I wonder how many car dealers in nepa will remain (Scranton: 2009, health insurance)

[mathjak107]

i was giving some thought to what our next car will be as if we move to nepa the closest bmw dealer is 45 minutes away... i was thinking jeep but not sure i want any of the big 3 ...with ford trading at 1.25 and gm at 2.50 i think we may loose quite a few local dealers

this time the money being dumped in the auto companies without a solid plan from them is not like bailing the banks.

the thought that most americans dont have health insurance or pensions and are being asked to pay the health insurance and pensions of over paid uaw workers is a joke.

i would want a plan and there is none ..

gm should be led into bankruptsey,

they should have top management fired

bond holders should take over the stock holders equity

they should be re-configured to make nice, plush reliable small cars that people want, not give us a sparcely loaded piece of crap so we are forced to upgrade to a more expensive model like their marketing plan called for


uaw workers should be cut to a deal like toyota or nissan workers get here. a uaw worker gets 70-90 bucks an hour when benefits are figured in.

foreign car workers get 40 -50 an hour in compensation here

get rid of those health benefits that the companies cant afford

cut the 8 lines of cars to maybe 3 .. does gm really need 8 lines of cars that dont sell and 7,000 dealers

i would merge gm into chrysler. except for jeep and some trucks chrysler has nothing that isnt bettered by toyota or nissan, the merger would fill the gaps in product lines better

and america has to stop being stupid and get rid of this buy american theory that allowed us manufacturers to make mediocre cars for decades by supporting companies that did not turn out world class products on the lower priced end.

ford lost about 500 bucks on a focus and made 18,000 on an excursion. their business model exploded when no one wanted the high profit suv's. toyota and nissan made money on every model

it takes 1500 bucks per car for the american manufacturers to cover pensions and health, only 400 for nissan or toyota.

i feel bad for the auto workers who may take a hit in this as well as the suppliers who are owed 28 billion by gm alone but pouring more money into a poor business model is crazy

[ScranBarre]

Would now be the best time to purchase a new vehicle, or should I take a gamble and assume the economy is going to continue to get much, much worse, as has been predicted, and buy a car in mid-2009? Also, what are the odds that I'll buy a Ford Focus only to not be able to have it serviced in a couple of years as the "Big Three" are six-feet under? Would I be best off buying the Toyota Corolla I have also been eyeing up? Also, does anyone have any experience with Toyota/Scion of Scranton along North Main Avenue near Schiff's? I've been seeing a lot of vehicles with their license plate logos adorning them on my I-81 commutes as of late; do they really have a Dunkin' Donuts inside?!

[Jungle George]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Would now be the best time to purchase a new vehicle, or should I take a gamble and assume the economy is going to continue to get much, much worse, as has been predicted, and buy a car in mid-2009? Also, what are the odds that I'll buy a Ford Focus only to not be able to have it serviced in a couple of years as the "Big Three" are six-feet under? Would I be best off buying the Toyota Corolla I have also been eyeing up? Also, does anyone have any experience with Toyota/Scion of Scranton along North Main Avenue near Schiff's? I've been seeing a lot of vehicles with their license plate logos adorning them on my I-81 commutes as of late; do they really have a Dunkin' Donuts inside?!

That depends on how financially set you are now (as opposed to thinking where you'll be financially in mid-2009) & how good your gambling luck is...it's all a crapshoot!!

My advice (& this is just my opinion mind you) is to go Toyota based on just the quality & reliability difference alone. I would buy Toyota again in a heartbeat!!

My partner's got a Toyota Scion XB & it's a GREAT car!! 29-32mpg, roomy & comfortable for it's size & (I know how you always say you like a "sexy" car) pretty cool looking!!

Also, when you go to the dealer be SURE to state firmly that you will NOT pay for "dealer-prep" fees!! 99% of car dealers "tack on" this to make extra money!! We looked at Toyota dealers in a 100-mile radius when we were getting the Scion, & ended up down in Palm Beach at a dealer that didn't charge this...saved us $2300.00 alone!!!

The dealers are hungry right now & it seems they'll settle on a "lower sale" instead of a "no sale".

[Jungle George]

Originally Posted by mathjak107

i was giving some thought to what our next car will be as if we move to nepa the closest bmw dealer is 45 minutes away... i was thinking jeep but not sure i want any of the big 3 ...with ford trading at 1.25 and gm at 2.50 i think we may loose quite a few local dealers

Mathjak, if you do decide on a Jeep, be prepared for "not-so-good" gas mileage!!

I've got an '04 Jeep Wrangler. I had my 1st accident (after 30+ years of driving) in '04 after the hurricanes (a kid doing 65 in a 45 ploughed into my rear & totalled my car) & since I've wanted a Wrangler since I was 14, it was my chance to get one.

Don't get me wrong, it's a great vehicle (it's nice to drive topless too ) & really well-made, but unless you get a V-6 or V-8, it can't get out of it's own way!!

I don't drive long distances & everything down here is within a 5 mile radius, so the gas mileage doesn't bother me. But up in NEPA (depending on your location) if you have to drive any distance to work/shopping/sightseeing/etc., you're gonna notice the gas gauge going down quite rapidly!!

[KarenRice]

I have a Honda Odyssey van that I got from Matt Burne Honda. I have had nothing but excellent service from Burne, though I have heard others complain about them. I have been treated like a queen whenever I take my car there to be serviced.

My next car will hopefully be the Honda Fit. I love that little thing, and I'm hoping to sell sell sell so I can buy it with cash cash cash! At about $16,000 and 30 mpg plus a lot of room - it seems like the best bargain out there - plus it's CUTE!

I have heard that Ashley Chevrolet in Honesdale is closing - I drove by their dealership yesterday and it does look like they're liquidating their stock - the parking lot is half empty. Being that I had nothing but horrible experiences with them I can't say I'm surprised - but it's still sad to see a long time hometown business go under.

[mathjak107]

Originally Posted by Jungle George

Mathjak, if you do decide on a Jeep, be prepared for "not-so-good" gas mileage!!

I've got an '04 Jeep Wrangler. I had my 1st accident (after 30+ years of driving) in '04 after the hurricanes (a kid doing 65 in a 45 ploughed into my rear & totalled my car) & since I've wanted a Wrangler since I was 14, it was my chance to get one.

Don't get me wrong, it's a great vehicle (it's nice to drive topless too ) & really well-made, but unless you get a V-6 or V-8, it can't get out of it's own way!!

I don't drive long distances & everything down here is within a 5 mile radius, so the gas mileage doesn't bother me. But up in NEPA (depending on your location) if you have to drive any distance to work/shopping/sightseeing/etc., you're gonna notice the gas gauge going

quite rapidly!!

I was looking at the 4 door sahara.... gas milage isnt to bad, its on par with my bmw x3 which is on par with the xterra i used to have

[go phillies]

Aren't there too many Chevy and Ford dealers around anyways? Its pretty ridiculous when there are Chevy and Ford dealers in almost every other town in this area, yet companies like Honda and Toyota, which sell more vehicles than Chevy and Ford anymore, do just fine with one dealership in Scranton and one in Wilkes-Barre.

[John From Scranton]

Who sells a Mini Copper, around here?? Anyone know?? I was looking at them for along time. Just might be time to trade the old 4x4 in for some better gas mile's. Has anyone had the chance to own one or drive one in the snow??

[go phillies]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Would now be the best time to purchase a new vehicle, or should I take a gamble and assume the economy is going to continue to get much, much worse, as has been predicted, and buy a car in mid-2009? Also, what are the odds that I'll buy a Ford Focus only to not be able to have it serviced in a couple of years as the "Big Three" are six-feet under? Would I be best off buying the Toyota Corolla I have also been eyeing up? Also, does anyone have any experience with Toyota/Scion of Scranton along North Main Avenue near Schiff's? I've been seeing a lot of vehicles with their license plate logos adorning them on my I-81 commutes as of late; do they really have a Dunkin' Donuts inside?!

Get the Corolla, trust me.....maybe you've had good luck with your particular Ford, but I know way too many people who have had horrible luck with Ford cars. The Corolla will get better mpg than a Focus, and all you'll pretty much need to do is keep up with the regular maintenance, and the car will be good for 200,000+ miles. Toyotas also hold their value much better than Fords.

Toyota/Scion of Scranton are great to deal with. Buying the Corolla from them was like a breath of fresh air after dealing with crooks at Dickson City Hyundai. Yes, they do have a Dunkin Donuts inside....although I haven't been there since they moved to Main Ave from Rt 6 in Blakely. Another reason to like the dealership, they ditched the suburbs and built their new dealership in the city.

[Summering]

Originally Posted by John From Scranton

Who sells a Mini Copper, around here?? Anyone know?? I was looking at them for along time. Just might be time to trade the old 4x4 in for some better gas mile's. Has anyone had the chance to own one or drive one in the snow??

You'd have to have a race with Scranbarre to the showroom.........he loves, loves, Mini Coopers. He might just be first in line....
BTW we know of someone who was told a person with a 780 credit score couldn't get a car loan at a NJ auto place! So with this pretty darn good score.........no loan! Wow......it could really be that bad out there?