What's the problem? The warranty is now backed by the US Government. Chrysler is being saved by Fiat (who doesn't want a Fiat?) and your local dealer/mechanic is now an extra hour drive away.

DarkVader: To me, cutting dealers seems like the height of stupid.

I can only imagine the conversation went like this: "We're having trouble selling cars. What can we do to fix that?" "Well, how about having our cars available fewer places? That's SURE to make people buy more of them!"

I just don't get it. The dealers aren't owned by Chrysler, how are they costing Chrysler money?

This isn't their idea. The Obama administration is forcing them and GM to close dealers, and cut advertising, if they want bailout money.

vernonFL: I only drive classic cars. New cars suck.

Ugly, no character and not fun to drive. Power steering? Fuel injection? Airbags? PFFT.

I ride a horse because I'm so awesome.

So one day you are the proud owner of a multi-million dollar franchise, the government is bailing out Chrysler and everything will be fine...and the next day you have sell the land in a depressed real estate market.

Should have bought that GM dealership instead. Wait, what?

DaShredda: vernonFL: I only drive classic cars. New cars suck.

Ugly, no character and not fun to drive. Power steering? Fuel injection? Airbags? PFFT.

I ride a horse because I'm so awesome.

I ride a horse to the gym because I'm so awesome.

I did some calling last night on a Challenger. Maybe if they'd deal on those, or get them down to Camaro prices or better, I'd buy one.

FOR CHRIST'S SAKES, FARKERS!!

GET A CHRYSLER AND SAVE AMERICA!


-- J.Christ

*draws up four-square diagram*

OK, Honest Bob, here's what you've got...

Kurmudgeon: the true blame for Chrysler's problems lay with Mercedes Benz who gutted an American company.

How about getting back to building real cars and stop chasing the EuroBubbles around, while they chase the NipponBobbins.

Ring d-ding-ding fart. Look at dem rimmmms. Nice lawn mower there, yo.

Mongo cut wood: FYI I just found this: 2011 Ford Fiesta (new window). It is sharp.


My problem with Chryslter's are that they look too bulky and fat. I like the sleak, thin and stealthy.

You know that's just a Mazda 3, right?

Chrysler = Sleds for aging zombies to surf back and forth to their gated community golf clubhouse. Otherwise useless, just like most American car brands.

/And P.O.S. Harley Davidsons too.
//Honda kicks ass.

hurdboy: Then why did they pay $400 mil. to Kerkorian for misleading investors about the merger? Or why did they agree to give up their remaining ownership stake completely (read: no money changed hands), *and* pay a huge sum into the UAW pension fund?

Just to get the fark rid of that albatros.

Kurmudgeon-

The problem with your story is you are 1 in thousands. A freak, an outlier, an exception to the rule.

I'm glad you have good experience with them, but your voice is drowned out by the overwhelming majority that has not...

...also bear in mind what people will put up with as 'faults' often depend on their expectations of the car.

..kia? buzzing sound? no biggie, it's a kia, so no 'fault'
..high end BMW? Better be quiet as a tomb otherwise it goes back.

...kia owners satisfied BMW owner isn't. Both have the same faults, yet are viewed differently because of price and expectations from said price.

....having said all that, chryslers are crap.
///fords even more so.

Kurmudgeon: "You sell crappy products
I know this is Fark where most of you know jack and shiat about cars and the auto industry, but the true blame for Chrysler's problems lay with Mercedes Benz who gutted an American company.
As for the crappy products bullshiat, that also is typical Fark and typically wrong. If I didn't have over a decade of good use out of my last 2 new Chryslers, I'd probably be complaining too.
Luckily Chryslers don't break frames like a Toyota or toss ball joints like a Honda. I could list more, but I hope some of you get the point. I doubt many of you American-bashing pecker heads could even keep any car for a decade when the only time you change your oil is when you wash your hair..fark you import lovers, may you be unemployed soon....

I own a 2006 Dodge Charger R/T R&T and by far its the best automobile I've ever owned-its even made a convert out of my Altima owning anti -US car brother. All the hate directed at Chrysler seems to be based on the old K cars and the like- up here in Canada sales of Chrysler have been very good.


Im all for bashing cars-but why wont folks at least keep their eyes open? All the car companies have gems and garbage


Did i mention how much i love my 350hp, 390 ft/lb torque car? Fantastic.

If the Big Three go under Obama will lose Michigan and Ohio and the election in 2012. Not trying to bash Obama, that's just a political fact. If McCain had won he would be in the same position.

I get the feeling Bush agreed to this because he might give Obama a poison pill while increasing the Republicans changes in 2012.

/his dad did the same thing to Clinton over Somalia

barefoot in the head: How about getting back to building real cars and stop chasing the EuroBubbles around, while they chase the NipponBobbins.

Ring d-ding-ding fart. Look at dem rimmmms. Nice lawn mower there, yo.

What the fark is a real car?

Have they tried the "you're not allowed to buy this car!" technique?

Kurmudgeon: "You sell crappy products
I know this is Fark where most of you know jack and shiat about cars and the auto industry, but the true blame for Chrysler's problems lay with Mercedes Benz who gutted an American company.
As for the crappy products bullshiat, that also is typical Fark and typically wrong. If I didn't have over a decade of good use out of my last 2 new Chryslers, I'd probably be complaining too.
Luckily Chryslers don't break frames like a Toyota or toss ball joints like a Honda. I could list more, but I hope some of you get the point. I doubt many of you American-bashing pecker heads could even keep any car for a decade when the only time you change your oil is when you wash your hair..fark you import lovers, may you be unemployed soon....

Yeah, Chrysler products are soooo great... You're a lovely troll arent'you?

barefoot in the head:

Look at dem rimmmms.





They spinnin'!

Tigggy: Mazda 3

Bzzzt, wrong. The US 2010 Focus is based on the C1 platform shared with the Mazda 3 and Volvo S40. The current US Focus is based on the C170 platform, which is shared with nothing.

The up-and-coming Ford Fiesta is based on the Ford global B-platform, which is shared with the Mazda Demio and Mazda 2, neither of which we get in the US.

bmwericus: DarkVader: To me, cutting dealers seems like the height of stupid.

I just don't get it. The dealers aren't owned by Chrysler, how are they costing Chrysler money?

That is what I'm trying to figure out... the dealerships don't get money except maybe some advertising co-op dollars and the benefit of the national ads.

The gross sales margin of the dealerships is too high for the business model to work. Dealers make (some) profit, and Chrysler make a farking huge loss. Chrysler can't fix their loss by cost-cutting alone.

The customer won't pay more for the product, so the margin the dealers take has to reduce. The cost to the dealers of the vehicles WILL rise, and soon. Exactly how this is structured probably hasn't been decided yet.

Obviously, the remaining dealers will have to cut costs, or sell more vehicles each. Chrysler are hoping for the latter, obviously.

It's not comfortable for anyone, but it's the only way Chrysler will still be here in a year or two.

Tigggy: Mongo cut wood: FYI I just found this: 2011 Ford Fiesta (new window). It is sharp.


My problem with Chryslter's are that they look too bulky and fat. I like the sleak, thin and stealthy.

You know that's just a Mazda 3, right?

Fiesta shares a platform with the Mazda 2, which is smaller. The current US Focus rides on the C170 platform while 3's are on the C1. Speaking of Focii, check out the Euro-version. MUCH nicer than the fugly little bastard we have over here.

John_Rat_Safari: Please let it be Dodge next.

Chrysler = Dodge

The Dodge dealer about 10 minutes from my house is closing.

It sits right off a very busy highway, so you would think it does enough business to stay in business. But apparently not.

After having been burned by Dodge with several models between 1964-1998 I was ALMOST ready to take a chance again with the new Challenger. However, now I have to consider :If they treat their loyal dealers this way, how bad will they treat me, seeing as how they routinely farked me during GOOD times!

/ hello, Hyundia dealer?, I am interesed in that Genesis Coupe afterall.

JKulp42757
John_Rat_Safari: Please let it be Dodge next.

Chrysler = Dodge


dodge (verb) - to avoid

sounds like good advice

Please spare us all of the crocodile tears and sob stories about these closing dealerships. Either that, or shed just as many of them for any and every other retail operation that has been forced to close its doors for business reasons.

I saw no similar outpouring of anguish over the area's loss of Circuit City, Mervyn's, Farmer Jack, etc. You got over it, and shopped elsewhere, like you will now. Life goes on.

I like that quote from the comments in TFA.

dead_dangler: MindStalker: My laid off mechanic brother in law has been sponging off us for months. This is not going to help the situation.. FFfark.

I thought recessions were supposed to greatly increase the demand for mechanics (e.g. people fixing old cars instead of buying new ones). Or is he just lazy?

Little bit of both, worked for a dealership for 20 years no HS diploma. Lived between Tampa and Orlando. The whole economy down there was totally defendant upon tourism and snowbirds. Anyways helped him move up here (Tallahassee) because there is more work here, he hasn't found a job in 2 months of being here and semi living off his wife who is on disability... We pay them to watch our kids after school and do some light house cleaning, but I really wish they'd just fing go away..

redTiburon: After having been burned by Dodge with several models between 1964-1998 I was ALMOST ready to take a chance again with the new Challenger. However, now I have to consider :If they treat their loyal dealers this way, how bad will they treat me, seeing as how they routinely farked me during GOOD times!

/ hello, Hyundia dealer?, I am interesed in that Genesis Coupe afterall.

Oh yes, the Genesis coupe is sweet. Hopefully this will be a new trend (RWD) for the others to follow. I have grown to hate front wheel drive cars and will not own another if I can help it.

I think I would have to go with the Mustang GT over the Genesis though, much more car for the same $$$, if not less.

/Owns a RWD Celica & a RWD Volvo.

Love the muscle look of the chargers. I would think that parts and service will be super expensive on the future, making this car a perfect one to buy new now and garage it to sell for a small fortune 20 years from now.

I'm just saying...

John_Rat_Safari: Please let it be Dodge next.

That was a joke, right?

I have the perfect solution for Chrysler. The government should offer a $8000 tax credit for anyone buying one this year. Who's with me?

So, are Hupmobile dealers safe?

Joce678: Kurmudgeon:
Luckily Chryslers don't break frames like a Toyota or toss ball joints like a Honda. I could list more, but I hope some of you get the point. I doubt many of you American-bashing pecker heads could even keep any car for a decade when the only time you change your oil is when you wash your hair..fark you import lovers, may you be unemployed soon....

Obvious Troll is obvious.

Actually, if he's a troll, he's pretty dedicated. I even have a quote in my profile of him being butthurt over my saying something disparaging about PT cruisers and the people who own them, and that was almost 2 years ago.

bmwericus Quote 2009-05-15 12:39:41 PM
DarkVader: To me, cutting dealers seems like the height of stupid.

I just don't get it. The dealers aren't owned by Chrysler, how are they costing Chrysler money?

That is what I'm trying to figure out - my uncle is on the Closure list - he's been a Mopar dealer for a very long time indeed - no, he's not a huge dealer, but he's got 30 people who make a living working for him, and IIRC, he's a single line dealership.

But the dealerships don't get money except maybe some advertising co-op dollars and the benefit of the national ads.

Well, my uncle is in his 70's +, I'm sure he's OK but I feel bad about it - he's a good guy.

/Oh, and he was in the 8th Air Force in WWII - Bomber pilot -
//read "Masters of the Air" for the story of the mighty 8th.



In his 70's? WWII Ended 64 + years ago. So he was a bomber pilot at 10??? You must mean Korea.

Naman:
Actually, if he's a troll, he's pretty dedicated. I even have a quote in my profile of him being butthurt over my saying something disparaging about PT cruisers and the people who own them, and that was almost 2 years ago.

Somebody defended the PT cruiser? That is dedication.

Joce678: Naman:
Actually, if he's a troll, he's pretty dedicated. I even have a quote in my profile of him being butthurt over my saying something disparaging about PT cruisers and the people who own them, and that was almost 2 years ago.

Somebody defended the PT cruiser? That is dedication.
THIS

ACryer:
I own a 2006 Dodge Charger R/T R&T and by far its the best automobile I've ever owned-its even made a convert out of my Altima owning anti -US car brother. All the hate directed at Chrysler seems to be based on the old K cars and the like- up here in Canada sales of Chrysler have been very good.


Im all for bashing cars-but why wont folks at least keep their eyes open? All the car companies have gems and garbage


Did i mention how much i love my 350hp, 390 ft/lb torque car? Fantastic.

I agree with this. As a Dodge Charger R/t owner


I gotta say I really like my car. It was designed basically by Mercedes and has the body/frame of an E-class so it handles awesomely. Add in a hemi and you got a really nice smooth powerful car.

I've done a small amount of modifications and I think it has made things even better than what they were before.

It is sad to see a lot of these mom and pop places close but it's what has to happen if Chrysler wants to survive. Granted dealerships have been a center of such bad experiences for so many people and have basicaly been renamed stealerships due to that. So closing a few to try and help build a better brand reputation isn't a bad thing.


/runs 89 octane and royal purple
//enjoys driving my car everyday

Mad_Radhu: It'd just be a better all around experience when I'm on the road.

Fine if you just want to "go" places. Some of us still like to drive, and I do mean drive, to those places - even if the vehicle of choice can be used only seldom and the place must be sought out. All that lah de dah you describe is secondary to the driving but, for the record, any car can be fitted with better seats, "nav" and other stuff.

What your neutral little VW won't have is any visceral connection to your limbic system. Neither will it have any character in its design, for that will all be sacrificed for a low CoD - yes I did a GIS - wow, what a rush, another EuroTronMobile. It won't sound like much of anything but tires on pavement and it will likely be silver, or black and shaped more like a gumdrop than a sexy car. Be still, my snickering heart. There will be no trim, no chrome, no glint of sun, and it will look like damned near every other car on the road - only distinguishable because it is one of the few whose model name, mercifully, does not end in the letter "a". It will have FourOrSix Cylinders, Inc. and it will look great at the office. biatchin'.

Your "mullet" comment is utter bullshiat; the obvious corollary is you must be a queer accountant.

Is this the thread where I tell people I just bought a 16 year old Toyota ('93 hardtop MR2) with 150k miles on it. Besides the general niggles and wiggles of a 150k mile car that was not taken care of by it's previous owner (slightly slipped timing belt, clutch is going, synchros on 1st and 2nd gears shot because homefry thought he was a race car driver and clearly wasn't), it runs as strong as it did the day it came off the production line in Nippon.

I took it to the local toyota dealer for a good once-over, and not only did they cut the usual checkup fee in half because I had previously bought a Hyundai off them, the guy cut me a great deal on every gasket I would want to replace, and threw in a front-end alignment check. Oh, and he was actually knowledgeable about the cars he serviced and recognized the engine without me having to tell him what it was.

The last time I went to a Chrysler dealership to get a Cirrus with 95k miles on it fixed, it ended up being in the shop for a week with no progress before I demanded they return it so I could take it somewhere else. They gave it back to me with half the engine still disassembled, with basically a "Fark you, your business doesn't matter to us anyway." attitude. I took it to my usual mechanic, he had the problem diagnosed in a day, and fixed in two more.

So fark you Chrysler. Never again.

ACryer: Did i mention how much i love my 350hp, 390 ft/lb torque car? Fantastic.

Eh, it makes up for it by weighing the same as a mid-size truck. Oh, and it still can't take a corner.

barefoot in the head: What your neutral little VW won't have is any visceral connection to your limbic system.

Someone has never driven a well set-up MKIII VR6 Jetta. Or really any decent import sports car.

You want driving feel? Try sitting 6 inches in front of a screaming toyota four-banger with the needle bouncing off 6400, pressed into your seat because you're doing triple digits on a cloverleaf on-ramp.

Or you can enjoy revving your out-dated v8 in front of the Waffle House and getting your kicks going in straight lines.