O.T. - Empty car lots?

[Anonymous-0]

We noticed a big (for Southern Illinois) Chevy dealer lot was suddenly completely empty. Couple days later noticed an empty Buick/GMC/Cadillac lot and around the corner the Ford lot was bare. These are seperately owned dealerships, and are considered well established in this area. Is this something that happens yearly and I just never noticed before? I can't help but think it has to do with the dealers having their lots full of HUGE vehicles that get poor fuel mileage. I keep my vehicles 'til the wheels rot off, so I don't pay as much attention as I should.

 

[Jerry Coulter]

I'm really curious to know where that is. I live in So. Ill. and travelled the whole south end of the state. Would you e-mail the location to me?

 

[Anonymous-0]

Carbondale, IL

Where do you live, Jerry?

 

[TxFarmallFan]

Thats interesting. Wish it was that way here! I work at a Ford-Lincoln-Mercury-Kia dealer, and our lot is stuffed FULL! We have way too many diesel trucks, and these new 6.4L Fords get terrible fuel mileage.

 

[Mike M]

Maybe they had them in a parade or a car show ? or then again maybe they went bellie up ? or was that where the tornados went through ?

I don't know how our dealer keeps the doors open ? I expect one day the lot will be cleaned off and the doors padlocked and windows boarded up.

 

[CJ3b_jeep]

I noticed that at a Chrysler dealership in Hartville, Ohio.

 

[S.Crum]

Not here for sure! The lots are full. Mama works at the local auto auction and she was saying last Thursday and Friday were perticularly slow first because of the holiday weekend and second was the reoccuring complaint that the starting bid prices were too d**m high. Seems like every dealer in town has called me in the past week wanting me to try out a new truck or car. My newest is now 15 years old. I tell then when I'm ready I'll call them.

 

[JML755]

PJH,
noticed same thing here in Michigan recently, at a Lincoln-Mercury dealership and a GM dealership right across the street from each other. Normally, you'd see the lot directly in front of the showroom packed, but they were mostly empty. Could be different reasons for each but I'm sure dealers are trying to keep their inventory "right-sized". It's a dual-edge sword: low inventory means low carrying costs but little for prospective buyers to choose from. At today's prices (purchase price AND fuel price), buyers are pretty choosy and aren't going to be forced into something they don't want.

 

[JT]

when sales slump around here, (Springfield, IL), the car dealers all will lease a big field for a weekend and have a huge sale, have lenders on hand, accept anyone, no matter how bad their credit is type of things, maybe that is the case.
Jim

 

[buickanddeere]

Car companies are doing the same as tractor companies and grocery stores. Get rid of the numerous small local independent dealers and replace with a few mega dealerships. Less overhead.

 

[Goose]

Drive past a used car lot here, and 3/4 of the lot is SUV's. The rest is pickups and mini-vans with a few cars.

 

[Gun guru]

There has been an American Axle strike for a few months and it has allowed the dealers to sell the inventory off. At least on some of the models. I could be wrong on this but I have seen a lot more small cars on the roads likely due to high fuel costs.

 

[Anonymous-0]

The American Axle strike-- did you hear that recently that strike ended? Did you hear what the employees agreed to? (a $10 an hour cut, besides benefit reductions)

It was strange, last week I saw the CEO of Caterpillar being interviewed. He painted a rosy picture of trade and business. He seemed to be speaking in general when he said "wages are going up". I said "huh"?

 

[Jerry Coulter]

In Marissa on property where my dad had an AC dealership. I used to live in Cambria, I bought a Buick and a Honda from IKE. My children settled in Bloody Williamson.

 

[Gun guru]

The CEO of some companies are clueless, sometimes just idiots. Real wages have gone downnnnnn......for a long time especially for manf. jobs. Now if you figure in benefits for the unions guys then yes total compensation is up. But wages have stagnated.
I also heard that Skilled trades guys at Amer. axle were cut by $10/hour, but like the old saying goes if you arent worth what you make then go try to get the same pay somewhere else.

 

[Anonymous-0]

"If you're not worth what you make then try to get the same pay somewhere else".

In the last couple months my brother-in-law and sister hired a lawyer over what they thought was unfair treatment by the state over a road widening project on their land. The lawyer didn't do a thing for them, never even came to look, but charged them thousands. How are THEY worth it? Seems to me the highest pay goes to those who do the least.

 

[Spook]

They lost the $10, plus no more pension, plus no health care after retirement, plus higher co pays and other costs on medical insurance. No matter how the the union trys to frame it, they lost. Most of the current workers are expected to take buyouts over the next couple of years. But axle will probably do very little hiring to replace them. The work is going to places like Mexico, Brazil, China. Btw, our contract is a concession contract, just not as bad as theirs. I don't see Ford, GM, or Chrysler hiring many $14 replacements either. They are "hollowing out" our plants. Made in the USA is going to mean assembled in the USA. Machining, press work, all the heavy industrial stuff will be gone. Another item, the largest local in the UAW is local 6000, and it represents employees of the state of Michigan.

 

[Gun guru]

What plant are you at?
The union guys are really gonna take it up the tailpipe now. Just look at Delphi.

 

[Jerry Coulter]

Phoned my son in Hurst, he thinks all the cars were taken out to the SIU arena for a large show and sell event.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Well with the amount of foriegn junk on the road they probably went out of biz.How many years can Ford and GM take losses before they go belly up.Sad thing is American car quality is far better than nnalert now but buyers are brainwashed by dopey magazines like CONSUMER REPORTS[a communist plot to destroy capitalism].One thing though without the foreign competition the USA made cars would cost more.The once great Detroit has been brought to its knees.Furthermore I dont see any restoration value to todays cars.For five bucks a gallon I cant even care anymore.A young kid at work is on the phone to his BMW mechanic happy that his bill will only be 1400 and not 1800 as the mechanic thought.I said whats wrong with the car."the springs broke" I said "gee kid Ive never heard of a Chevy doing that".

 

[bc]

We have a dealer around here that moves all their stock out to the coliseum parking lot for a big tent sale. They usually do it on a holiday weekend. They should have been running a bunch of tv ads at the same time.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Excellent point about Consumer Reports! A magazine for yuppies, that NEVER has anything good to say about American made products. If Consumer Report recommends something, quickly run away!

 

[Crem]

I agree on the Consumers Reports. I wouldn't doubt if they are receiving pay offs for their reports.

 

[Anonymous-0]

OK Jerry, we aren't too far apart. I live south of Ava, but we get our groceries and stuff in Carbondale and Murphysboro. I noticed the empty lots last Wednesday, and I hope your son is right about the sale at SIU. Vogler Ford has been around since the model T days. I know the dealers have to be suffering now, with the stock of big cars, SUV's and trucks, and the fuel costs being so high. Take care. . .

 

[jose bagge]

CHEVY CHEVETTE? was so common we stocked 'em! Chevy Citation rears? same deal. The ill fated W-body fiberglass rear cross leafs?
I understand ya and I'm with ya, but let's not re-write history!

 

[Mike M]

I used to be "brain washed" buying only GM also. Well I finally woke up and got sick of having to fix them all the time, + all the oil and water leaks. I have had better luck with Dodges then GM's. Sister started buying Honda's years ago and she has had little to no problems with them. Got an older 86' Toyota truck too no problems ! Dad bought a Honda 04' ? no problems ! I'm trying a Honda now got my fingers crossed.
These so called American companies have been asleep at the wheel so to speak. GM keeps building defective designs instead of going with their proven designs.

 

[Anonymous-0]

All of the makers of big vehicles not being sold, cannot cry the blues. The public wanted big trucks, SUVs and the like, that don't get squat for mileage (VW Bugs were getting 30 or better MPG in the 70s!) When gas hits 6, 7, 8, dollars / gal.
Who's going to but these Guzzeling chunks of iron? The scrap yard, and the makers in Detroit will claim it as a loss on taxes

 

[fvolz]

I have an new F-350 6.4 diesel and I get 15 around town and 20 on the road. I couldn't be happier. Got rid of a Cherokee that got about the same. I think the new 6.4 is one of the best kept sleeper secrets.

 

[Steve in IN]

I had a chevy that did that. It was on a 79 Nova in 1988. It sat crooked on the backend because of it. That was a pretty common thing.

 

[Steve in IN]

That is why they just shuttered the plant in Indy. It isn't slated to open back up until after the July shutdown.

 

[dhermesc]

Were they even worth $10 an hour to do a job a trained monkeys could do?

 

[J.C.in AZ.]

As I drove past the local Chev.Dealer this morning I noticed a large reduction of Pickup Trucks from the front of the Dealership. The other day there must have been 50 Trucks lined up in front,today only about 6 new ones and a handful of used. No Tent Sale going on to my knowledge. Wonder where they all went? Not likely they have all been sold.

 

[Spook]

Actually, these guys do fairly skilled work, running forging equipment, set up and operation of gear cutting and grinding machines, and a pretty sophisticated heat treating system. There really aren't too many dumb factory jobs left anymore. Things like matieral handling got automated a long time ago.

 

[Anonymous-0]

A friend's son sells Fords,he says business is so slow he can't make ends meet.Medical insurance is expensive for his family,he would be better off selling his house,moving into section 8 housing,letting Medicaid,free school lunches,and food stamps provide for his family.But that is against his nature,he's thinking of opening a used car lot.He figures the time he's spending now at work for almost nothing might make some money in his own enterprize in the car business.He spends his life talking to people who's credit wouldn't buy a loaf of Sunbeam bread,trying to trade in a vehicle worth half what they owe on it for a $40000 King Ranch,or $30000 Mustang GT.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I doubt the dealers own any new stock on the lot.No way they could afford it.Its called floor plan in the appliance business.The car makers own the stock and the dealers hope they can sell it before payments and interest come due.

 

[Greenehillbilly]

(quoted from post at 10:36:48 05/27/08) We noticed a big (for Southern Illinois) Chevy dealer lot was suddenly completely empty. Couple days later noticed an empty Buick/GMC/Cadillac lot and around the corner the Ford lot was bare. These are seperately owned dealerships, and are considered well established in this area. Is this something that happens yearly and I just never noticed before? I can't help but think it has to do with the dealers having their lots full of HUGE vehicles that get poor fuel mileage. I keep my vehicles 'til the wheels rot off, so I don't pay as much attention as I should.

To maybe answer your question, around these parts, every once in a while all the car dealerships have a big battle. They get together and rent a couple great big blow up boxers, you know the kind with the gloves, and set them up like theys a fighting down at the fair grounds. Then all the dealer ships take there whole inventory to the fairgrounds and set them up on opposing teams and see who can out sell each other. This is all heavily advertised. This is no BS.

It must work because they keep doing it.