Quote:
Originally Posted by sygazelle
Great story. I have nothing against dealers. I am a capitalist at heart and I have no issue when a business is trying to make a profit...Cars are a commodity and you can buy the like you buy a refrigerator. The dealers that will be successful in the future will pivot and change their business model and give up the games and shenanigans.
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And when was the last time you went to a refrigerator dealer? I guess you can say a 3rd party big box retailer is a "dealer", but you can also buy a fridge directly off any manufacturer's website. You can't do that with any car except a Tesla. And the automotive dealers association has fought tooth and nail to prevent Tesla from doing business without setting up a dealer network first.
Some dealers/salespeople are honest and I'm happy for those of you who have dealt with only those types of places. Unfortunately I haven't. Buying/leasing a car is the second most expensive thing, typically, a person will get. I've been to dealers that have lied/been condescending, etc and it sours your whole day. like you wake up all excited to buy a new car and then get treated like that, and we all accept it as 'normal'. it literally wouldn't be tolerated in any other 'form of capitalism', except we just deal with it in this industry... because?
what essential part of buying a car does the dealer facilitate exactly? I understand that it is what it is now, they're too powerful and they're not going anywhere any time soon. But I can see no real benefit for consumers having to first engage with a dealer just to buy an appliance on wheels.