A sign of the times how far the Big 3 auto makers have fallen

[Thump553]

Chrysler announced yesterday it is shutting down its leasing arm August 1st because the Chrysler vehicles have such bad resale value that they are a poor risk to lease out:

Chrsyler-down the tubes

Not very inspiring news to a potential car buyer, is it?

It's truly sad how bad the US car makers have gotten, and especially Chrysler. I've owned several Chryslers (the last died in January after 17 years), most have been decent, some have been great cars. But the last half dozen years they changed their focus to gas-guzzling macho design monsters.

The US government bailed out Chrsyler in the 70s, but frankly it was a much more important manufacturer then. I wonder if they will just let it fail now.

 

[spacejamz]

Originally posted by: Thump553
Not very inspiring news to a potential car buyer, is it?

wonder how someone who bought a Chrysler recently feels?

 

[1prophet]

At Shuman Motor Sales, a Chrysler and Jeep dealership in Walled Lake, Mich., the general sales manager, Chris Brough, said leases accounted for 85 percent of the dealership?s business. Mr. Brough said ending leases would mean lower volume at first but that the change would make his dealerships and others healthier in the long run.

?I?m looking forward to it,? he said. ?We made more money when we sold cars as opposed to leasing them ? when people saw value in the car rather than just the monthly payment.?

I love guys like this, they can put a positive spin on anything no matter how unrealistic, hopefully they won't padlock the front gate in the near future when the employees show up to work.

The reason people were leasing.

Because leasing can make expensive vehicles cheaper to drive than lower-priced ones, it had begun playing the same type of role in the vehicle market that interest-only and adjustable-rate loans had in weakening the housing market, Mr. Press said.

?Leasing was being used in some cases to get people into product who probably economically shouldn?t have been in leases,? he said. ?That kind of exposure is a little bit of a bubble, and we?ve got to clean that up.?

Now these people are somehow going to magically come across more money in order to buy.

 

[smack Down]

Originally posted by: 1prophet

At Shuman Motor Sales, a Chrysler and Jeep dealership in Walled Lake, Mich., the general sales manager, Chris Brough, said leases accounted for 85 percent of the dealership?s business. Mr. Brough said ending leases would mean lower volume at first but that the change would make his dealerships and others healthier in the long run.

?I?m looking forward to it,? he said. ?We made more money when we sold cars as opposed to leasing them ? when people saw value in the car rather than just the monthly payment.?

I love guys like this, they can put a positive spin on anything no matter how unrealistic, hopefully they won't padlock the front gate in the near future when the employees show up to work.

The reason people were leasing.

Because leasing can make expensive vehicles cheaper to drive than lower-priced ones, it had begun playing the same type of role in the vehicle market that interest-only and adjustable-rate loans had in weakening the housing market, Mr. Press said.

<?Leasing was being used in some cases to get people into product who probably economically shouldn?t have been in leases,? he said. ?That kind of exposure is a little bit of a bubble, and we?ve got to clean that up.?

Now these people are somehow going to magically come across more money in order to buy.

It is called the 30 year car payment.

 

[CallMeJoe]

Chrysler Corporation is reaping the results of their willful corporate disdain for fuel efficient vehicles. Even as gas prices climbed past $3 per gallon, with no expectation of ever again retreating below that level, the genius corporate managers at Chrysler Corp continued to focus on SUVs, heavy duty pickup trucks and high performance V8 powered cars. It is all too typical of their mindset that the Hemi Challenger is their most promising new product.

I remember when the Prius was experiencing its first blush of Hollywood chic. Chrysler's response? An ad touting the "Dodge Charger Hybrid - it burns gas and rubber". They've still learned nothing. They've reached the point where they have to subsidize gas prices for their customers ($2.99 price promise) just to get shoppers into the showroom.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: CallMeJoe
Chrysler Corporation is reaping the results of their willful corporate disdain for fuel efficient vehicles.

Actually they are a two headed monster.

The Smart car has been around for quite a while and really starting to take off here in the U.S.

That is where their business is and they know it.

They are simply shedding their old business including a clever way of dumping the unions without a lot of fanfare unlike GM and Ford,

I see Chrysler as in actually better shape than GM and Ford of the three.

Unless GM magically pulls alternative vehicles out of it's ass they are dead.

Ford simply had to dump it's pick up truck lines. They already had tin car lines established.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: 1prophet

At Shuman Motor Sales, a Chrysler and Jeep dealership in Walled Lake, Mich., the general sales manager, Chris Brough, said leases accounted for 85 percent of the dealership?s business. Mr. Brough said ending leases would mean lower volume at first but that the change would make his dealerships and others healthier in the long run.

?I?m looking forward to it,? he said. ?We made more money when we sold cars as opposed to leasing them ? when people saw value in the car rather than just the monthly payment.?

I love guys like this, they can put a positive spin on anything no matter how unrealistic, hopefully they won't padlock the front gate in the near future when the employees show up to work.

The reason people were leasing.

Because leasing can make expensive vehicles cheaper to drive than lower-priced ones, it had begun playing the same type of role in the vehicle market that interest-only and adjustable-rate loans had in weakening the housing market, Mr. Press said.

<?Leasing was being used in some cases to get people into product who probably economically shouldn?t have been in leases,? he said. ?That kind of exposure is a little bit of a bubble, and we?ve got to clean that up.?

Now these people are somehow going to magically come across more money in order to buy.

I love people who think like you. Totally clueless yet think the other guy doesn't understand. As far as a dealership is concerned - he is 100% correct. Dealerships make money 2 ways. The front end and backend. The frontend is the sale of the car and the backend is the financing. When a person leased, especially the "deal" lease that was advertised, they(the dealership) makes close to nothing. Actually selling cars is much more profitable to the dealership. And no, there is no magic money increase. 5 year terms can be close to lease pricing if done right. There were many times that I talked people out of leasing and into buying when I sold cars. They drove off paying about the same as they would have if they'd have leased and yet they actually own the car.

 

[1prophet]

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: 1prophet

At Shuman Motor Sales, a Chrysler and Jeep dealership in Walled Lake, Mich., the general sales manager, Chris Brough, said leases accounted for 85 percent of the dealership?s business. Mr. Brough said ending leases would mean lower volume at first but that the change would make his dealerships and others healthier in the long run.

?I?m looking forward to it,? he said. ?We made more money when we sold cars as opposed to leasing them ? when people saw value in the car rather than just the monthly payment.?

I love guys like this, they can put a positive spin on anything no matter how unrealistic, hopefully they won't padlock the front gate in the near future when the employees show up to work.

The reason people were leasing.

Because leasing can make expensive vehicles cheaper to drive than lower-priced ones, it had begun playing the same type of role in the vehicle market that interest-only and adjustable-rate loans had in weakening the housing market, Mr. Press said.

<<<<?Leasing was being used in some cases to get people into product who probably economically shouldn?t have been in leases,? he said. ?That kind of exposure is a little bit of a bubble, and we?ve got to clean that up.?

Now these people are somehow going to magically come across more money in order to buy.

I love people who think like you. Totally clueless yet think the other guy doesn't understand. As far as a dealership is concerned - he is 100% correct. Dealerships make money 2 ways. The front end and backend. The frontend is the sale of the car and the backend is the financing. When a person leased, especially the "deal" lease that was advertised, they(the dealership) makes close to nothing. Actually selling cars is much more profitable to the dealership. And no, there is no magic money increase. 5 year terms can be close to lease pricing if done right. There were many times that I talked people out of leasing and into buying when I sold cars. They drove off paying about the same as they would have if they'd have leased and yet they actually own the car.

How much will they sell when no-one shows up to buy and the dealer still has to pay interest on the floorplan every month?

 

[spacejamz]

Originally posted by: smack Down

Originally posted by: 1prophet

At Shuman Motor Sales, a Chrysler and Jeep dealership in Walled Lake, Mich., the general sales manager, Chris Brough, said leases accounted for 85 percent of the dealership?s business. Mr. Brough said ending leases would mean lower volume at first but that the change would make his dealerships and others healthier in the long run.

?I?m looking forward to it,? he said. ?We made more money when we sold cars as opposed to leasing them ? when people saw value in the car rather than just the monthly payment.?

I love guys like this, they can put a positive spin on anything no matter how unrealistic, hopefully they won't padlock the front gate in the near future when the employees show up to work.

The reason people were leasing.

Because leasing can make expensive vehicles cheaper to drive than lower-priced ones, it had begun playing the same type of role in the vehicle market that interest-only and adjustable-rate loans had in weakening the housing market, Mr. Press said.

<<?Leasing was being used in some cases to get people into product who probably economically shouldn?t have been in leases,? he said. ?That kind of exposure is a little bit of a bubble, and we?ve got to clean that up.?

Now these people are somehow going to magically come across more money in order to buy.

It is called the 30 year car payment.

reverse car payments...mmmmm.....

 

[spacejamz]

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY
5 year terms can be close to lease pricing if done right. There were many times that I talked people out of leasing and into buying when I sold cars. They drove off paying about the same as they would have if they'd have leased and yet they actually own the car.

what do you mean by 'can be close'? monthly payments on financing a car for 5 years vs leasing a car for 3 years shouldn't even be close...

the total of 3 years of payments minus the equity might be close to total of 3 years of lease payments, but you would either have to hassle with selling the car privately or getting low balled at the dealer and you would have been paying 30-45% more out pocket each month for 36 months ...

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: 1prophet

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: 1prophet

At Shuman Motor Sales, a Chrysler and Jeep dealership in Walled Lake, Mich., the general sales manager, Chris Brough, said leases accounted for 85 percent of the dealership?s business. Mr. Brough said ending leases would mean lower volume at first but that the change would make his dealerships and others healthier in the long run.

?I?m looking forward to it,? he said. ?We made more money when we sold cars as opposed to leasing them ? when people saw value in the car rather than just the monthly payment.?

I love guys like this, they can put a positive spin on anything no matter how unrealistic, hopefully they won't padlock the front gate in the near future when the employees show up to work.

The reason people were leasing.

Because leasing can make expensive vehicles cheaper to drive than lower-priced ones, it had begun playing the same type of role in the vehicle market that interest-only and adjustable-rate loans had in weakening the housing market, Mr. Press said.

<<<<<?Leasing was being used in some cases to get people into product who probably economically shouldn?t have been in leases,? he said. ?That kind of exposure is a little bit of a bubble, and we?ve got to clean that up.?

Now these people are somehow going to magically come across more money in order to buy.

I love people who think like you. Totally clueless yet think the other guy doesn't understand. As far as a dealership is concerned - he is 100% correct. Dealerships make money 2 ways. The front end and backend. The frontend is the sale of the car and the backend is the financing. When a person leased, especially the "deal" lease that was advertised, they(the dealership) makes close to nothing. Actually selling cars is much more profitable to the dealership. And no, there is no magic money increase. 5 year terms can be close to lease pricing if done right. There were many times that I talked people out of leasing and into buying when I sold cars. They drove off paying about the same as they would have if they'd have leased and yet they actually own the car.

How much will they sell when no-one shows up to buy and the dealer still has to pay interest on the floorplan every month?

Who says no one will show up now?

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: spacejamz

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY
5 year terms can be close to lease pricing if done right. There were many times that I talked people out of leasing and into buying when I sold cars. They drove off paying about the same as they would have if they'd have leased and yet they actually own the car.

what do you mean by 'can be close'? monthly payments on financing a car for 5 years vs leasing a car for 3 years shouldn't even be close...

the total of 3 years of payments minus the equity might be close to total of 3 years of lease payments, but you would either have to hassle with selling the car privately or getting low balled at the dealer and you would have been paying 30-45% more out pocket each month for 36 months ...

Uh.. I'm not talking about the advertised leases you see - which obviously are far less than a 5 year term. I'm talking about other vehicles. I've seen it and done it. Many who came in to lease had no idea what they were actually paying for the vehicle - they were buying a payment. Also, I stated close - not equal or less.

 

[spacejamz]

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: spacejamz

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY
5 year terms can be close to lease pricing if done right. There were many times that I talked people out of leasing and into buying when I sold cars. They drove off paying about the same as they would have if they'd have leased and yet they actually own the car.

what do you mean by 'can be close'? monthly payments on financing a car for 5 years vs leasing a car for 3 years shouldn't even be close...

the total of 3 years of payments minus the equity might be close to total of 3 years of lease payments, but you would either have to hassle with selling the car privately or getting low balled at the dealer and you would have been paying 30-45% more out pocket each month for 36 months ...

Uh.. I'm not talking about the advertised leases you see - which obviously are far less than a 5 year term. I'm talking about other vehicles. I've seen it and done it. Many who came in to lease had no idea what they were actually paying for the vehicle - they were buying a payment. Also, I stated close - not equal or less.

on these other vehicles that you are referring to, what kind of numbers (monthly payment, overall out of pocket cost after 3 years, after 5 years, etc) are you talking about that even puts a lease in the same ball park as financing? the whole point of a lease is just to finance the projected value that the car will depreciate over the term of the lease so it should be considerably lower than financing the car outright...either that or you were royally screwing your customers with the lease terms...

edit: were your customers doing 5 year leases???

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: spacejamz

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: spacejamz

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY
5 year terms can be close to lease pricing if done right. There were many times that I talked people out of leasing and into buying when I sold cars. They drove off paying about the same as they would have if they'd have leased and yet they actually own the car.

what do you mean by 'can be close'? monthly payments on financing a car for 5 years vs leasing a car for 3 years shouldn't even be close...

the total of 3 years of payments minus the equity might be close to total of 3 years of lease payments, but you would either have to hassle with selling the car privately or getting low balled at the dealer and you would have been paying 30-45% more out pocket each month for 36 months ...

Uh.. I'm not talking about the advertised leases you see - which obviously are far less than a 5 year term. I'm talking about other vehicles. I've seen it and done it. Many who came in to lease had no idea what they were actually paying for the vehicle - they were buying a payment. Also, I stated close - not equal or less.

on these other vehicles that you are referring to, what kind of numbers (monthly payment, overall out of pocket cost after 3 years, after 5 years, etc) are you talking about that even puts a lease in the same ball park as financing? the whole point of a lease is just to finance the projected value that the car will depreciate over the term of the lease so it should be considerably lower than financing the car outright...either that or you were royally screwing your customers with the lease terms...

I know why the lease was created. Hell, I sold them. I don't care if you don't believe me but I've seen it first hand. For many people and situations - a buying payment was pretty close to what a lease would have been for them.

 

[spacejamz]

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: spacejamz

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: spacejamz

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY
5 year terms can be close to lease pricing if done right. There were many times that I talked people out of leasing and into buying when I sold cars. They drove off paying about the same as they would have if they'd have leased and yet they actually own the car.

what do you mean by 'can be close'? monthly payments on financing a car for 5 years vs leasing a car for 3 years shouldn't even be close...

the total of 3 years of payments minus the equity might be close to total of 3 years of lease payments, but you would either have to hassle with selling the car privately or getting low balled at the dealer and you would have been paying 30-45% more out pocket each month for 36 months ...

Uh.. I'm not talking about the advertised leases you see - which obviously are far less than a 5 year term. I'm talking about other vehicles. I've seen it and done it. Many who came in to lease had no idea what they were actually paying for the vehicle - they were buying a payment. Also, I stated close - not equal or less.

on these other vehicles that you are referring to, what kind of numbers (monthly payment, overall out of pocket cost after 3 years, after 5 years, etc) are you talking about that even puts a lease in the same ball park as financing? the whole point of a lease is just to finance the projected value that the car will depreciate over the term of the lease so it should be considerably lower than financing the car outright...either that or you were royally screwing your customers with the lease terms...

I know why the lease was created. Hell, I sold them. I don't care if you don't believe me but I've seen it first hand. For many people and situations - a buying payment was pretty close to what a lease would have been for them.

what kind of cars were you selling, domestic or import? it would not surprise me if the money factor on domestic cars might cause the payments to go up, but not anything close to a lease payment...

can you throw out an example how a finance situation was close to a lease (what kind of car, what was the total monthly lease payments vs total monthly finance payments, etc)?

i don't think their credit would matter because if it was bad, they would be screwed on either leasing or financing...

 

[1prophet]

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: 1prophet

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: 1prophet

At Shuman Motor Sales, a Chrysler and Jeep dealership in Walled Lake, Mich., the general sales manager, Chris Brough, said leases accounted for 85 percent of the dealership?s business. Mr. Brough said ending leases would mean lower volume at first but that the change would make his dealerships and others healthier in the long run.

?I?m looking forward to it,? he said. ?We made more money when we sold cars as opposed to leasing them ? when people saw value in the car rather than just the monthly payment.?

I love guys like this, they can put a positive spin on anything no matter how unrealistic, hopefully they won't padlock the front gate in the near future when the employees show up to work.

The reason people were leasing.

Because leasing can make expensive vehicles cheaper to drive than lower-priced ones, it had begun playing the same type of role in the vehicle market that interest-only and adjustable-rate loans had in weakening the housing market, Mr. Press said.

<<<<<<<<<?Leasing was being used in some cases to get people into product who probably economically shouldn?t have been in leases,? he said. ?That kind of exposure is a little bit of a bubble, and we?ve got to clean that up.?

Now these people are somehow going to magically come across more money in order to buy.

I love people who think like you. Totally clueless yet think the other guy doesn't understand. As far as a dealership is concerned - he is 100% correct. Dealerships make money 2 ways. The front end and backend. The frontend is the sale of the car and the backend is the financing. When a person leased, especially the "deal" lease that was advertised, they(the dealership) makes close to nothing. Actually selling cars is much more profitable to the dealership. And no, there is no magic money increase. 5 year terms can be close to lease pricing if done right. There were many times that I talked people out of leasing and into buying when I sold cars. They drove off paying about the same as they would have if they'd have leased and yet they actually own the car.

How much will they sell when no-one shows up to buy and the dealer still has to pay interest on the floorplan every month?

Who says no one will show up now?

You are as naive as those who think that domestic brand dealers must be rich because they see 500+ cars/trucks sitting on the lot, but sales numbers don't lie and neither do my birdie friends that finance these dealers that tell me how they are so close to the edge financially, and many are dropping like flies if they are not lucky enough to get bought out.

But that is OK, keep believing that the reason that dealers like the one in the article were not making any money was because they lacked wizbang salesman like yourself to steer the cash/credit strapped consumer into buying cars/ (gas guzzling suv/trucks) and away from those evil leases.:laugh:

Prepare to see one of the biggest corrections in the quantity of domestic car dealers in US history.🙁

 

[extra]

Lot of clueless people in this thread.

Chrysler didn't screw over Chrysler.

Mercedes screwed over Chrysler.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: spacejamz

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: spacejamz

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: spacejamz

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY
5 year terms can be close to lease pricing if done right. There were many times that I talked people out of leasing and into buying when I sold cars. They drove off paying about the same as they would have if they'd have leased and yet they actually own the car.

what do you mean by 'can be close'? monthly payments on financing a car for 5 years vs leasing a car for 3 years shouldn't even be close...

the total of 3 years of payments minus the equity might be close to total of 3 years of lease payments, but you would either have to hassle with selling the car privately or getting low balled at the dealer and you would have been paying 30-45% more out pocket each month for 36 months ...

Uh.. I'm not talking about the advertised leases you see - which obviously are far less than a 5 year term. I'm talking about other vehicles. I've seen it and done it. Many who came in to lease had no idea what they were actually paying for the vehicle - they were buying a payment. Also, I stated close - not equal or less.

on these other vehicles that you are referring to, what kind of numbers (monthly payment, overall out of pocket cost after 3 years, after 5 years, etc) are you talking about that even puts a lease in the same ball park as financing? the whole point of a lease is just to finance the projected value that the car will depreciate over the term of the lease so it should be considerably lower than financing the car outright...either that or you were royally screwing your customers with the lease terms...

I know why the lease was created. Hell, I sold them. I don't care if you don't believe me but I've seen it first hand. For many people and situations - a buying payment was pretty close to what a lease would have been for them.

what kind of cars were you selling, domestic or import? it would not surprise me if the money factor on domestic cars might cause the payments to go up, but not anything close to a lease payment...

can you throw out an example how a finance situation was close to a lease (what kind of car, what was the total monthly lease payments vs total monthly finance payments, etc)?

i don't think their credit would matter because if it was bad, they would be screwed on either leasing or financing...

Both.

Take a current '08 Sebring. 36mo 12K lease. It'll be in the $325-375/mo lease range(~$19K vehicle) with 0 down.(no mfg special finance deals).
Take that same vehicle 19K at 7%, 0 down, 60mo term. You are looking at ~$375/mo.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: 1prophet

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY
Who says no one will show up now?

You are as naive as those who think that domestic brand dealers must be rich because they see 500+ cars/trucks sitting on the lot, but sales numbers don't lie and neither do my birdie friends that finance these dealers that tell me how they are so close to the edge financially, and many are dropping like flies if they are not lucky enough to get bought out.

But that is OK, keep believing that the reason that dealers like the one in the article were not making any money was because they lacked wizbang salesman like yourself to steer the cash/credit strapped consumer into buying cars/ (gas guzzling suv/trucks) and away from those evil leases.:laugh:

Prepare to see one of the biggest corrections in the quantity of domestic car dealers in US history.🙁

Again, who says no one will show up. You think people are just not going to buy vehicles? :roll:

Yes, people don't understand how dealerships work. They don't "own" the cars(in most cases) - they finance them just like everyone else. That's why you see certain vehicles marked down yet the same model next to it might not be. It's likely due to it being on the lot too long. It's usually 60 or 90 days when a car is "old" to a dealer and they have to move it or face paying for it to sit there.

:roll: no where did I say they were suffering due to leasing vs buying. However, they can and do make more profit from sales vs leases. Also, no where did I say I was some stellar sales person. I sold my fair share of vehicles but no where did I say I was "wizbang".
Try paying attention instead of stuffing those clothes with straw.

 

[DukeN]

Maybe Chrysler (and Ford as well as GM) should innovate and focus on making their products better rather than working solely on the financial, marketing and costcutting sides of running the business. If your product isn't that great, it can't be good for you long term.
Besides, the difference in build quality and reliability between say a Camry/Accord vs say, a Sebring/Impala is pretty significant. I think people have learnt their lessons (you can only get hosed so many times). Not to mention generally worse mileage, and a lower residual value for north american vehicles resulting from the first two factors.

 

[GroundedSailor]

Originally posted by: DukeN
Maybe Chrysler (and Ford as well as GM) should innovate and focus on making their products better rather than working solely on the financial, marketing and costcutting sides of running the business. If your product isn't that great, it can't be good for you long term.
Besides, the difference in build quality and reliability between say a Camry/Accord vs say, a Sebring/Impala is pretty significant. I think people have learnt their lessons (you can only get hosed so many times). Not to mention generally worse mileage, and a lower residual value for north american vehicles resulting from the first two factors.

Actually the quality of domestics has gone up considerably that they take top rankings on J D Powers rankings but the public perception hasn't caught up. This perception is the reason for lower residual values not the other way around.

Were you aware in July 2007 Toyota overtook Ford in "Most number of cars recalled (in a year) by an car manufacturer"? What does that say about the QC of Toyota? Also goggle 'silent recalls' and see what you find. Japanese are far more image conscious than domestics and will go to extreme length to save face.

While you're at it I suggest you research TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). As a thumb rule, for e.g., Accord > Camry > Malibu > Sonata.

Have you driven domestics lately? You'll be surprised how good they've become.

 

[Engineer]

Originally posted by: GroundedSailor
Have you driven domestics lately? You'll be surprised how good they've become.

Pretty soon, they will be domestic only in name. Ford, GM and Chrysler are moving factories to Mexico as fast as they can get them going (without breaking the bank).

 

[Strk]

Another major factor in poor resale value is the large sale of fleet vehicles. I know Ford and GM are trying to reduce fleet sales.

As for Chrysler, I find it amusing that only one person mentions that, up until recently, it was owned by Daimler. And Dave, I mentioned it in another thread, Chyrsler doesn't own Smart.

 

[GroundedSailor]

Originally posted by: Engineer

Originally posted by: GroundedSailor
Have you driven domestics lately? You'll be surprised how good they've become.

Pretty soon, they will be domestic only in name. Ford, GM and Chrysler are moving factories to Mexico as fast as they can get them going (without breaking the bank).

I'll still be happy that profits (if any!), R&D money and expertise remains here as compared to Japanese etc.

 

[waggy]

many of the manufactures have been thinking of stoping leasing. There have been a flood of lawsuits. people in a accident with a leased vehicle are suing the manufacter and dealer.