Posted on 11/21/2021 10:05:27 AM PST by SilvieWaldorfMD
My husband and I went to our local Toyota dealership here in Southern Maryland - one of the largest Toyota dealerships on the East Coast - looking for a new 2022 Camry. We've owned several Camry's since 2000 and I've owned Toyota vehicles since 1980. My husband just comes along with me. He knows that I'm capable of detecting bullsh*t and cockamamie stories from sales staff, so he just sits back and listens. (He's trained me well, I must admit!)
We arrived a few minutes before the dealership opened, so we took a drive in the lots in the back to check out the vehicles. To our amazement, there were absolutely NO NEW TOYOTA CARS in any of the lots. Only employees' cars. We drove around and saw a few Used Cars and 2 Highlanders, and that's it. The dealership also has a lot across the street from them and that lot was also empty. This dealership has lots as large as airport lots, so the empty spaces shook us up a bit. We entered the dealership and were met by the assistant manager. I asked: "Where are your new cars?" and he, wanting to make a sale nonetheless, downplayed the situation by saying that "Some models are being built right now in Ohio and Kentucky." He said that the supply chain situation and delayed shipping has produced a scarcity of new Toyota products and parts that we might have to endure "for another year or so." I wondered if this idiot had voted for Biden.
Suddenly, a new 2022 Camry LE appeared as another employee drove it to the front for us to look at. I murmured to my husband that "I wonder how many people have sat and touched this model" because it looked like it was the town taxi - fingerprints and dirt all over the place. It didn't even have that 'new smell' to it anymore. I took one look inside of it, closed the door and said "No, thank you!"
I told my husband that I wanted to leave and the manager came out running saying that he had an unbelievable deal. Nothing - absolutely nothing - will make me change my 'poker face' and I will never show my cards to anyone, but I wanted to be entertained, so I said: "Ok!" The guy started talking to my husband when he detected that he couldn't get through to me, and hubby just said: "She's the boss; talk to her!"
He gave me an invoice that he said was a great deal. The invoice had jacked up the price of the Toyota we had just seen by $3,000, but then he noted that he'd give me a $1,000 discount. The somewhat scary part too is that someone must've researched us from the time we entered the lot (by looking up our license plate, perhaps) because the guy knew a lot about us. He even went insofar as to say that he'd give me another discount "in honor of all the children who suffer from autism." There are articles on the Internet about me and Special Education as I work for the school system and I used to work in that field. That's when I started getting pissed off. I slid his piece of paper across the desk and told my husband that I was ready to leave. I told the salesman that we were there to "look" but that there was "nothing to look at!"
After we pulled out of the Toyota Dealership, we went to the Ford, Honda, Nissan, Subaru and Chevrolet dealerships in the same corridor and the stories were exactly the same there as well. No cars - only some trucks. Lots were empty. I told my husband that I'd keep our current Toyota and change the transmission fluid and the 4 tires soon because chances are we will not be getting a new car for a few months.
Maybe this is the plan as devised by the Democrats and the Biden Administration. They want to shove hybrid/electric vehicles down our throats so bad that they'll deliberately delay shipments. It all makes sense now; this is part of the plan! Soon, we'll all have our Vintage Toyota Vehicles like Cuba has their vintage Ford's from the 1950s. It's truly unbelievable and eye-opening. Along with high gas prices, again, THIS IS THE PLAN! This is what Democrats want and they're on the path to getting what they want. FJB!
1) The chip shortage continues. That was the excuse for auto plants shutting down. You may have a point. Starve us of gas vehicles, move us into electric
2) Get ready for vehicles with a LOT less content. The few chips they have will operate the bare essentials
Went to my Honda dealer to get an oil change. I usually chat with the salesman who sold me my car while I wait. He told me things are not going to get back to any sense of normalcy until mid 2023. Had 14 cars scheduled for delivery this week all but 2 are sold. the manifiest for December is 25 cars, yet to be delivered, and half are already spoken for. No cars on sales floor, no new cars on lot.
How do they calculate the official inflation? Aren’t the numbers and prices of cars sold (and big appliances) used to come up with the numbers or am I thinking of some other economic stat? I wonder if the backordering due to chips, etc., has the effect of making inflation appear less than it actually is?
Just noticed the cheese puff balls that always sold for 3.99 are now 4.99...
We went through that this year and it was a nightmare.
We buy a new one about every decade and we were due. We wanted a Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk as it is one of the few these days that we can tow, four down, behind our motorhome. When we went into the dealership there wasn’t one there nor was there one anywhere in 500 miles from us, so we ordered one.
They told us it would take six weeks to get in, but it took seven months to get it. We checked on the status every few weeks and every time they told me it would be in in two weeks. Either they had no idea what the status was or just lied to us. While waiting for it, I kept a look of the inventory of all dealerships in New Mexico for a Trailblazer and only saw one came up, an orange one. That wouldn’t work.
It was a very strange year buying a car. The lots are empty, even for used cars.
I suspect this chip shortage is going to kill off more new car dealerships than Bush’s auto bail out.
they can’t survive on their service bays alone. especially when their shop rate is 30-40% higher than independent shops (at least around here that is the difference) and parts are becoming hard to get (tires, batteries, its all becoming slim pickings).
contrary to what the dealer wants you to think, your 10 year old car does not have to be serviced at the dealer.
your 10 day old one doesn’t either.
Yeah, the lying media always makes things out to be worse than they really are.
Of course there’s used cars around, everywhere. If you do it right, you’ll have a car that may be even better than new. Buy one with low mileage, well taken-care of from a reliable individual and you’ll know you don’t have a lemon which you may get when you buy new. Plus you’ve missed the extreme resale price depreciation the second you roll the new car off the lot.
We experienced the same thing this summer, but we needed a new car. Subaru had 4 sedans in their lot, and we bought one. We were told people are buying cars that haven’t even arrived to the dealership yet.
Two years ago I could pick up decent beater (10 yrs old / 125k miles for 3 grand. Now they are 5 grand or more.
I figure my tires rotate plenty while I’m driving. I just leave them in their places and get a new one for each one that wears out.
You beat me on the miles. I got 313,000 out of a garage kept 2003 Saturn Ion with the original clutch.
Then while sitting at a red light, someone plowed into me from behind - totaled my prized car. I had minor injuries and was happy to be alive. Fighting their insurance company on the value of the car took months, but eventually they came around. (that is a whole other story.)
I am down to one car, 14 years old and just passed 200,000 miles on it. Miss having that 2nd car in the garage, especially now with the insanity that is going on. Parts prices have gone up quite a bit too.
Wife was looking at a Benz SUV, and they were trying to sell us their loaner that was higher than list on a new one. Nope.
“someone must’ve researched us from the time we entered the lot”
I’m pretty sure they’ve done that for several years now.
Cubans with 1956 Fords have been grateful for their cars for over 50 years... that's how commies like their citizens - broken... and grateful.
Our youngest son just got his driving permit. We had promised to give him my car when he got that permit. Unfortunately for him, I can’t find a new car to replace it. Understandably, he’s not happy, but smart enough to blame Biden.
No chips… no new cars.
The dealership where I buy my cars, and where I used to buy trucks for my company had 9 pickup trucks on their lot. Usually they have 50 or so. And the trucks they had were contractor trucks and big 3/4 ton trucks. Nothing a normal consumer would want.
All because there are no chips to finish them.
I understand your position. My car is a 2001 Impala LS, with only 22,000 actual miles. Has some dings and warts, but nothing wrong mechanically.
I was looking to buy a smaller car that would be easier to get in and out of my rear entry garage. After seeing the shortages and prices on new cars, I’ve pretty much decided to just get new tires, get the minor cosmetic makeover and have the car detailed. ... Sure that will cost a thousand or two, but much cheaper than buying new. Besides, in 5 years it will be designated as a “classic”.
* It seems best to order.
* The big three I think kinda want it that way frankly.
* If you have a trade in, then they'll talk, they can sell it in a heartbeat if it is well maintained and low miles, and you'll get good $ for it.
* Discounts are getting rarer or so I am told, some dealers are not honoring the Family and Friends Discounts of Big 3 employees
That last one is a shocker. Although I know of someone in a Southern State that has a pickup on order and the dealer will honor the Friends and Family plan, & add a Veteran discount to boot.
I wouldn't go down that this is all the plan, they are up to their eyeballs in getting raw materials for those batteries as well, think long term lithium mining agreements, of which many of the Big Autos don't have, wait till that all kicks in. It's more like getting the chemicals that make up your paints and coatings, talk to someone in that business, it is madness.
And don't forget the Chips. Elon gets around it as he is vertically integrated and makes or has the chips made for him and they are more integrated and the boards they sit on look like something off an alien space ship compared to what others are doing. The only good news is Ford is partnering with a Chip maker to get theirs made here in the States. Should have been done 5 yrs ago, but let that go...
The one on 301? I’ll be driving past that Toyota dealership on my way to Richmond Thanksgiving Day.
How about putting distributors and carburetors on the new cars to so they don’t need chips.
We like the Subaru we bought but hate that chip that shuts off the motor at a red light. We disable it every time we start the car. Environmentalists think it saves gas.
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