Changes are Coming

sonicx

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100% correct, Nick. I would bet that 90% of customers would want that exact scenario. I'll add that IMO they'd love to be able to visit a "manufacturer showroom" to see an optioned vehicle model they're interested in, and then either sit down at the dealership in a cubicle to order their specific vehicle, or go home and do it online. No sales pressure. Just let them order what they want. Make a deposit and apply any discounts/incentives, arrange financing and wait for the vehicle to be delivered. No pushing on the lot deals trying to clean up inventory, or those "extras" at the closing. Keeping it simple. I honestly expect this is ultimately where we're headed.

Look at how easy Carvana and Carmax have made selling your car. Give them your VIN, answer a few questions about the car, drive it to Carmax or have Carvana pick it up, and give you a check. In most cases it's that easy. It wasn't always that easy. I, for one, never liked to sell my cars privately. Too time consuming. But now, we can do it easily. So I can see the buying experience becoming more buyer-convenient and easy, as well.

Time will tell, but I've got a strong feeling on where ultimately this is going.
Maybe I’ll in the minority but I truly love to haggle and the art errr dance of the back n forth when buying a car. Never paid msrp and refuse to.
 

13COBRA

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@13COBRA what’s your take on what the dealership landscape will look like let’s say in mid year 2022 and beyond with this or else wise?
Dealers will host an inventory for people to drive and touch. They will in turn spec out what they want then order one.

Sent from my Potato
 

RedVenom48

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So, the days of seeing awesome sales on retail stock dealers have a hard time moving are over?

... I give it some time. Eventually, one of these guys will start to crank production, slash prices and steal a bunch of customers. No idea how long, but one manufacturer out there will do it. Who? No clue.
 

Weather Man

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The process the manufacturers want to go to lasts as long as ability to satisfy demand is constrained. When supply lines and chips get sorted out, and they will, supply will exceed demand. The pressure to maintain or increase market share will put the new sales model to the test. Now add in any sort of slow down in orders and the mega dealers will be more than happy to run big inventory on the lot. Ford will find the pressure to say no damn hard to resist.

But, it may take until 2023 or 2024 for that to happen.
 

Lambeau

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On another note,.........
I built a '22 Dodge Challenger Jailbreak online the other night.
Talk about a bunch of customizations and no limited builds. Pretty ****ing awesome. Plus, with the Direct Connection coming back, I'm sure they will pick up some new buyers.
That car I built was priced out at 97K!
1641949872032.gif
 

MFE

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I know some manufacturers are limiting things as odd as heated seats and lane departure warning systems due to the chip shortage.
 

MFE

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Ford was talking about a "new paradigm" in car sales, with less ground stock (like right now) and more custom ordering. Which is all well and good until another manufacturer has a vehicle on the ground that our impulse-buying public might want, and they buy that instead. We won't be seeing lots full of cars like we used to see for another year, but people still want their new cars NOW. Seems strange to me, everybody in my family who bought new cars always ordered them specifically and waited, but now people want to drive on the lot with their old car and drive off with a new one the same visit.

The other wrench in the process is transportation and delivery logistics. Heavily unionized and highly strained right now, dealers can't get their deliveries on time as it is.
 

sonicx

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I know some manufacturers are limiting things as odd as heated seats and lane departure warning systems due to the chip shortage.
Chevy on their models outside of the high country package. Either you get a credit or the buttons are installed for a warranty work persay in the future to update & install.
 

Corbic

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Why not just eliminate options and go with a Base, Sport and Luxury model.

Pick the color and that's it.
 

q6543

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We better get a fat ass raise... profits margins are through the roof on less vehicles.
 

Ramairgt1

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Maybe I’ll in the minority but I truly love to haggle and the art errr dance of the back n forth when buying a car. Never paid msrp and refuse to.
I like to haggle too but I dont like spending hours at a dealership. I started haggling online and like you never pay MSRP. It took me less than 2 days to find a dealer at 4% under invoice for my explorer. It was 200 miles away but well worth the trip when I picked it up.
 

CobraBob

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Ford was talking about a "new paradigm" in car sales, with less ground stock (like right now) and more custom ordering. Which is all well and good until another manufacturer has a vehicle on the ground that our impulse-buying public might want, and they buy that instead. We won't be seeing lots full of cars like we used to see for another year, but people still want their new cars NOW. Seems strange to me, everybody in my family who bought new cars always ordered them specifically and waited, but now people want to drive on the lot with their old car and drive off with a new one the same visit.

The other wrench in the process is transportation and delivery logistics. Heavily unionized and highly strained right now, dealers can't get their deliveries on time as it is.
I may be the exception, but I have never bought a new vehicle right off the lot. Never. I go to see and touch, and compare vehicle models. I want specific colors. I want specific features. I've never had a case where the vehicle I wanted was there on a lot. After I look at models, colors and features, then I special order. I spec'd out my 2022 after seeing two on my Genesis dealer's lot (not my colors) and was told I should have it in about 3 weeks. I had zero issue with waiting 3-4 weeks to get the exact model I wanted, in the exact color I wanted, and with the exact packages I wanted.
 

CobraBob

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Why not just eliminate options and go with a Base, Sport and Luxury model.

Pick the color and that's it.
If that became a standard with all manufacturers, that could work easily IMO. People acclimated from cars to SUVs/Crossovers quite quickly, because the manufacturers stopped offering a multitude of car models and switched to SUVs/Crossovers.
 

sonicx

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The ability to order what you want hasn't been around for a long time. If you want leather, then you must have ten other "options" that you may not want to get the one that you do.
Excellent point. For me, there’s a give in take I don’t mind taking more or less of what I want or don’t want depending upon how Hungry the dealer is to want to deal. If we’re moving to the model of order what you want (fine) but I feel like this mode will
Be a 1 price. Like it great, no… price is what it is. You’ll be back when you’re ready to pay so manipulations would need to occur solely based upon your trade if you have one.
 

13COBRA

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The ability to order what you want hasn't been around for a long time. If you want leather, then you must have ten other "options" that you may not want to get the one that you do.

Nah. We have customers that order XLT F-150s all the time, and then we add the Katzkin leather afterwards.
 

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