthless
I literally live a mile from Metro Ford, I skip them and go to Miami Lincoln Mercury for any thing I need ;)

[Mad1]

Depends on your definition of reasonable. In a few months I'll be having a heart-to-heart discussion with my Director over what's a reasonable salary for the quality (and volume) of work I do for his department... we'll obviously have differing viewpoints on what's 'reasonable'. ;)

I always use the following in negotiations of these types:

There are three choices: Quality, Speed and Price. Pick two to determine their relationship to the third choice.

I.E. If you want a good product in a timely fashion ... don't expect it to come cheaply. Choosing fast and cheap ... generally won't produce the best in terms of quality. A quality job done for a reasonably price ... usually takes a hit in the speed department.

I had a publisher want a quality 500-word essay on a 2-day turnaround ... and it pay'd $500. (A dollar a word is pretty extreme, but you gotta pay up if you want both speed and quality, right? Generally, I get $250 for an 800-word story, but I have several weeks to work on it at my own pace.)