Interesting take on Ferrari Dealerships

Over the years I've walked in to Ferrari of Atlanta, Foreign Cars Italia, and FMFL. I was treated very well in all three, and certainly didn't look the stereotypical suit-wearing briefcase-toting part of a "serious buyer" on any of those trips.

 

Well some drink the kool-aide and some don't. Me, I get the red head stepchild treatment at the local F dealer. But that is clearly because the drinkers will pay over sticker and buy used cars, Maseratis and front engine depreciation missiles and I can't compete with that. I wonder if the drinkers will admit their true out of pocket cost to actually get to the point where a new 458 is delivered. I bet the total cost of ownership is not that different from other brands.

I drove new Gallardos continuously since 2004 for about 10k a year. I highly doubt the 360/430 and albatross 550 599 or Q-Porte experience would be much different

 

I'm sure a lot depends on the dealership. The Dallas dealership is always cordial when I go there, and a sales rep always comes over to talk, even though I've been there enough times for them to know I'm not a serious new buyer. I walked into the Mac dealer in Dallas, and the sales rep looked up from his desk, but couldn't be bothered to even say hello. Ferrari of Austin (owned by FOH) is very friendly when I visit there, but not as much as the Dallas dealer. Can't say about FOH since I've never been there.

 

Bob, consider yourself lucky, you have only been going through it a few yrs, how about us older timers in our 40s with multiple ferrari's in the same area

 

Ferrari should sell direct, they do not need dealerships. More profit for FIAT and more money for the F1 program. Dealership games and lackluster service/support chips away at the dream Ferrari tries so hard to maintain. Sell Direct, Ferrari, Sell Direct. We will buy from you.

 

Oh I disagree. They need dealerships to sell the cars and work directly with their customers.

Ferrari is not "Zappos". It's a personal business. There is no way you can take a personal business and turn it into a website.

Also, dealerships sell a ton more used cars than new. If you want the used car market to disappear, then get rid of dealerships. If the only way to get rid of your car is sell it yourself on Ebay or give it to a consignment house to sell, few will want to buy a new car again.

If no dealerships were the answer, McLaren had that chance. They were looking at "re-inventing" the business and ended up going with dealers.

You might as well ask why Chanel and Bulgari and Rolex and every luxury good maker doesn't just sell direct instead of having retail outlets. The reason is for these prices, people want to see, touch, and work directly with someone on their purchase decision.

 

I have never paid over sticker for a car -- ever.

In 2001 I ordered and bought one of the first Maserati spiders in the US -- and paid MSRP for it -- and I still own the car because I like it so much. How much did I lose on it in depreciation? You want the truth? 80 grand over 10 years. How much depreciation have you lost on your cars in 10 years?

I have never bought a used car from an F car dealer.

On my last Fcar purchase and trade, I lost ZERO dollars on the deal (aside from sales taxes).

I am receiving a new 458 spider next week, only the 5th one the dealer has received.

Conclusion:

Maybe you should talk about what you know about rather than what you don't.

 

Good post.

 

Ok. What I know. I did not buy a Maserati. Last visit to the dealer I was told I'd pay over sticker for a 458. I bought 3 new Gs from the sister store. My F40 was in service. My law partner bought a Maserati coupe after I talked him into a test drive. Years ago my wife and I bought a boxter from a sister store.

My personal friends who did buy new F cars all bought used F cars and Maseratis.

That's what I know.

I also won't pay over sticker. So I don't have a new F car

 

I generally agree. A car mfg needs a good service network. Also as a matter of law it is unlawful for a mfg to sell direct. So McLaren or anyone else can't do it. Must have a licensed dealer. But at the end of the day you have to be able to service what you sell. In defense of F car dealers they just don't get much new product and simply have to make profit elsewhere



As for used cars there are plenty of used only dealers so that option does exist.

Ferrari has a powerful mystique and good for them! I am a fan in many ways. But I think there is a lot of cognitive dissonance amongst owners. If I thought I could own for on the order of $10k a year in depreciation I'd say it's worth it but I really don't think I can, at least not in my locale.

 

Yes, no surprise....FOH was EXACTLY like that dealership in Canada to me. I say was, because I've refused to go in there in the past 7 years.

Not only ignored, but stood up on appointments twice. And for a maserati for Gods sake....which were hard t sell in the pre-tourismo/quatroporte years.

OTOH, LOVE Lambo of Houston....loose, friendly,passionate.

 

My experience at Penske-Wynn Ferrari Maserati in Las Vegas is the best I have ever had at ANY car dealership!! The service department led by Rich Kansky treats everyone like a rock star. The team there is always right on it, and supremely professional.

They would have my business if I moved to the dark die of the moon.

 

+1

The only two dealerships I've done business with, Ferrari of Beverly Hills and Wynn Penske of Vegas have both treated me extremely well. I have to thank Ferrari of Beverly Hills for getting me back into Ferrari after leaving the brand for many years.

I'm sure some may have a different opinion and by no means do you get the "Lexus" treatment but as a business transaction and care to the customer, I never had any issues.

As far as I'm concerned, you can keep the nice waiting lounge and free coffee at the Lexus dealership and give me a straight talking salesmen and mechanic not afraid to show me what he's doing to my car and I'm happy.

Can things be improved? Everything can be improved. But, I never felt pressured to be anything other than a typical car buyer looking to buy a car when I visited.

Maybe you guys who don't have it so good should make the smart move to Vegas like Xenu and myself.

 

Been to Roger Mauro imports when it still existed in Colorado. I was in high school still and they let me come in and take pictures for photography class.
Ferrari of Denver overall has been great. Vaughn is awesome. I wish I bought my car from him but they didn't have what I wanted. Also last time I was in there the girl working the boutique went out of her way to try and help me find an item.
The one time I spoke with Bill who is the owner he was very polite and friendly.
Ferrari of Beverly Hills let me just kinda run the place. They greeted me of course, told them I was just looking and I proceeded to get into multiple cars without them bugging me. If I needed assistantance it was available. I do wish I could do the same thing at Ferrari of Denver in regards to being able to just get into the cars.
I went to the Ferrari dealership in Newport Beach and me and my fiancé were treated very well.
I am NOT even remotely rich. I don't look successful and I don't act successful. I dress fairly casual. My fiancé carries herself very well but she also tends to be on the casual side when we are just living our day to day life. (she is smoking hot when she goes to work...good thing she is truly 100 percent trustable).
Anyway my point is my experiences have always been very good. I didn't realize it till I started typing this out.
I don't walk in anymore thinking I feel out of place because I can't buy the newest car. I feel I have been treated very fair. Is the customer service blowing me away? Sometimes, sometimes not. But as long as I get a chance to more or less say "I am ok on my own till I need help" then I am happy.

 

Oh, there should be dealerships (retail outlets) but they should be factory owned. The substitution in the market for Rolex is much greater than the substitution for Ferrari. I'm not advocating shutting dealers, I simply think they should be owned and operated by Ferrari. McLaren is different IMO because they require turn key sales channels to be competitive and the capex required is to high to buy/lease brick stores. Ferrari should cancel dealership agreements and build factory showrooms where they have weak dealers that do not deliver the brand position Ferrari deserves.

 

There's a lesson here, in light of the above discussion.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5Iu7Gk6Igg&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/ame]

 

I have always loved that commercial because it says alot about true car people. Although I have only been to FoH and a few other dealers I usually recieved very good interaction and I think a large percent of how the interaction will go is dependant on both parties initial contact. Yes there is a certain amount of arrogance in any dealership regardless of the make so if/or when I recieve that I just politely remove myself and interact with other employee's.

Point being keep your ego/head small and you will keep your sales and references at the top of the list. When I pull up to FoH in my Miata the people inside do not know if I am just an enthusiast or a buyer but a smart salesperson must realize I could very well be a customer.

 

Recall it heading that way for a short while, a while back.

 

My God, no wonder they ignore him. This guy is absolutely insufferable.

 

Totally agree.

Besides, most retailers play some angle to maximize their business. If you don't like it, then don't play the game. If enough people don't like the game, then the retailer either changes, or goes extinct.

 

+1.

 

You're on to something here but the problem with your extinction theory is that buyers don't blame Ferrari SpA for dealer deterioration. We will buy the cars nearly no matter what they do. Bad dealers can hide in the tall grass for decades, Ferrari should step in to eliminate these dealers and set the standard.

 

Well said. The mystique ( as well as the actual product go along way to keep loyal owners )

Thank you for your kind words, we are trying even harder in the Service department now , to build client loyalty by treating each client as the expect to be treated. Oil Change vs Annual Svc, both clients should get the same experience. Going a step farther, almost daily we get calls from possibly new clients , asking about the service aspect... again, we try our best to treat them as we would a client.

Good luck with that. You think you are getting poor serivce / treatment now.. I can tell you from this " side of the table " that the Dealership works as a buffer between Ferrari and the end client. The SALE of said car, allows the profit to do this.

As an example: You have a problem with your car, expecting it to be covered under warranty. Ferrari declines it, the Dealership may be able to step in and " Goodwill " the repair. To you, the client, it's covered and that is all you care about. You rarely know that the Dealership was the one that made it happen.

Take them out of it , you have an instant " No " , then what?

I understand what you are saying, I just feel that there is more going on behind the scene that you may be aware of.

Keith,

Thank you for purchasing multiple cars from Boardwalk Auto Group. BUT, you must understand that we are all seperate and have almost nothing to do with each other, short of sharing the same surname.

You have found a product that you enjoy ( Lamborghini ) the experience fits your expectations and needs/wants. I'd say stay with that model for now.

Kool Aid or not, it's an experience that when positive goes along way.

Now, If I could just find a way to get you to take a sip from the Ferrari Challenge cup.....LOL

OR , enough DO like it and the business plan continues....

S

 

I've just put an order for a new car from this dealership and have never had any problems. It is my third car from them, and the first time I walked in, I was well treated. I got my first car from them 4 years ago, when I was 39, and all I did was ask to speak to someone in Sales. You can't expect someone to come kissing your a** just because you walk in.

They are the only dealer in Ontario, and they have had many loyal customers for many, many years, who buy multiple cars from them. They also get many gawkers, people who come in just to look at the cars.

I also went to the McLaren dealership across the street. There was no customers there. Again, I asked to speak to someone in sales, and they got someone right away. Very friendly and nice, but they are selling a new product, that is not as popular as the competition across the street.

FoO allocations are usually full, so it is more difficult for them to sell a car to someone walking in off the street. It is my third car from them, and I have to wait until April to get my 458, even after trading in my 430 spider. It is all about supply and demand. If they can get me the car I want they can keep me as a Ferrari customer for a long time, but if they give the slot to someone else, I may be gone and I may not come back. Building customer loyalty is very important.

FYI, the following car was almost 300K with options, now for sale in Canada at 239 K with only 1180 miles, that's almost 60K depreciation driving off the lot: http://www.worldfinecars.ca/used/Mclaren/2012-Mclaren-MP4-12C-ba982d580a0a0064013d9c0244d893a8.htm

 

I also think the author has a little bit of an attitude problem, as per this quote:

"I showed up in a brand new 2012 Range Rover Sport Supercharged, picking up parts for my Ferrari from the part department and wearing a limited edition Audemars Piguet Chronopassion watch."

Well la di da, let's all bend over backwards.