You make another outstanding point Andy...why do the car dealerships have to
be such con artists? That goes for the foreign car dealerships as well,
they try to take you for all they have. They just hate it that Carmax and
Saturn treat everyone the same. The last new car we bought was at Carmax
and it was so different, it was pleasant, though later, they tried to stick
it to us on a service.
Rascal
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-dakota-truck@bent.twistedbits.net
[mailto:owner-dakota-truck@bent.twistedbits.net] On Behalf Of Andy Levy
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 11:27 AM
To: dakota-truck@dakota-truck.net
Cc: dakota-truck-moderator@bent.twistedbits.net
Subject: Re: DML: OT: Drive a Ford or get off the lot.
On 2/2/06, Bill Pitz <dakota@billpitz.com> wrote:
> I do agree that quality is a major issue for American car companies.
> Even if they have improved quality in the last 5-10 years, they still
> have to deal with market perceptions that they build garbage that
> doesn't last. I have definitely seen that quality has gone up in most
> American cars recently, but I'm still not entirely comfortable with
> them. When we were recently looking for a new car for my other half, we
> looked at over 30 different cars (many American) and eventually we
> decided hands down on a Honda.
I'm starting to feel like it's more about the quality of the dealer
than the quality of the vehicle. Obviously you have to shop around
and find the vehicle that's right for you, avoid anything that has a
seriously bad history, etc. but *any* car/automaker can have a bad
batch - but I think it's how the problems are handled, and in general
how the dealer handles you, the customer, that'll drive your
experience with your car.
> I for one hope that the current trends in the auto market continue so
> that only those who really deserve a place in the market will make it.
I'd love to see that extend to dealerships as well. 2 recent examples:
The manual for Marci's Hyundai states she's due for a fuel filter
change at 52K. We called the dealer, they said "oh, we never do
those, you'll be fine." Next time we were in there for an oil change,
it was shown right up on their price board - fuel filter change,
$59.95. I checked around - yes, you're supposed to do it. Just one
more time I've caught these guys behing dishonest. If not for the
free oil changes, we'd never darken their doorstep again.
The Toyota dealership right next door refused to even *talk* to my
brother in law - he was looking at moving up from his '97 Taco to a
newer one, or a Tundra. They wouldn't give him the time of day.
Toyota was on my list of potential Hyundai replacements (my feelings
towards her car are no secret around here), and still is - but I won't
go to that dealership.
> If Ford, GM, and DC can't figure out how to build products that meet the
> market's demands, they deserve to go out of business.
Again, I'd like to extend that to dealers. Dealers are the
automakers' representatives in the field - if they're not putting a
good image forward, the home office will suffer. Fortunately, most
people are close enough to multiple dealers that they can (if they're
aware that they're allowed to) take their business elsewhere and get
the same product but with better service. But if your dealers are
consistently turning people off in areas where you don't have much
market penetration (there are only 2 Hyundai dealers in our area, and
only one is close enough to go to for service), you will lose owner
loyalty sales. The market not only demands products that meet its
needs, it demands quality servicing of those products.
> Build something that people don't want to buy and you'll have a hard
> time selling it. Build a quality product that people want and you won't
> be able to keep it on the lot.
I think every automaker, but especially Ford and GM, is still trying
to figure out what people want, and throwing a lot of stuff at the
wall to see what sticks. Further complicated by gas prices in the
last few years - '95-'02, the answer was simple - "people want trucks
and SUVs." But now, people are moving away from those - but into
what?
There's a lot of junk out there. There are *so many* vehicles out
there that are answers to questions no one asked - whole brands in
some cases (Hummer, anyone?).
And then there are other automakers who have a huge potential market
they could tap into, but are ignoring it entirely. Subaru, for
example, could probably make a killing on a larger car - not the B9
Tribeca minivan/SUV/whatver it is, but a *car* that's bigger than the
Legacy/Outback. I'm sure there are lots of people who need more space
than the Legacy offers, but don't want something as SUV-like as the
B9. Large AWD wagon/sedan sales are going to the Dodge, Chrysler and
Ford offerings instead.
> Hopefully some of the American automakers will figure out how to do this
> and evolve as stronger organizations as a result.
So far, DC is the only one of the Big Three that's even approaching
this right now. GM is about to start a truck/SUV blitz with the new
full-size platform, which could help them - if gas prices weren't so
high. Pontiac is the only really "inspiring" brand they have right
now, aside from the 'Vette.
-- Andy http://home.rochester.rr.com/alevy/ --- Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. -George S. Patton
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