Dealer Info

Hey All - New To The Site

Here's a take from the "other side of the fence"...

I'll start with the legal disclaimer that this is all "in my opinion" and "your mileage may vary"...

The dealer body is commonly the LAST to know any real info re. new product that's on the way...We tend to get our info from the 'net as it seems like there is always someone involved with the project posting anonymously..for example, the early info we had on the SSR was that it was going to be priced in the mid $ 30K range, and be equipped with a blown 6.0L...instead it hits the showrooms roughly $15K more than that and with the 5.3L. Now, I'm certainly not going to throw rocks at the 5.3, but in a vehicle as porky as the SSR it's performance was slightly "sleepy". Cool vehicle, but overpriced, overweight & underpowered...by the time GM got it right, it had a rep it couldn't overcome.

Bottom line is that we're incredibly frustrated because we look like idiots when the consumer asks us about the Camaro & we don't know due to The General not giving us the info. (and...some dealers really do seem to be clueless and survive in spite of themselves, but that's a whole 'nother topic...)

Pricing- See Above..We're usually the last to know, which seems counter productive until you remember that we're actually the "first customer" of the factory...They sell the product to us, we have to take product...we can't "shop around"..we are literally a captive audience. It's common during model changeover that we are ordering literally millions of dollars worth of inventory, and we have no idea how much the individual options are going to cost...same with colors...GM changes the colors & their names and we have to take our best guess...sometimes that works, sometimes not so hot...

The good news is that I honestly believe that Chevy knows how important this product launch is and in terms of competitive pricing and product performance we'll end up with a winner as opposed to a football bat.

Price Gouging- Yup...It's wrong & some dealers will do it..keep in mind that no one is forcing you to buy...shop around until you find a dealer that will work with you. However, just as no one would go to work and not expect to pick up a paycheck, don't expect a salesperson to work for free either...the reality is that there generally isn't as much markup from dealer cost to the Mfr Suggested Retail Price as everyone seems to think there is. There are also several factors behind the scenes of which most people are unaware that may effect the "street price"...2 examples that come to mind are the Corvette, and FoMoCo's early SVT program.
The SVT program was a separate franchise that the dealer was required to pay for, over & above the cost of the cars...if I recall correctly it was between $ 5-10K per year...and the dealer is required to purchase special tools, additional training, and stock additional parts...all this for a limited number of cars.
The 'Vette doesn't require (yet) a separate franchise cost, but there are special tools & training that has to be paid for...for example if those costs are $5K/year and if the dealer is only allocated 2-3 Vettes a year...you get the idea...

And, occasionally with a hot product, the factory will "package" product..."Mr. dealer, we know that you have 200 days supply of (insert model here) but if you want extra (diesel/mustang/tbird/vette/SSR/camaro) allocation you need to take some more...now, if you don't believe that being required to take 5 extra pieces of something that doesn't sell well to get 1 extra piece of a hot product won't effect the price I've got some Fla. swampland I'd love to unload...

I'm not here to flame or be flamed, just tryng to shed a little light...we tend to get the product info & pricing last...sux but that's the way it usually is.

If I get "real" info I'll post it asap.

Till Then...:BangHead:

D