As the DEALER advocate magazine, DEALER welcomes your letters, and after verification will run them signed or unsigned. Letters may be edited for space and clarity.
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DEALER magazine
1116 W. 7th Street
PMB 239 Columbia, TN 38401 (931) 388-1800 ext. 203
Fax (931) 388-4881 e-mail: mroscoe@dealeronline.com
Dear Jim,
My brothers and I own Chevrolet and Ford-Mercury dealerships in Cheney, Kansas,
just outside Wichita. I'm sure you're aware of this, but just in case you're
not, we thought we should contact you about the GM Supplier Program. It looks
like the factory is trying to dictate price by making lots of people eligible.
All employees of Cessna Aircraft, UPS, Sherwin Williams, Walmart and, I just found out today, employees of a small independent garage with maybe four employees are all eligible. I'm sure there are many more, but these I know about and the list is growing. It's frightening, but the thought of small, independent garages being included is terrifying.
We thought that perhaps the next time you sat down with a snifter of cognac, you might possibly take up our cause and defend our rights as independent businesses. You know as well as we do all the ramifications that forced one price selling could bring.
We read and enjoy your column, and believe that the pen is a mighty weapon, and you have the mightiest pen of all.
Dealer name withheld upon request
Dear Mr. Ziegler,
I just finished reading your October article in DEALER magazine. You
are right on the mark regarding Blue Oval. Also having BMW, in addition to
Ford, I'm watching the same program of setting up the dealer to screw him
later.
I've wondered why no one raised hell when BMW did it first with their Added Value Premium program. Obviously dealers were making money. Too many of the dealers were older and had more money than they could spend in a lifetime, and the dealer council was too weak to rally the dealers and just say no!
Also, when I wrote to NADA and AIADA and told them of my concerns, they told me that everything was fine, not to worry. I thought then that two-tier pricing was a problem. Why didn't our dealer organizations fight this battle?
I would like you to comment in future articles more about our German friends.
Not only is BMW screwed up, but so is Mercedes, Audi, VW and Porsche. All five are on a program to build more facilities, have us pay more for computers, lower our margins and shift more costs. I'm worried.
A domestic and import
multi-franchised dealer
Name withheld upon request
Loved your comments in October's issue. Man, it's about time; NADA should hang its head. They never have come to our rescue that I know of. Think about it! The manufacturer putting our cost and even incentives on the net. It's totally stupid, unfair and wrong. The Internet is:
- Not franchised to sell cars.
- Not authorized to service them. Here are the conditions dealers are forced to operate under:
Customer comes in, has five pages from the net (most of the time it is wrong). They tell you what you can make on your car. If you ask Joe Customer for a $500.00 profit, he thinks you are crazy. After all, you only have $22,000 invested and you have already spent $300.00 for the floor plan give me a break!
We all need to unite and fight this thing (against all of the 60 Minutes and 20/20 programs too). The factory is wrong. No wonder dealer/factory relations are down the tubes.
Now I feel better. Got to go Bob, the local high school needs a car for homecoming.
Bill Craddock, Owner
Suburban Subaru
St. Albans, WV
Dear Mr. Roscoe,
Just a note to request that you continue to send us your fine magazine. Although
we receive many publications, your magazine is the best one aimed at dealerships.
Most we just glance through, but yours we read entirely.
The topics you discuss are always timely. You seem to understand the problems we face and you always defend the dealers' rights.
Keep up the good work and thanks for being a voice for the dealers and their best interests.
Sincerely,
Dowling Watford
Okeechobee Motor Company
Okeechobee, FL
To Whom It May Concern:
I purchased a Morton Building in 1995 for my Chevrolet-Buick-Pontiac-Olds-Cadillac
dealership in Chariton, Iowa. It has been featured in both Morton Building
print brochures and videotapes, as it is said to be attractive.
I have noticed Morton Building ads in several automobile business magazines over the years. If you wish to reach dealer principals, I would highly recommend telling your story to the readers of DEALER magazine. Many of my dealer friends (to whom you need to be reaching) read many different publications in a month, but only ONE is read cover to cover every month, and that is Mike Roscoe's DEALER magazine.
Maximize your advertising dollars and get involved with a publication read by decision makers.
Bill McCroskey, President
McCroskey Buick-Chevy-Pontiac-Olds-Cadillac
