Zombie said:

---

I will never understand this. I was in the car business for years before I got into media. Why are car dealers considered crooks when trying to mark up their inventory 3-5% above cost and trying to make a profit? Do you go into Bestbuy and demand to pay cost for a TV they have marked up 200%? Do you go into Dillards and demand to pay cost for a suit they have marked up 400% over cost? No. Then why is it okay to do this at a car dealership and why are they crooks for wanting to make a profit just like any other RETAIL store in the world?

---

Quote:

---

Marc, who owns this dealership, and Freddie, who runs it, both know that most people do not trust car dealers. Most people think that they're ripping us off, throwing on extra charges, milking us for every dime. And they say, if you and I only knew the reality, we would see that, in fact, the dealer is not making a killing off us.

In fact, the dealer is often squeaking by with a very thin profit margin. They say it is all very different from what people think. And to prove their point, they let us watch, a bunch of us from our radio show. We recorded them as they headed towards the end of the month, trying to make their goal, trying to sell 129 cars, which-- you would think that would be very straightforward, very businesslike. After all, new cars and trucks, they're 15% of all retail sales.

But if what we saw was typical, what that means is that hundreds of billions of dollars in economic activity and nearly 2 million jobs exist thanks only to millions of messy, seat-of-the-pants deals, many of which barely come together, as salesmen sweat out their end of the month quotas. It is way more chaotic than we expected.

---

Slocum on a mobile said:

---

So, like many of you, I refuse to "buy local" when it comes to automobiles.

---

Slocum on a mobile said:

---

So, the Hyundai dealership in Bryan refuses to work on my wife's car. We bought it in Brenham, and got it for about $7000 less then Sterling was asking for the car when we bought it. We told them if they'd match, we'd buy from them, etc. Like many of you, they refused to meet or beat the price. Brenham's starting Asking price was $5,000 less. They don't flat out refuse to work on it, but every time she needs service, she calls, and you have to make an appointment, and they never have an appointment less than 4-6 weeks out. Brenham usually gets her in that week...

Several years ago, I was buying a commuter car, and I was looking at a Pontiac at the time. I located the car I wanted, and started shopping. Guy in Huntsville had it for $12,900. The Caldwell guy (you know the "We'll beat anyone's price" guy?) was asking About $500 more. I asked to talk to the Owner, the guy on TV, and he couldn't beat it. I said, what's with the TV ad, then? He hung up on me.

So, like many of you, I refuse to "buy local" when it comes to automobiles.

---

BlueMiles said:

---

I really can't stand "Repo Joe." It seems so mean-spirited to have a marketing campaign like that. I am waiting for the social justice warriors to target them.

---