“Buying a car was another big culture shock when moving to the US. I think people here just don’t realize how absurd this dealership stuff is. In Europe you test drive a car, then choose options, pay a fixed price based on those options and that exact car comes in a few weeks, brand new, never driven before.
In [the] US you are expected to take one car off the lot, that was test driven by other people and then to haggle for a price like in Marrakesh. I remember having this surrea[l] conversation with the dealer person when I couldn’t understand why she wants me to just pick one car off her lot and she wouldn’t understand why I wouldn’t want to do this.”
— mislec, Washington Post commentator (2023)
RE:SOURCES
- mislec; 2023. Commentator in “Electric vehicles are hitting a road block: Car dealers.” The Washington Post (subscription required). Posted Nov. 9.
Also see ‘Peter DeLorenzo: Dealer markups are killing auto industry’s credibility’
Mislec should be aware that depending upon the time the European cars offered in the US were not offering many options beyond color and some dealer installed items. They did have options but they were mandatory and included on all their US cars. In particular I remember that BMW and MB made the vinyl interiors mandatory while the home market offered cloth. The European cars were even less inclined to offer custom ordering.
Of course a dealer for US cars would prefer to have a potential client purchase off the lot as those cars were being floorplanned (costing the dealer money). The manufacturers built cars that went to the dealers – some per the dealer desired spec (even if for inventory) and others just showed up on the truck.
I heard back in the day if the manufacturer wanted to bring a dealer in line, they’d do something like shipping them a green car with a red interior.