first

^nobody cares…we like to talk about cars here.

So it’s not even October yet and the price wars are starting on the 07 models already? It’s going to be a looong year for Detroit.

YourNameHere…..

“Leftlane burst into the automotive world as a leading source of ***news and information*** for car enthusiasts.”

This doesn’t look good. The next 2 to 5 years is really going to be interesting. Its like watching an explosion (GM, Ford, Chrysler) in slow motion and then waiting for the dust to settle in slow motion.

joseph…i was talking to mbc. the story itself doesnt surpise me…

YourNameHere…….my apologies. I would agree with what you said to mbc, and that the news doesn’t surprise me either.

no problem. that whole “first” thing is like a game on alot of websites and i dont want it to happen here. ya gotta weed through 25 posts before ppl are talkinig about the story

Couple of things come to mind here. One is that the dealers are complaining, but if they were better at what they do, besides selling cars then the cars would be easier to sell. Poor customer service after the sale will lose a customer, even if the product is decent. Good customer service can retain a customer even if the product is not perfect.
Also, Daimler/Chrysler has a few new models showing up this year that should help pick thing up a bit for them, but as with Ford, recovery for companies this large cannot happen overnight. It took years for them to get where they are. Dont expect to see a turnaround next tuesday.

Having seen Sebring and Avenger and Compass and Patriot
and Caliber, I’m not in the least bit surpeised

Fatstrat I don’t think its fair to say that if the dealers were better at what they do they wouldn’t have this problem or that it somehow is their dealer bodies fault. Really good customer service is not enough to combat the problems Chrysler dealers are having right now. Daimler/Chrysler has been loading their dealers up with slow selling SUV’s and Pickup trucks to the point where production has way over exceded demand. The new models are just starting to hit the lots in very small numbers while Daimler/Chrysler keeps pressuring dealers to take the more of their high volume trucks and SUV’s. People just aren’t lining up to buy Chryslers extremely truck heavy product lineup right now and the 300 is no longer the new kid on the block. As the market shifted to smaller more fuel efficient vehicles Chrysler just got left in the cold.

In a Great White North we already have Caravan’s Value Edition. Has A/C but no ABS, no power locks, mirrors and windows. Basicly a 7-seater on wheels. Sale price is $19,000 Canadian (about $17,000 US).

Lee Oswald: if you’re going for the Diesel, you might want to wait ’till they start producing the 6.7L version (should be around early spring ‘07 or so), apparently it’s going to have an even greater amount of torque.

tppp.
I understand the situation very well. I am saying that the service level over the years has added to the overall image/sales problem dealers are experiencing. It is not all the products fault either. The dealers have to shoulder some of the blame and take steps themselves to lift up the corporate image. Chrysler showrooms (I have been in more car dealerships than I care to count) are among the worst, and service is also spotty at best.
Dont get me wrong, I am an American and am pulling for the return of the big three, but I am just reflecting what I have seen.

Why does Chrysler have to keep paying their customers to come back? Does anyone else see the long term flaw with this? That’s rhetorical, obviously. You all do.

I mean, I know most if not all car companies do this at one time or another, but I can’t remember a time when Chrysler Group wasn’t offering SOME kind of reward for buying their products…

Fatstrat, I see what you are saying. Yes I agree with that, although I think that really is another topic but perhaps it really is part of the overall problem