Originally Posted by BLK 6050

My question is:

What exactly does a dealership cost Mother Mopar? Since the Chrysler Mother Ship doesn’t “own” the dealership, what are they really saving by closing down a dealership? It would seem as if the answer is “nothing”, so why close them down? I have never owned a dealership, but it seems as if they are the ones that invest “their” money in the building, promoting (advertising), running, and updating of their individual businesses.
I can perhaps see a problem with supply of product from the factory should a dealership wish to stay open, but many of the smaller dealerships also sell other brands in addition to Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep. And, I remember a dealer once telling me that his service and parts departments were the real money makers for his dealership. Can’t say I feel sorry for the dealers that tack-on “market-value” mark-ups, but if a customer doesn’t like the way a dealership does business…go down the road to the next dealer. That’s what I did while looking for my ’08 Challenger. I have always felt that if a dealer’s word means so little to them, it will have even less value to you when the chips are down. A lot of people are going to be facing hard times for one reason…”Government Involvement”. We need the market to dictate were the market will go, not the government.