Crazy times. The Masertati dealership at Lake Forest Sports Cars is also now closed: http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/11/17/daily29.html
If this is what it takes for you to blacklist a dealership and give up on a car that might have worked for you, I find it very hard to believe that you were 'about to call the dealership to inquire about the F40', a dealership that according to the rumors you had heard is going bust. Let's give all of us a break here... Your idea of a good end to this thread was for Seth to say that he apologizes for misusing your quote, which he clearly stated later in his post that he might have misunderstood and said he stands corrected. What else are you after here? Is that not good enough? Nobody heard any rumors or any talks about LOC closing until it actually happened. Rumors about Champion going Chapter 11 have been floating around for almost a year... Online rumors spread like wildfire, only 10 times worse with winds blowing from all directions... combine that with bad news usually traveling much faster than good news you end up with a lot of misinformed people and a dealership whose name is being dragged through mud for no apparent reason.
Heard from a very reliable source today on the WEST coast that they had too much overhead and are going out of business.
+1. Well done Stef430. We need more people like you and sezme and RPM217 and zjpj in the world. Btw- I've been to this dealer in question several times and they never failed to give me a queasy feeling. This is purely a subjective point but you can take it for whatever you want.
Seth, I understand your desire to protect the reputation of a friend, however, you must acknowledge that times are tight and as such a claim that Champion is suffering financially is not so hard to fathom these days. The gilded days of opulence and decadence that was primarily leased or bought on credit are done. The indicators are many that the economy is on it's way to a recession (if not there already). As such I could say with some certainty that ANY dealership is feeling a massive pinch. Big dealerships are closing at a fairly steady clip, and those that are open have inventory sitting. Clearly financing and credit is no longer available as it once was to buyers and the dealerships themselves -- and you can see the devastating results to this industry. When you have FACTORY BACKED dealers closing because they can no longer afford to keep their doors open, it is not a stretch to say that somebody like Champion is hurting. Furthermore, any dealership that is acting as if it is business as usual, makes me pause. I too run a small business that relies pretty heavily on credit to subsist, and I can say firsthand that the banks have tightened up. Are we hurting? No, not really. Am I nervous and being extra cautious in respect to expenditures? Absolutely. But then again, my only client is the US Federal Government, so my business is less likely to be adversely affected then a dealership. However, even somebody like me who has cash reserves, has consistent FEDERAL contracts (we know the fed gov't is going bust -- yet) has seen credit dry up. This all leads me as a reasonable and educated person to conclude and opine that a dealership such as Champion and any other exotic/high end dealership to be really feeling the pinch. I am pretty sure that banks are not so eager to loan out money to these guys anymore then they are to mortgage businesses. As we have already seen with quite a few of these high end dealers, there will be many more that will shut their doors. Do I know for a fact that Champion will? No. But again, it is not a stretch to believe that they will. Things have changed my friends, the economy is not what it was, and I (sadly) believe that whole car scene and industry has forever changed. -Naveed
Fortunately there are many other dealers from which to choose in the New York Tri-State area. So, I will continue to do business with folks whose integrity I and others have found is beyond reproach. As you can appreciate, I will not consider Champion given my interaction. And please don't take this the wrong way, but given your posts I thought that perhaps you have purchased a car or two from them and were speaking from direct experience, but I was surprised to note that your profile that you don't own a car. While I applaud your charity ralley efforts, I must respectfully note that I am not as charitable with how I spend my money on luxury toys and am not persuaded to change my opinion given what I have experienced.
I'm not sure I see how these rumors about Champion are necessarily bad for the dealership. If I were in the market, Champion would probably be the first place I'd go if I thought they were in trouble and could give me a deal.
Are we trying to argue the 1st Amendment here? Just a question, anyone here ever look up a company only to find that it is registered under a different name from the one on their front door.
Yes, you're absolutely correct, I haven't bought a car there, but I have directed many customers there who have had great experiences. I don't see what that has to do with anything anyway? Are you trying to say my opinion doesn't count because I take the train? If that's the case here, I'm not surprised you're looking to marry the dealership instead of buying a car from there... a typical Ferrari purchase process which many don't care for. Thanks for the kind words about the charity work, but that also has nothing to do with what we're talking about here. I have no affiliation with Champion, I don't work for them, I don't make commissions off of their car sales, I just don't think it's fair for them to be portrayed in this manner with no substantial reasoning behind it. Seth doesn't work for Champion, he's just as fed up hearing the rumors as me and everyone else is... Some sick people get a kick out of spreading the rumors and I guess their inferiority complex makes them feel good about themselves by knocking down others. Either way, we're all grown ups (for the most part) and made our points here. The original question of the thread has been answered... Good weekend everyone.
To me life - business and personal - is Always about relationships. The end purchase here may be a car, but the integrity of the folks with which you deal is critical and speaks to their character and one's own. And when given the choice of doing business with someone, I go with those folks who have the substance and credibility that provides the confidence that they will be there and stand behind what they sell. Apologies as I thought that you perhaps were involved in organizing the ralleys with those folks, and or their employees, collecting proceeds from the ralley participants and perhaps also were provided with cars to drive by them. My bad.
Thanks for the support Hovik... Naveed - I will tell you this, banks have tightened their belts, but according to the finance manager at Champion they are buying deals. The typical customer at Champion has an 800+ fica score and has no issues with getting funded. Most of the cars I transport out of there have a title attached and their is NO loan, plenty of "old money - cash buyers." BTW - Did you miss the part when I mentioned business has taken a 'dip?' There is not a smoke and mirrors show going on. In fact some jackass made a comment that Champion's inventory was all seized by the bank about 6 weeks ago. The brain surgeon should have looked a bit closer, all the cars were parked in the back lot and the showroom was transformed into a night club for a 'Super Bar Mitzvah.' A very good customer of Champion offerred them a nice chunk of change to have the party there and it was a huge success leading them into additional avenues of revenue for the dealership without interrupting business since the parties are at night and they showcase certain vehicles during the parties. I tip my hat to them for using their resources to it's full potential!
They bring a captive - classy audience to the dealership. Let's face the facts if you can afford a 'Super Bar Mitzvah, Sweet Sixteen' etc. more than likely your friends can as well - and may want a car too!
Just repeating what I was told....no harm done Stef430....many could learn a lesson from you on the proper way to conduct ones self....good job.
