Car salesmen are not a highly thought of occupational group. In fact, they're widely regarded as sleazy and often out-and-out dishonest. And the dealers, if not actively encouraging the behavior of their salesmen, at least countenance it.
This comes from one who recently bought a car—from a dealer who actually had a good record with the Better Business Bureau but with whom, since the sale, I have at least a couple of grievances.
So are car dealers deserving of our sympathy in their present situation of being forced to close by Chrysler and GM? Maybe I can't give a good reason why, but I do feel sorry for them. The GM dealers are getting quite a bit of notice, but the Chrysler dealers are not. They have to close on short notice, and Chrysler won't take back the cars. (What will happen to all those cars in the dealers' possession? My guess is that they'll be sold to car auction outfits. Some lucky buyers will probably get good deals on new, '09 Chrysler cars.)
I guess I was somewhat moved by a segment on TV that showed a Chrysler dealership here in Chicago that had been started in the 1930's by a Lithuanian immigrant who still is involved in it—along with his children and grandchildren. It's one of those American success stories that get woven into the mythology of what America is. So—the end of an era. Can’t help but think it's sad.
Copyright © 2009 by Richard Stein
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