While I'm not in the market for a new car, I have dropped by a couple of
dealerships to see the 09 models.  What I found was alarming.

 

At a Ford dealership (Rodeo Ford of Plano, TX) there was an extra
1,900.00 on the price of a new F-150 added by the dealership.  This
price was for a bed liner, paint and fabric protection and door edge
guards!   The truck was an already staggering 36,000.00 from the
factory, and the dealership had it at 37,999.00!!

 

I stopped by a Saturn dealership (Saturn of Plano, TX), and it was even
worse!!!  An 08 Astra (their lowest priced car), had dealer add-ons that
totaled 2,700.00!!!  Yup, the little car had nitrogen filled tires
(60.00), paint and fabric protection, a wheel and tire protection that
cost 500.00, a lojack that was 700.00, window etching of the VIN for
200.00, pin stripe for 250.00 and an array of other add-ons!!  The
original price of the car was 21,000.00, but the dealer had it at
23,700.00!!!

 

The lojack was, at best, humorous since the Astra is a very slow seller
for GM, one finds it hard to believe it'd be a high theft auto!

 

The Astra's add-ons was not an exception, but the norm - every new car
on the lot had these add-ons!!!

 

That begs the question: Are the dealerships, because of sleazy pricing
practices, reducing the sales of new cars?

 

 

Raymond Shahan


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