Auto Depression
There are myriad reasons why the American automobile market has suffered so badly during the recession: dependence on high-profit gas guzzling SUVs, health care and pension costs for workers, unions vs. management, and quite frankly, selling cars that were inferior to foreign competitors. All the above can and has been debated at length in the press and on the web, but one area of failure that has not been explored is the way autos are sold in this country, and how it may relate to poor car sales.
When the Great Recession hit, the banks were 'too big to fail' and had to be bailed out by the Feds. While most hated the idea, Americans swallowed this bitter bill as an unfortunate reality. But, when GM and Chrysler needed to be bailed out, Americans' attitude was 'let 'em fail!' I was astounded by the sentiment. I am not an economist, but I believe that America needs to produce to survive. The auto industry is one of the last big producers, so how could we let it fail while we propped up banks that just push around paper all day? I know it is much more complicated than that, but on an emotional level, that is how I felt.
Between the time of the bailouts and today, I have purchased one car for myself, and I just helped my mom and dad lease another. This brings my lifetime total of car buying/leasing (for myself or helping a friend or family member during negotiations) to seven. Now I understand why people hate the automobile industry. Americans LOVE their cars, but HATE the process of buying them. In 2010, the process of buying a car is akin to purchasing textiles in a turn-of-the-century Persian street market. If you are planning on buying a car, you better do your homework or you will get 'taken' by the dealer. Buy the Consumer Reports New Car Buyers Kit to get the actual price the dealer paid for the car (not the same as the invoice price). Also, the Kit will help you with the cost of accessories and advice on how to buy, lease, and haggle with the dealer. Buying a used car? Use Consumer Reports as well, but don't forget to check out the Carfax, a service of Carfax.com that lists all the repair records of the car in question...just to make sure you're not getting ripped off.
Just writing the above paragraph made my blood boil. No other product that I have purchased was this much work. If I want to buy a big-screen TV, I will read the reviews on various blogs, find the one I want, and then I will search the web and stores for the best price. Done. When you buy a car, doing your homework will help, but no matter how many times I have purchase a car, I always get flustered at some point during the process. When it is all said and done, you're so mentally exhausted and drained that the thrill of having a new car to drive home is muted by the vile, filthy process you just hand to go through.
If you are in the market for a new or used car, I cannot recommend highly enough buying the Consumer Reports New/Used Car Buyers Kit. It could save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. Second, try to avoid HAVING to buy a car. Don't get to the point where your current ride is about to die, and you're hoping it won't conk out in the dealer's lot (that happened this past weekend to my mom's car -- long story short, got a great lease deal on a new Accord and they still took the old car in trade). Also, be prepared to WALK AWAY! If you are confused for some reason, any reason, just tell the dealer to print everything out so you can bring it home and read it over. Be firm! Don't let them push you around. Make your deal over the web via the dealer's site. Make sure to get the 'out the door price'. Use that quote and shop around to other dealers on the web.
There are hundreds of tips like the above on buying a new car, and that's one of the reasons why people hate the industry and why the car market continues to suffer -- the fact that there has to be so may tips and tricks to buying a car! It is the 21st century, and it is time to start selling cars in such a way that doesn't make customers feel like taking a shower after leaving the dealership.
The Blinker
People of Orlando, for the love of God, use your damn turn signal! When I moved to Orlando, Florida from New York a few years ago there were a number of cultural differences of which I had to adjust. Some adjustments were easy. I learned to love beef jerky, and I now understand what real barbecue is all about. The biggest cultural adjustment was sharing the road with so many pickup trucks. The Ford F-Series pickup is one of the top selling vehicle of all time, and by my estimate, 85% of them travel on I4 between the hours of 4 and 6. I eventually, sort of , got used to the truck being used as personal transportation, but I will never understand why Floridians refuse to use their turn signals.
Now, I'm to picking of Florida, and I'm not a New York snob. Trust me, there is a TON of things that irk me about the Northeast, and I will most likely blog about them in the future. I just cannot comprehend how an entire region of the country tries to merge onto highway traffic without the aid of a device that was invented 1907. Traveling on Orlando roads, you will see drivers desperately trying to get over two or three lanes, the worried expression on their faces as if to say, "I wish the other drivers knew that I have to get across all these lanes to make the left turn. If only there was an invention that would allow me to signal to them that I need to turn!" Eventually, the driver gets over and makes the turn but not before almost killing a van full of nuns. I think they were nuns. They may have been penguins being transported to Animal Kingdom.
Even worse than the 'lane traveler' is the 'merger'. This driver thinks the white line on the right side of highway ramp is a virtual 'rail' that they can ride from the side road onto the highway. This driver believes that he has the right of way, and that every other driver must make a space for him because, like it or not, here he comes! Of course, there's the 'cowboy' too. He's the guy who is weaving in and out of rush hour traffic, trying to get to the next traffic jam before you do. This driver will knock the rain drops off your bumper as he squeezes between you and another car. Man, if you did that in New York without using your turn signal...well, let's just say that EMS would be involved at some point in the future.
