Car Dealers Still Using Cheap Tricks

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago

You might have thunk that car dealers would stop being skunks, what with the economy going thunk and the end of cash for clunk. But noooooooo. If anything, tough times have seen an increase amount of the same old story, same old song and dance down at the car lot. “You pay what we pay is back!” Little Rhody’s Flood Automotive Group proclaimed, before switching to free tires for life. And what of this? WYTV in Ohio reports [breathlessly] that Greenwoods Hubbard Chevrolet brought in the punters by selling used cars for $5. “Denny Denoi, General Manager of Greenwoods Hubbard Chevrolet said, ‘It’s just something that we wanted to do instead of taking some of these older cars to the auction we decided we would just sell them to the people of the Valley.'” That said, “The catch with this $5 car sale is that there were only 3 cars for $5, and those 3 lucky people’s names were actually pulled from a box.” But that’s OK, right? “Denoi said the sale was a success, and that most of the customers left the dealership happy, even though they didn’t get to drive away with a car for $5. ‘There’s [sic] some people who walked away with some great deals and some people who needed some cars that got some good transportation, and for the most part, I think 95-percent of the people are thrilled today.'” I wonder if GM’s new Sales Maven Susan Docherty will take that one national.

Robert Farago
Robert Farago

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  • Himanshu Shah Himanshu Shah on Nov 16, 2009

    While some SEM ads mention incentives, there are still a large number of car dealers or car trader who are lacking hard numbers in their copy. Don’t be afraid to put a dollar sign in your ad copy. In fact, it’s better to have a price listed so someone doesn’t click your ad and then immediately leave after they see the price on the landing page. That results in a wasted click, which means wasted ad dollars. If actual prices don’t sound appealing, advertise your incentives. Online search users are browsing for good deals, so why not have your ad reflect their needs? For example, a good ad could say “New Jeep Wranglers at $4500 off MSRP.” Any mention of a discount, sale, giveaway, or promotion is more likely to draw a click from a curious online bargain hunter.

  • Dmrdano Dmrdano on Nov 16, 2009

    What drives me crazy are rebates. Just take the money off the purchase price. Pay extra for taxes and financing, just to get a check in return? I don't buy new, so maybe I am missing something in how it works, but it makes no sense to me.

  • Bridge2farr Bridge2farr on Nov 16, 2009

    and this is news?

  • Jacad Jacad on Nov 16, 2009

    Manufacturers have not sent checks to people for rebates for years. They do take it off the purchase price.

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