Gosh, that is a sad story. Let's take up a collection.
Care to comment on the completely offensive $160.00/hr shop rate while some Grunt in the back does all the dirty work for minimum wage?
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Craigslist and the Internet for taking a massive bite out of dealerships gravy: trade-ins.
This isnt the 50’s pal.
The relatively small GM store i ran( been 12 years since i left) two of our tech’s made over 100k a year spinning wrenches. Good tech’s make an outstanding living.
Anybody worth a damn is making at least 25 an hour plus benefits. If they are real studs, lots more than that.
Good friend of mine owns a repair shop. He makes a load. Charges 80 or so bucks a labor hour. He is isn't getting any younger. Has been trying to hire a tech to help him for months. Even at 20 bucks an hour to start, and willing to train them, nobody lasts more than a few days. They either dont want to work, and anybody worth a damn already has a better job.
You are barking up the wrong tree if you think new car store line mechanics are “ grunts in the back working for minimum wage” Very uninformed statement.
It amazes me how clueless people are about things they claim to know something about.
Regards trade-ins, etc.... the scarcity of good used cars doesnt just effect a dealer. They pay more, you pay more. Just like any other business on the planet.
My margins dont change, i have bills to pay like anybody else, they dont change because of Covid or anything else. If the price of ground beef goes up at the supermarket, you pay more, they pay more, and likely aren't making any extra money doing so.
Lots of those cars that are on Craigslist are turds, not all certainly, but lots. In some cases people are selling them because they have issues the owner doesn't want to fix, its why he is getting rid of it. Don't know about you, but most people arent going to throw money at a car they are getting rid of. And if it breaks in half a few days later, guess what you have? Both halves.
We indeed do have this crazy thing called the internet. All my cars are advertised on it. Guess what, people shop and compare. A LOT. If it isn't a good, competitive deal, they don't come, they dont call, you starve. People are armed with way more info than in the past. I like it that way. We are reputable, charitable , and have a very good track record. Frankly, you either do, or you don't
As a dealer, its way easier to sell a car now than 25 years ago. Now the typical buyer has done his/her homework, know what they want, know what the going price is, Check reviews on the dealer, and pull on the lot ready to buy if they are treated properly
