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You make a good point on car names. Perhaps it was a missed opportunity for Chevrolet to not coin new names across the board, or at least, transition the old model names to new. A sharp marketing firm coud have made a lot of "hay" for GM doing that.
It's irrelevant now... The time has come and gone.
Whether SS matters now, I can't say, but I DO feel comfortable saying that it certainly doesn't mean the same to a SS buyer today as it did to a late 1960's Chevelle or Malibu buyer of the same age at time of purchase.
I don't know the details, but I thought GM determined the "cut list", not the government.
Anyway, we had it for a weekend, and my brother and I begged and begged him to get it. However, he was far too practical minded, and would have no part of owning a convertible. He ended up buying a white 4-door Pontiac Catilina.... And had an aftermarket A/C installed that would only run for 30 minutes tops before freezing up..
Ahhh, the "good old days"....
Note Paragraph 4 under the section "What SIGTARP Found", that gives insight on the process both companies used.
http://www.sigtarp.gov/Audit%20Reports/Factors%20Affecting%20the%20Decisions%20o- f%20General%20Motors%20and%20Chrysler%20to%20Reduce%20Their%20Dealership%20Netwo- rks%207_19_2010.pdf
Anyway, around the time that the automakers were reorganizing and shedding dealers, I got an email from the dealer saying that they were dropping Chrysler, because its future seemed too uncertain considering how many times it changed ownership. That, and Chrysler didn't seem very committed to making fuel-efficient, small cars.
To this day, that dealership is still sitting, along Route 301 in Upper Marlboro, MD, completely empty. In addition to my Intrepid, my Dad bought his used '03 Regal there. My uncle bought a used '94 GMC 3/4 ton and a new '97 Silverado 1/2-ton there. And, way back in 1986, my Mom bought a year-end clearance '86 Monte Carlo from them.
WTF?
Surely there must be more to the story, but what that might be, I couldn't say...
I heard on ABC news this morning that the ACTUAL unemployment rate right now is 19.6%. How's THAT for an economy?
For example...
http://www.paddockchevrolet.com/
This dealership claims to be the sales leader for the last 9 years. Only one can be the leader ...
True, but it's not that different with the Camry today. They have:
Regular - Camry
Green - Hybrid
Long wheelbase - Avalon
Wagon - Venza
Long wheelbase wagon - Sienna
Tall wagon - Highlander
Deluxe - ES
Deluxe Green - ES Hybrid
Deluxe wagon - RX
Deluxe Green wagon - RX hybrid
What's old is new again.
Main difference is they go more nowadays to disguise the origin of the platform.
By those standards, we could say that Chevelle lineup would qualify as a version of 'full-size Chevrolet' too.
All those coupes, sedans, convertibles and wagons were on the same wheelbase and chassis. It was glorious to pick exactly what you wanted then. You never (and I mean never) saw an exact duplicate of a car. Now I see two duplicates parked next to each other on a dealer lot...and I mean total duplicate...down to the price and equipment on the window stickers.
I remember, in the early years of Mustangs, one could specify unique colors, etc. There was a fellow that lived near me back in 1965 that special ordered a blue metallic paint job with a cream colored wrinkle-paint rooftop on a Mustang, along with special hood stripes.
It's the ONLY Mustang I have ever seen in that combination.
My guess is that it's just too expensive nowadays to do such things, with so much competition now. In 1965, the Big 3 was the only competition...
Heck, some brands (Dodge, Toyota come to mind) typically has a HUGE options lists, but no matter, you can only get cars in certain ways for each region. The distributors standardize by region even when the manufacturers do not.
You may have to special order that uncommon combo of color and options.
Some folks have to see political motives a nd conspiracies in EVERYTHING.
A couple years ago, the local Dodge dealer moved to a new lot, and his old building is still abandoned. I suspect the property might eventually be redeveloped, but still looks terrible sitting there, even has the Dodge sign still standing.
Wait 3 years and you can get your very own - of course it'll have a little wear on it.
Sounds about right for Western Ohio. Despite the GM auto plants where they WERE salvaged in Toledo and Cleveland area and make good photo ops, the rest of the state lost lots of manufacturing jobs. Many older people take retirement early or find a disability to use to get SSI. With another 4 years, I predict unemployment/ underemployment of 50% here.
Talked earlier about the selection of which dealers to close. In re the C dealers, a longtime family store here on main road was closed. But another store on lesser traveled roads 1.5 miles away was kept open. It had changed owners many times. In the media Rumors were that political history of the owners was involved in choosing for closure if they were of the then current administration's stripes.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
That's only if he wants the short WB with the 6.0 V-8.
Otherwise lemko will have to wait for a Caprice coming off of police duty.
I absolutely believe that special-ordering was done many multiple times over back in the '60's and '70's, compared to now.
I ordered one new car, an '85 Celebrity Eurosport 2-door. I've had ten new Chevys since and only one was bought right off the dealer lot. The others, I knew just what I wanted but they were able to obtain it from another dealer.
You've got to remember, there were many, many, many times more permutations of cars then...many more exterior colors, many more interior colors, huge lists of individual options, many more powertrain choices and options...today, most everything is in "Group A" or "Group B" and you're forced to take things you don't want or need just to get something else (sigh).
I suspect that, in the grand scheme of things, being able to close non-performing (I'll let each person define that term for themselves) dealerships was one of the few bright spots in the whole bailout process for GM and Chrysler. It allowed the companies to bypass a long, drawn out legal process to reduce the dealership volume. Once a good thing to have tons of dealerships, someone finally realized that too many dealerships "cheapens" the brand.
In the early 1990's, when Harley Davidson was taking off, something similar happened. HD was well aware of the smaller dealerships that had stuck with HD during the bad times, but the company wanted to position itself differently in the market, placing large, well stocked well run dealerships over mom and pop operations.
Along with 2 other associates, I investigated purchasing the existing dealership in the city where I live, which was definitely mom and pop level, located in a bad section of town. The owner had pretty much gotten the "word" fom HD that if he wasn't willing to put up the $$$ for a modern, better located building, then HD was going to allow another dealership to open in his market area, which in essence, would put him out of business. A lot of dealerships got the same word, and many did open new stores.
In the end, we were out-bid even before the bidding had begun. Another small group of investors were much more motivated to get the dealership, and they deservedly obtained it.
Today, the business sits along an Interstate hwy, and I suspect sells more bikes in its worst calendar month than the old dealership did in its best month ever.
And, HD's image has improved dramatically as well... Nationwide.
More than rumors. Articles were written about the questionable process.
These were auto dealerships, not motorcycle stores.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
On the special ordering thing, we live in a "gotta have it RIGHT NOW!" society, and I suspect many dealerships fear (rightfully so, IMO) that many would just go elsewhere if a suitable product wasn't on the lot. Indeed, that's exactly why the manufacturers set up the "info sharing network", so that if you want a blue car with orange interior, and it isn't avaliable at your dealer he might be able to locate it and obtain it for you within a couple of days from mother dealer.
Personally, I've special ordered every car I've owned since 1985, with 2 exceptions. The trucks I've owned I have always found something suitable on a lot or through the dealer network.
My cars are usually "optioned up", and I personally like the "anticipation" period of waiting to get the car. With a BMW, and perhaps other brands as well, one can track the order all the way from order entry to manufacture to delivery. When it comes, it's a bit like Christmas morning to me, adult style.
The other benefit I get from waiting is that it allows me to read up on the owners manual, so I have a much better understanding of the total car when it arrives.
I know this might seem silly to some, but it works for me.
One last thing... I think it would be great if the Big 3 offered "factory delivery" like BMW does at it's Performance Center in SC.
It's really a great way to get brand "hooks" into the customer...
Yet, if you bothered to read the link I posted a few comments back, it was Chrysler and GM who determined dealership closing criteria, not the government.
If you have evidence to the contrary, please feel free to post it, and by evidence, I mean something substantiated, not some opinion piece from a local newspaper.
I suppose it's an improvement. Before the restructuring/closing, the Chevy dealer was a Chevy/Caddy dealer, and the other dealer was Pontiac/Buick/GMC. Which meant even more overlap.
And I bet this situation still happens in a bunch of places. You never see Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Subaru, Hyundai or Mazda dealers close enough to each other to be forced to compete with each other. You used to see it with Ford, but not anymore luckily. Dodge....hmmm, meh.
In my town, Toyota and Mazda dealers are immediately next door to each other. Honda and Hyundai are in a town seven miles away, right next to each other.
http://macsmind.com/wordpress/2009/05/is-the-obama-administration-shutting-down-- republican-owned-chrysler-dealerships/
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
GMC stands for *** Mans Chevrolet.
GM on the other hand, on a regular basis, has different dealerships selling different brands of related or rebadged cars, in close proximity to each other, and competing with each other, driving prices down further than is really necessary. That's completely the fault of GM, and they stlll haven't fixed it (the contraction was SUPPOSED to force them to do so).
In fairness Chrysler's got that problem too.
The nearest Chevy dealer to me is Marhofer in Stow. I buy at Serpentini in Tallmadge, a few miles away from Stow, and the nearest Buick dealer is in Cuyahoga Falls, several miles from either Chevy dealer.
With europe in the shape its in, this won't be a short-term problem, either.
http://www.enginelabs.com/engine-tech/cam-valvetrain/gen-v-rumors-whats-coming-i- n-the-next-generation-small-block/
Aluminum block and DI even for truck applications.
Check out this link to your site...
http://macsmind.com/wordpress/contributors/
Couldnt help but notice the well-placed Romney contribution enticement...
A further note, linked from your source article...
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/05/news-flash-car-dealers-are-republicans.ht- ml
Note the conclusions at the end of the article. Your article's author looked at how many dealerships to arrive at his conclusion???
The problem with the "theory" is that it punishes EVERYONE at the dealership, not just the owners.
Now, if you want to believe only Republicans work in sales, service and offices at Republican-owned dealerships, by all means, go for it.
I doubt many Democrats that lost their jobs at closed dealerships feel "warm and fuzzy" about it...
Oops!
As Maxwell Smart might say, "missed it by THAT much".
I think my point was still valid, though... There are lots of ways car dealers claim to be number one in sales, and they can do it based on how they determine the definition of "sales".
And, I was aware of Corvette offering factory pickup. They even offered (and may still) a program in which you order your car, pay them some extra $$$, and spend a day at the plant "assembling" your car's engine.
The point I was making is ... Why only Corvette?
In Europe, it's fairly common to pick your car up at the factory, where the Manufacturer entertains the customer for the day. In SC, the buyer of any BMW, regardless where it's made, can pick it up at the Performance Center.
It just seems like extras like that go a long way to establish brand loyalty.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/09/ford-gm-take-differ- ent-approaches-in-europe/1#.UE5aqbZ5mSM
Dictatorship might be the best way after all...
There's only so much news at any point in time, so all these stations started off filling up dead time with, at first, commentary and later on, opinion, followed up by a large dose of venom.
If I could ask Ted Turner a single question, it would be "If you knew it would end up this way, would you ever have started CNN?"