Dear Mr. Roscoe:
I always look forward to receiving your publication. Congrats to Ziegler for yet another great editorial. I found the first letter in Dealer Mail particularly interesting. The anonymous writer was right on. While he did not mention NADA and Automotive News by name, no doubt he was calling them out for their failure to join the battle.
As a Ford dealer, it really kind of irritates me that it took a GM action 10 miles from the President of NADA's dealership to get a rise out of NADA and an article out of Automotive News. Hopefully they have seen the light. If they haven't, they really need to heed the quote by GM's Darwin Clark in Automotive News' lead story Oct. 4th. He said, "We hope to convince dealers and states that the laws need to be put in place that benefit the car purchaser." Car purchasers, like consumers of anything, are going to benefit if there is more competition, not less.
NADA needs to understand that this battle needs to be fought in Washington as well as Austin. I was impressed with William Safire's recent Mergermaniacs where he quotes John McCain as saying, "Anybody who glances at increases in cable rates, phone rates, mergers and lack of competition clearly knows that the special interests are protected in Washington and the public interest is submerged." The dealer story needs to be told and told emphatically. Thank you for doing your part.
Sincerely, Mike Weber Weber Motor Company
Dear Mr. Roscoe:
We auto dealers have a problem and the problem is with NADA. Please let me explain.
We dealers have been forced to accept the manufacturer-dictated warranty payment shortfall for many years. A few dealers, single-handed, have filed lawsuits against their manufacturer and are winning, but it is a very long and expensive process. These are good steps in the right direction, but where is NADA? They should take the lead, promote and sponsor federal legislation that would eliminate this corrupt, consumer cost-shifting scheme.
A prudent person must ask the obvious question: Why hasn't NADA represented its dealers in obtaining a fair, reasonable and competitive warranty payment process? Could it be the $22 per square foot for display space adding up to two to three million dollars paid by the manufacturers to NADA for rental space at the annual conventions? Could it be the million or so paid-for advertising in the NADA magazine? All I really know is that NADA has not been effective in the factory-to-dealer warranty parts and labor payment process. Name withheld upon request
Mr. Roscoe: First of all, I'd like to congratulate you on your publication. I subscribe to every automotive publication that I know of, but yours is the one that I share with my staff most of the time. Your articles have "real meat" in them and are a constant source of discussion material for our management meetings.
I respect the dealer who "sounded off" in the last issue, but I am afraid he is like too many of us who have been in the business a long time. While I certainly would like things to stay the way they were in my happier days in this business, I realize that it is futile to have that expectation. The world is changing, whether we like it or not. It really does not matter who is driving the change! What matters is that dealers do all in their power to grow their customer base and to provide a shopping and buying experience that is so outstanding that an electronic device will never replace us.
I enjoy Jim Ziegler's column, but I just wish once he would offer more solutions rather than to constantly show us how brilliant he is! I'd like to offer some discussion topics for future issues such as: "Are you paying too much for printing costs?," "Do advertising surveys really work?" and "Ways to control floor-plan and floor-plan insurance costs".
Steve Moskowitz Classic Oldsmobile, Inc. 6501 Broadway Ave. Merrillville, IN 46410
Jim Ziegler: As the President of the Virginia Automobile Dealers Association let me congratulate you on a great article, "The Frog and the Scorpion." This Association Executive doesn't need a "kick in the butt," we are fighting the "war" in Virginia!!!!! I have lots of friends that do need the "kick" and maybe your article will be a wakeup call. We would like your permission to reprint your article for our membership and members of our General Assembly. Keep up the great job writing on the subject of the evils of factory ownership.
Don Hall VA Automobile Dealers Association
Jim! Until now, based on your superb columns in the DEALER magazine, I thought that we agreed on everything having to do with the car business, but no more. I disagree with your Sept/Oct column suggesting that dealers run to the government to defend themselves against the entrance of the manufacturers into retailing. I maintain that the only thing more baffling and silly than manufacturers trying to run car dealerships is car dealers worrying about it. GM and Ford executives are fad followers who combine arrogance and ignorance in a cute mixture that is hilarious to watch and makes them a non-threat to any battle-tested car dealer. What are they going to do to compete? Subsidize their factory stores? How long will that last when Chrysler is standing there with its dealer body intact and its money invested in product development rather than dealer buyouts and retailing losses. This is an unimportant fad that is not a threat to the franchise system. Let's keep the government as much out of business as possible. Dealer name withheld upon request
I consider you a friendwe are allowed to disagree on any issues we choose. That is the basis for the U.S. Constitution and we are not communists or socialists, liberals or editors of weekly automotive publications, therefore, we have a right to differ. I respect your point of view and, I hope, in the future that we'll agree more often than not. Thank you for your commentscontinue to keep reading. Jim Ziegler
Mr. Ziegler,
I have just left the Utah Auto Collection in Salt Lake and your article in DEALER magazine comes as no surprise to those of us who have been a part of this experience. I was with the largest of the Ford dealers in SLC for four years before the auto collection and after having three pay cuts and three different GMs in six months I left. Friday, 10/8 was decision day for the owners or ex-owners to decide if they were in or out. Most are now out, giving Ford 65% ownership in the UAC. It is only going to get worse! Keep writing those great columns. Doug Gibb Salt Lake City
Dear Mr. Ziegler:
Just wanted to tell you that I usually cannot wait to get my copy of DEALER magazine and read your article. I love your candidness (frankness) and comments. It is obvious that you tell it like you see it and are in nobody's back pocket. I have read your articles for years and really enjoy them. A highlight of mine was sitting down for lunch at NADA in San Fran and meeting and talking with you at the same table. Your stories were very entertaining.
Thanks, Tom Clusiau c/p/d/j/gmc dealer, 3rd generation