1 in 5 Dealerships will close this fall

[85_Ranger4x4]

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Dispatch/US-auto-sales-plunge.aspx

[KELLY88]

Well that's definitely not good. GM is getting it pretty bad. Just last week Bill Heard Chevrolet, one of the biggest Chevy dealers in the Southeat closed it's doors. 2700 employees out of work. You hate to see something like that happen.

[Wicked_Sludge]

the dealership i used to work at didnt close, but went through a major downsizing. you can bet im feeling the effects of our shitty economy.

[hades]

This is just so sad. So many employees will surely lose their jobs. And with the kind of situation we have right now, finding a new job is really difficult.

__________________
fuel saving devices (http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/lp/0809/save-gas.html) rock

[Jason]

I lost mine.

[Sevensecondsuv]

And who says buying Toyota, Honda, etc doesn't cost Americans their jobs!

Seriously, I wouldn't mind Toyota and Honda outselling the American makes if they had actually had a better product, but all they're selling on is an out-dated, untrue public perception.

[Wicked_Sludge]

uhh....honda and toyota are feeling the squeeze the same as the american makes.

shoveling all our money to the arabians for fuel is whats killing our economy.

[Sevensecondsuv]

True, the Jap car companies are feeling it now, but the Big 3 would be in much better shape right now if it wasn't for the all-out assault from the Jap cars over the last 10 years.

And oil closed at $63.22 a barell today, hardly enough to make for any huge transfer of wealth to the middle east. In fact, that price is just high enough to make the oil sands and oil shale technologies being developed profitable.

[Wicked_Sludge]

until it goes back up to over $100 a barrel next summer...

[Evan]

The labor unions killed the big three many, many years ago. This bumpy economy is just speeding up their demise.

Their eventual failure was predicted decades ago by economists.

This should be a lesson to everyone.

[Sevensecondsuv]

until it goes back up to over $100 a barrel next summer...

We'll see. A lot of analysts are predicting that's not going to happen this time around.

I think a lot of oil speculators (the greedy, buy it on credit to make a profit, no plans of ever taking delivery speculators - Not the airlines, etc) learned that hard way that oil prices can go down as well as up.

That bubble we had over the summer was all due to speculation. There's no way supply and demand can explain prices rising and falling that much in a few months.

[Shran]

We'll see. A lot of analysts are predicting that's not going to happen this time around.

I don't know. I can really see round 2 next summer. Reality is that there are still a lot of greedy people out there who will jump at the chance to make a quick buck at everyone's expense. The only way it won't happen again is if the government steps in and regulates the commodity market a little more.

[Sevensecondsuv]

I don't know. I can really see round 2 next summer. Reality is that there are still a lot of greedy people out there who will jump at the chance to make a quick buck at everyone's expense. The only way it won't happen again is if the government steps in and regulates the commodity market a little more.

Well now that half of the firms (Lehman Bros, Wachovia, Bear-Stearns, etc) that contributed to the bubble are now bankrupt (wonder if that had anything to do with the oil bubble popping?) or effectively owned by the government, I don't see them being in a position to go for round 2 next summer.

[Jason]

And who says buying Toyota, Honda, etc doesn't cost Americans their jobs!

Seriously, I wouldn't mind Toyota and Honda outselling the American makes if they had actually had a better product, but all they're selling on is an out-dated, untrue public perception.
I worked at a Toyota dealer. Does every thread having to do with the auto industry have to become someones personal "buy American" soap box?

[Sevensecondsuv]

I'm not telling anyone to buy American. It just pisses me off that the likes of Toyota and Honda can sell cars based on some old lie that they are somehow superior to any other car ever made, that's all.

[Jason]

I'm not telling anyone to buy American. It just pisses me off that the likes of Toyota and Honda can sell cars based on some old lie that they are somehow superior to any other car ever made, that's all.
That's actually a newer concept. The Japanese cars sucked in the early 80's. Then they responded, the big 3 are just now starting to respond to their own crappiness.

I rear-ended a Buick LeSabre today. 600 in damage to the back of the Buick. 1500 in damage to my Ranger. Plastic back on the Buick vs Steel front on the Ranger. Quality is job #1?

[Sevensecondsuv]

The results of one accident mean nothing. You and I both know that. Working at a Toyota dealer, I'm sure you've seen plenty of broke down Toyotas, just like the guy working at a Ford dealer has seen plenty of broke down Fords.

All I'm saying is all vehicles are POS's that are going to break down and cost money to fix, regardless of who they're made by.

And I really am sorry about your loss of a job. I wish you luck in finding another.

[Shran]

All vehicles are disposable and that, to me is very sad. I am shocked at how reliable cars are these days vs how much it can cost to fix them. A person shouldn't have to do major repair work before 200k, much less before 100k like a lot of stuff out there! Hell, my Rangers have 88k and 117k on them and both have WAY more than their fair share of problems...and my DD (88k) was babied and maintained very close to the service guide in the owner's manual. I have put more money in that damn thing...seriously...and it still needs more. I really just want to tear it apart and build it the way I want, but the lack of shop puts a damper on that.

[Wicked_Sludge]

I'm not telling anyone to buy American. It just pisses me off that the likes of Toyota and Honda can sell cars based on some old lie that they are somehow superior to any other car ever made, that's all.

the import brands dont have any unfair advantages when it comes to selling vehicles. they got where they are by responding to the market and offering what people want for a decent price. the big 3 got where they are because they were really the only option for 50 years (i pulled the number 50 out of my ass - but you get the point). then the import brands showed up and the big 3 sat on their asses, relying on their heritage to carry them...well thats running out. with the way the economy is today, people are getting smarter with their money and looking for the best deal, and a lot of the time thats an import.

[Timo99]

Well, it sucks that all those people are going to lose their jobs.

[kerry]

I'm not sure that I agree with the statement that Toyota is no better than their American Competitors. We have an '09 Camry. We rented an '09 Taurus while on Vacation.

With regard to fit & finish there was no comparison! The Toyota was superior in almost every aspect that I care about. The rental was comparably equipped and had less than 3000 miles on it.

One or two examples are not statistically significant, but I was not favorably impressed with the Taurus. I did like the Metallic Black color it was painted though.

[milje]

My local dealership turned into a used car lot/parts plus in August.



Luckily I got warranty work done a few weeks before they made the switch.