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Sales report - VWoA press release
- Thread starter vj123
- Start date
applesauce2
Passed Driver's Ed
- Location
- WV
Based on my own personal experience, it’s very difficult to get a VW salesman to even contact me to seriously negotiate a purchase. I’ve reached out 4 different dealerships over the past 2 months.
Well that is rather disconcerting. I can wait until the 2018's are truly leftover's in the fall, but I'm not sure the pricing will be good. So many people boast about the rock bottom prices they got, but I'm not sure if its the reality.
vj123
Autocross Newbie
- Location
- The Detroit
- Car(s)
- 19 & 16 GTI - sold
It was not just boasting but many people did get great deals last year because of the following factors.
- 2018s were coming in with better warranty.
- VW was offering dealer cash as high as $4500 to get rid of 2017s.
- Dealers had plenty of 2017 leftovers last winter than usual. That might have been a reason why 2018s were launched by early 2018 (not fall 2017).
Because it is in a segment dominated by Honda and Toyota. Americans hate sedans and for the majority of the country based on sale numbers if they are looking for one in the mid 20s they are buying Japanese.
This. Because it's not a Honda or Toyota, and becauss it IS a VW. Americans have very poor perceptions of VW. I'm not sure they'll ever get to recoup their brand image. Based on the sales figures for the 2018's, which have the People's warranty, it's clear thag people just don't want/trust VWs
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The weird thing is no car today "breaks down all the time," really, not even FCA products. Compared to, say, the seventies, today's cars, even the cheapest, are paragons of reliability and efficiency. What has not changed is that average American drivers treat their cars horribly. It seems the default behavior for our drivers is to ignore service intervals and instructions, operate the vehicle without thinking about the vehicles limits, capabilities, and design intent, and in general treat it like a toaster. One reason that our market is flooded with boring, nearly identical people boxes is that manufacturers realize that unless they make a bullet-proof ride that no amount of ham-handed mishandling can destroy, they'll get dinged for being "unreliable." So they make a bunch of boring SUVs that are capable of withstanding the average American family's general ignorance of and distaste for actual machinery.
I don't think this kind of behavior is normal. Do you have any evidence to show it is? Almost everyone I talk to about cars, most of whom are not enthusiasts, has their cars serviced at the required intervals. They also don't abuse their cars and don't use them beyond their design capabilities. Sure it happens but you are positing that it's the norm.
Wrath And Tears
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- Azusa, CA
- Car(s)
- 17 Sport, 99 E36
Spend a few days at an indie shop, then you will understand.
I would agree that people don't take care of cars like in the past. One of the driving reasons is lack of being able to do the maintenance yourself, either because of knowledge or lack of time.
The high dealer cost to maintain a car pushes people to put it off or skip it entirely. Also we turn our vehicles over more often in general than we did in the past. So long term ownership isn't the norm anymore, so the lack of maintenance becomes the 2nd owners problem.
This is in general as there are people who value their vehicle and understand it costs a bit of money at regular intervals to maintain it. But I'd say those people are the exception and not the norm.
I religiously maintain my vehicles because that's just how I am. I understand it's part of the cost of ownership. But none of my friends really do beyond the 10K mile oil change and even then they go to a quick lube joint where they put on a cheap filter and strip the drain plug, etc, etc.
Do you work at an indie shop? Is this kind of behavior the norm or are we talking about oil changes at 12,000 miles instead of 10,000? It's all very vague.
Well I hope there is some great dealer cash offers as we get closer to the end of the 2018 model year....
Wrath And Tears
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- Azusa, CA
- Car(s)
- 17 Sport, 99 E36
I do. There are lots and lots of people who just do the bare minimum, or can't afford all the repairs needed. Massive fluid leaks, dangerous brakes, cracking belts, 20k between oil services - without ever checking fluids, as well as people who only bring the car in when the low oil light is on, or a CEL sets for not being able to activate VTEC do to no oil pressure. This even extends to customers who drive "nice" cars and who have money. They simply just don't care about the car.
I would say it's pretty normal. The rare customers are the ones who know anything about cars, as well as the ones who have us fix everything we find, as soon as we find it. The amount of times I've "retired" cars by finding work that exceeds the value of the car is nuts.
I'm working on one person's car who goes to a quick lube for service, and then to us for an inspection. It costs them far more then simply having us do regular servicing to it, but whatever. People are crazy.
I completely agree. My wife falls into this category. I'm of the old school mindset, follow what I believe to be the best maintenance schedule for my car (which some may say is excessive), regardless of the factory recommendations.
TheWombat's comment about cars not breaking down all the time, but rather car owners not taking care of their vehicles, is interesting. I never thought about it like this, just assumed some car manufacturers had piss poor reliability. I work in healthcare, and its the same story. If you fail to take care of your body (preventative maintenance), then things will fall apart, and quite catastrophically when it does haha
I think MSchott is right to be skeptical of my overly broad generalization, though I do think I'm pretty much on target. There is a lot of variation across American car owners, to be sure, and where you are and who you hang with will make a big difference in how you see things. Economic status plays a huge role, but so does culture.
But think about it this way. Why are there so many cars in the USA? It's not because people like cars, it's because people need cars. Many of the concentrations of people in this country are in urban areas that originated or vastly expanded in the automobile era. Many people live far, far from where they work, and most don't have the Long Island Railway or Metro North to get them to work. Many more live in East Bumble, miles from anything, and totally dependent on a car or truck to get anywhere with more humans than cows or sheep.
The number of people who need cars vastly exceeds the number of people who want cars for their own sake. In that environment, the push is towards the least costly, least intrusive, least demanding way to get around. Ergo, car = toaster. And you don't spend any mindspace worrying about a friggin' toaster.
But think about it this way. Why are there so many cars in the USA? It's not because people like cars, it's because people need cars. Many of the concentrations of people in this country are in urban areas that originated or vastly expanded in the automobile era. Many people live far, far from where they work, and most don't have the Long Island Railway or Metro North to get them to work. Many more live in East Bumble, miles from anything, and totally dependent on a car or truck to get anywhere with more humans than cows or sheep.
The number of people who need cars vastly exceeds the number of people who want cars for their own sake. In that environment, the push is towards the least costly, least intrusive, least demanding way to get around. Ergo, car = toaster. And you don't spend any mindspace worrying about a friggin' toaster.