Would You Open A Dealership?

"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
08/11/2016 at 09:37 • Filed to: Questions

People always talk about what cars they would buy if they hit the lottery, but come on! If you’re about to take on $49 Million after winning the powerball then a Bugatti Shenron isn’t going to put much of a dent into that cash money, playa! So, I want to know if any of you would start a dealership? You can drive home any car you want since you bought the inventory and you are always one of the first to have the newest and greatest vehicles.

So, would you start a dealership? Franchised or used? What brand(s) would you go for?

Personally I think the Genesis thing will pay off big time since it’s the only new luxury brand coming to the US that no one is worried will either die out quickly or, you no, not actually come to the US. I would totally build one of the first standalone Genesis dealerships and get on Hyundai’s good side. Then once they start making real performance, top end luxury, or some supercar...well the first and oldest standalone Genesis Dealer in America is bound to score some favor, right?!!

DISCUSSION (26)

Party-vi > Wobbles the Mind
08/11/2016 at 09:42

I would think there are better ways to make money, but I would go for one of the more established brands. I met the owner of BMW of Catonsville (among other dealerships) and he seems to be doing pretty well for himself.

CalzoneGolem > Wobbles the Mind
08/11/2016 at 09:47

Sorta ... I’d open a hot rod shop.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > Party-vi
08/11/2016 at 09:48

There’s some guy in Wisconsin that owns a Honda dealership and seems to be doing really well. I think his name is David Hobbs... ;)

Ash78, voting early and often > Wobbles the Mind
08/11/2016 at 09:49

Hell yeah! You could make a small fortune with an auto dealership, provided you started with a large fortune.

The Dummy Gummy > Wobbles the Mind
08/11/2016 at 09:52

No. I would travel. Forget running a company...

kanadanmajava1 > Wobbles the Mind
08/11/2016 at 09:52

I might like to have my own dealership. But not for new cars. But buying/selling old cars might be fun. I would not make any profit though as I’m too honest for selling stuff with profit.

I would just buy weird cars that I would like to have myself and sell them if suitable customer might pop up. I would price them depending on if I want to keep it or not.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Wobbles the Mind
08/11/2016 at 09:54

Nah. Owning McDonalds franchises are where the money is.

Azrek > Party-vi
08/11/2016 at 09:55

Been to that one. It was pretty...meh....

The one in Annapolis is the nicest I’ve seen and the best I’ve been treated outta 6 years of owning an M3.

Party-vi > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
08/11/2016 at 09:56

I’m just going off of meeting the guy. Honda would work too, or Toyota seeing as they almost sell themselves. I definitely would not want a Jaguar dealership or Volvo dealership.

Dave the car guy , still here > Wobbles the Mind
08/11/2016 at 09:57

No, but I’ve considered opening a high end repair shop. I have several GM master technicians , a Mopar expert, plus a few Toyota and Mercedes techs who are nearing retirement and want to do part-time work on preferred jobs. One already has a dream garage with lifts and tools that we could start out of. Its been discussed already.

Party-vi > Azrek
08/11/2016 at 09:58

Really? The one with all the Mini garbage parked along their BMWs? I’ve only ever received parts at that one. Catonsville has excellent customer service for getting work done. Even in my plebeian 330Ci I can pull into the service area, give them my keys and drive out in a loaner while they do so little as spend $120 on a full inspection.

Dru > Wobbles the Mind
08/11/2016 at 09:59

Hell yes.

Where I live is densely populated with monied retirees. And there's is no Lexus dealership. I repeat, the brand of upper middle class old people has no official presence in this town full of upper middle class old people.

EL_ULY > Wobbles the Mind
08/11/2016 at 10:01

After working for a couple in the last 10 years.....

.... I’d open a Lexus dealer in a suburb of a growing city and just pay people to run it as I take in profits. Fuck working at these MF’ers! Lexus is the brand is where the money is trust me (service more than sales). I’ll have all of the moneys for all of the retired race cars I could fill a giant warehouse/shop with.

I’m gonna miss Buzzfeed Style OPPO from Wobbles and S56 :]

Tripper > Wobbles the Mind
08/11/2016 at 10:02

I would do something like EAG but for all euroclassics. Just top notch examples of classic/modern-classic BMW/Audi/Porsche, maybe a few Cedes.

EL_ULY > Ash78, voting early and often
08/11/2016 at 10:02

Trump :]

Azrek > Party-vi
08/11/2016 at 10:13

Yup. Tons of mini garbage. They at least got me a loaner.

I scheduled my appointments with Catonsville usually 2-3 weeks in advance and everytime they misplaced loaners for me. One time they offered to drive me to a bus stop. They also misplaced my paperwork on my Warranties. So I had to call BMW myself to get them unfucked.

Annapolis had a 435i waiting on me when I pulled in. I was in, out and gone in a nice loaner in like 10 minutes.

DinoValentino > Wobbles the Mind
08/11/2016 at 10:16

The dealership isn’t the problem. It’s the people. The industry is plagued by incompetence and people who only care about themselves. Combine that with the fact that most salespeople can barely use a computer effectively, customers don’t realize you’re practically giving away new cars to make your manufacturer’s sales goals, and (being the owner) you get to deal with the most difficult customers that nobody else can handle.

Party-vi > Azrek
08/11/2016 at 10:17

Damn. I’ve never had an issue at Catonsville. It’s only a tad bit more convenient to me than Annapolis.

fintail > Wobbles the Mind
08/11/2016 at 10:17

If profit is no object, or I can go BKO and have it all liquidated just to buy it back at pennies on the dollar, maybe a classic MB sales and restoration place. That would be fun.

Or if money matters, as I am in a hotbed for tech money and sketchy buy-your-way-in offshore money, a dealer group composed of MB/BMW/Audi/Maserati/Bentley/Rover etc, as there seems to be a captive audience here who just wants the most expensive thing they can find.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > Party-vi
08/11/2016 at 10:21

Mine was more of a joke, because David Hobbs is a former F1, LeMans and Indy car driver and is now one of NBC Sports’s commentators for F1.

But yeah, I’d really only want to work at or own a high end dealership.

DrScientist > Wobbles the Mind
08/11/2016 at 10:27

porsche!

you could even offer free showroom floor storage for any local carerra gt owners. :)

(also, is that a car dealership pictured or a ski resort?)

CaptainSlower > Wobbles the Mind
08/11/2016 at 11:30

I’ve kicked around the idea. It’d be a buy here-pay here, cash only operation, and it’d basically be an excuse for me to buy weird shit off Craigslist, get it fixed up, and then sell it on after I got bored with it. It’d be an odd mix of old beaters and... really old beaters.

It would probably also never turn a profit.

AM3R shamefully returns > Tripper
08/11/2016 at 12:14

If you do that, fuck you. All EAG has done is inflate the market making many cars out of reach of the common man. I was looking at a low mileage E39 M5 from a private seller for ~$25k. It was perfect, then he calls me telling me the price is now $40k “because that’s what the market (EAG) prices them at.”

mazda616 > Wobbles the Mind
08/11/2016 at 12:19

Only way to be successful at owning a car dealership here in my small-ish town is to open a GM franchise (because ‘Murica) or a Toyota one (because Camry). Anything else, you'll do average at best.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Wobbles the Mind
08/11/2016 at 12:44

DO NOT DO GENESIS!!! Look, I work at a Hyundai dealer (thankfully we also have GM and Subaru) and Hyundai is the worst. We are not particularly happy that now we will be carrying a “Genesis” brand as well. Maybe we can ditch them as a franchise before that happens, but let me tell you, Hyundai is one of the worst manufactures to deal with. Their helplines are so useless emailing Korea is easier if you have an issue. The cars are ok, but I’d rather drive a 90's Malibu than most of their line up. The customers are.... Well lets just say when you buy are car that cheap, there is usually a reason. Over all, we spend more time chasing issues and dealing with terrible support staff than we do profiting off them being part of our dealership. Now a large part of that may be Mobis (Hyundai uses them to outsource parts and service representatives with the helplines). They are just a mess. I would highly recommend you chose another brand.

Kinja'd!!!

Now me personally? I think I would do a specialty speed shop. Maybe leaning more on British cars, but I would buy an enormous chunk if land and build a private racetrack that would host “free events” with a suggested donation (to get around being a business) and test race cars and such and such. A huge shop and house and showroom for selling said vehicle.

Tripper > AM3R shamefully returns
08/11/2016 at 13:04

That’s a dumb seller and he’ll never get that much. EAG gets it because all of their vehicles are nearly perfect so you don’t have to go hunting.

I want to have the kind of place that takes the work out of finding a car like that, you’ll just pay double for it at my place.