C6 Enthusiast

Very well spoken. I agree 100%.

MEAN72

With dealer like this it is no wonder GM is loosing market share and is in BIG trouble. I wonder if a Japanese car dealer would do that to you. Although I love Corvettes, a number of years ago I bought a new 300ZX-TT instead of a Corvette for similar reasons.

StanNH

Yes, a Japanese car dealer WOULD do that to you. The absolute worst dealer experiences I ever had were with Toyota and Honda. I did not buy those cars specifically because of how I was treated by a rude and uncaring sales staff. My Audi dealer is, maybe, one step above that...but barely. The two best sales experiences I've had have been with a BMW dealer and my current GM dealer.

There are plenty of excellent GM dealerships out there; probably as many or more than the bad ones. I wouldn't blame GM for a bad sales or service team at a local dealership. If they sell cars, they are worth keeping. The consumer ultimately controls who stays and who goes. If they don't sell cars, they go out of business. I was perhaps lucky in finding a great GM dealership in my neighborhood. Excellent salesman, and superb service staff. I will do everything I can to support them and send them more business.

GM is not in trouble because of dealers like mine. It's in trouble because, as much as I want to do more business with them, there isn't another vehicle in the entire GM stable that I would even remotely consider buying. That folks, is the real problem.

shopdog

It has been my experience that it is easier to find a good Chevy dealer in a small town than it is to find one around the large metroplexes. Go to a dealer with a 2 car showroom and a 4 bay service area and you're a lot more likely to be treated well than if you go to a "Bill Heard" type big chain store. Downside is that the small dealers get few to no Corvette allocations from the General.

I think there is an 80-20 rule for Chevy dealerships. 80% of them are good while 20% of them are horrible. Unfortunately, that 20% does 80% of the sales, and is where the majority of the population gets their impression of Chevy dealerships.

I think that the quality of dealerships *does* impact Chevy's reputation and its ability to sell cars. Certainly they could be making more desirable cars, but I think that the bad taste these dealers leave in a lot of potential buyer's mouths reflects poorly on Chevrolet in general.

hibiscus805

Well said
A dealer with a friendly sales staff and a skilled and committed Service Department with true Corvette specialist in a small town?
Bill Shultz in Fort Pierce (Florida)

StanNH

I don't disagree with you at all, especially since my own bad experience with their dealerships kept me away from Honda and Toyota. My point, however, is that customers will buy cars from poor dealerships if they want the car bad enough. While I was steaming in the Honda and Toyota showrooms, their sales staff were writing orders like they were selling fast food. The other customers there were more than willing to tolerate the high pressure tactics, the threats, the incompetence, and the lack of attention in order to buy the cars they had to have.

A good, courteous salesman backed by a well trained service team will do well, assuming he can offer competitive pricing on his line. GM would undoubtedly sell more cars if they could somehow establish minimum sales and service standards for their dealerships. Still, the lack of any real excitement over any GM product, excluding the Corvette, has to be taking its toll. Most of the line lacks identity...the cars all seem to be the same with some sheet metal variations. The engines, although durable, are for the most part lackluster performers. Styling tends to be very conservative and middle of the road....design by committee. Handling is average, at best. Now, if you add that bad dealer to an already mediocre line of cars, you have the recipe for a major disaster.

An exceptional and desirable car will sell in even a poor dealership. A mediocre car will not. So, I'm back to where I started. I have a good GM dealer and GM doesn't have anything to sell me other than the outstanding Corvette.

BTW...no offense to those who own other GM vehicles. My opinions are just that...opinions. These are based on what I need in a vehicle and may not agree with what anyone else may or may not need. (This is my politically correct disclaimer).

mach5

Thats GM for you

LS WON

clem zahrobsky

if you show up at any dealer and throw $75K on the desk you will get a test drive or just give them you SS# so they can run a credit check. if you want a test drive just for the hell of it go rent a C-6 because with your money you could keep it for a week and make sure you really want instead of just a trip around the block that you will get a the dealers

StanNH

This thread has gotten sooooo ridiculous. With so many threads being closed because they're off topic or "going nowhere", why is this one still open?

The point, if there was one, was made a long time ago...yes, some dealers are jerks. That's wonderful information and I'm sure I'll save it for future reference. Now, all we're getting is a pissing contest where everyone is calling everyone else names and throwing around accusations that may, or may not, be true. Regardless, none of this is relevant to the C6 or Corvettes in general.

Let's put this one to bed.

clem zahrobsky

spoil sport as i was just starting to have fun.