Car Dealerships: The Good & The Bad
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Jeep maker Stellantis reinstates financial guidance but flags ‘tough decisions’ ahead
- Stellantis reported a first-half net loss of 2.3 billion euros ($2.65 billion), compared to a net profit of 5.6 billion euros over the same period in 2024.
- The Jeep maker updated its full-year tariff impact to roughly 1.5 billion euros, of which 300 million euros was incurred during the first half.
- Milan-listed shares of Stellantis traded lower during early moring deals.
Stellantis, which owns household names including Jeep, Dodge, Fiat, Chrysler and Peugeot, reported a first-half net loss of 2.3 billion euros ($2.65 billion), compared to a net profit of 5.6 billion euros over the same period in 2024.
The multinational conglomerate had flagged the first-half loss in a surprise trading update last week, saying at the time that the move was necessary due to the difference between consensus forecasts and the firm’s performance.
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Woman says Albany dealership took her old car, her money, left her with dud
ALBANY, N.Y. (WRGB)— What was supposed to be a routine car trade-in has turned into a legal and financial nightmare for one Schenectady woman, who says she’s been left with a broken-down vehicle, a damaged credit score, and no answers about what happened to her old car.Heather Brown told CBS6 she went to Broadway Cars LLC in Albany on June 2, trading in her 2015 Ford Escape and putting $11,000 in cash toward a used 2017 Infiniti QX60, which cost more than $15,000. She paid the rest off with a credit card.
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/w...eft-her-with-dud/ar-AA1Jfokr?ocid=socialshare
Used Car Mess: Bad Used Car, Lien Not Paid On Trade-In
Jul 28, 2025A veritable grab bag of used car issues.
11:23
God, I hate car dealers...
I had a Chinese motorcycle, 15 years ago.
Purchased, essentially, without a dealer. This was before Amazon was the drop-ship emporium - I bought it from a used-motorcycle mega-store that was trying to break into new sales. This company, Xingyue, was the first to sign on with a franchise.
Which didn't last, thanks to Xingyue's being completely hosed-up. They gave the franchise BACK - in no small part due to their experiences with my warranty.
Camshaft drive chain. It slipped several teeth at 2000 miles, and the engine needed a teardown. And they were SIX MONTHS of deliberate stalling, for parts. Finally they fixed it - I think they just used what similar parts they could find (engine was a Yamaha clone) and put it in to get it, and me, gone.
Point I'm making is, without support from the automaker AND RETAIL AGENT, a buyer is taking a YUUGE risk. ESPECIALLY with all this gee-whiz crap and the computerization of everything.
That doesn't excuse the dealers in this. The same people (such as Stellantis) who make really-crappy cars, have really-crappy dealers. They do not police their ranks.
These dealers, as above, need to be shut down, sued out of existence. But...with all the Jeeps and Rams that have electronics going wonky, all the GM and Chevy trucks with engines going out at 40k miles...how is NOT having a retail agent with a shop, going to help?
Another Memory-Lane story. Of my mother, who bought a 1990s Toyota Camry.
It was her first experience with the brand. She didn't know what to expect. The local dealer that gave her the best price, Spitzer, was an early mega-dealer that had been in court a lot. Okay, well, Toyotas are reliable, she thought. I shouldn't be seeing them.
Well, long story short, she had a failure - starter and flywheel ring gear. Not having a mechanic that worked on these new metric cars, she had it towed to the dealer.
And was shocked. The same dealer, sued in class action for fraudulent repairs, fake invoice prices, altered purchase orders in their Ford stores...suddenly were tripping over themselves to make this car right. Hidden-warranty repair, free to the customer. Done quickly.
That made my mother a lifetime customer; but it ALSO shows, how much the auto company can control the retail franchisee. Toyota, at this time, I later learned, had put down standards of customer treatment - and promised that any agency not abiding, would lose its franchise.
So. Fraudulent dealer actions? BLAME THE AUTOMAKER. This, "they're just agents, we don't control them" crap doesn't wash. And allowing Internet couch-purchases, won't solve the problems - ESPECIALLY surrounding garbage product.
The write-up was actually interesting.
That dealer...looks and sounds like a BHPH dealership. "We TOTE the NOTE!"
I don't know what ANYONE is doing, buying an $11k car from such a place. Or expecting this place not to be doing shell-games with titles, liens, payments.
An Infiniti is a higher-end Japanese brand. 2017 is not that old, in the Japanese-car world. The low price would have been a red flag. And, if she had a down payment, why not just pay off the trade-in?
Steve, above, talks in the end about laws that are traps for the stupid. This dealership is also, apparently, a trap to catch the stupid.
She done got caught.
Loose plug.
I'd have thought that, right off. I've made room in some airbag cars, by removing the passenger seat. Four bolts and a lot of swearing; but when you unplug the seat, the airbag system goes helpless.
First, you're absolutely right, a good mechanic is worth his weight. But they're dying out...now, it's all proprietary tools, copyrighted schematics, and stuff only **FACTORY AUTHORIZED REPAIR PERSONNEL** can get. Everyone else is SOL. The independents are cleaning up, with long waiting lists, for older cars, but those older cars will be culled eventually. Lack of support, probably aided by Your Friendly DemocRat-Majority Fuddrel Goobermint.
But if it were me, and even if I didn't know about the plug issue...I'd have just driven it with the airbag system BO.
Why? When those bags pop off, the car is totaled. Insurance won't repair them - it's written off. And it doesn't take much of a bump to pop them off. Accidentally bounce over a curb at 25 mph, and you'll have your eyeglasses driven into your face, your neck whiplashed, and your car is destroyed - without a dent.
If you share it with the wife, or the kids, or other specific needs, I get it; but to me, not having that crap on my car, or not having it work, is a plus. The only bad side is, that damn dashboard light. The LEDs don't burn out like the old style incandescent...after a year, the SEAT BELT light would burn out, in 1970s cars.
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Cybertruck Leads Tesla’s Used-Car Collapse
Once hyped as the indestructible truck of the future, the sci-fi pickup is now leading a massive plunge in used Tesla values as the company grapples with the fallout from its CEO's politics.
gizmodo.com
Tesla lowers its prices more than other EV makers
Tesla lowered its prices 9% in July — versus 4% for all EVs — to move inventory ahead of the $7,500 tax credit sunset....
sherwood.news
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Stellantis unveils new Jeep Cherokee as brand tries to shake off sales declines
- Stellantis unveiled a newly designed Jeep Cherokee on Thursday.
- The new model marks the iconic brand’s return after being discontinued in 2023.
- Jeep has been facing a yearslong streak of slumping sales.
The Stellantis automaker unveiled a new Jeep Cherokee on Thursday, the latest move to try to jump-start sales. It’s the first Jeep hybrid system, and the first for Stellantis in North America.
The 2026 Jeep Cherokee redesign aims to evoke the iconic Cherokee SUV brand, which has dotted the company’s history for decades. Jeep had previously discontinued the model in 2023 under Stellantis’ former CEO Carlos Tavares as part of various cost-cutting measures.
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Tesla faces U.S. auto safety probe over faulty crash reporting
- Tesla is facing a new federal probe after the NHTSA found some of the company’s crash reporting to the agency had been significantly delayed.
- Tesla blamed the faulty crash reports on past issues with its data collection systems or practices.
- Tesla said that it has since fixed those issues, but the company must still undergo an audit.
According to documents posted to NHTSA’s website on Thursday, the agency’s Office of Defects Investigation had “identified numerous incident reports” from Tesla concerning crashes that had “occurred several months or more before the dates of the reports” to the agency.
The delayed reports were likely “due to an issue with Tesla’s data collection, which, according to Tesla, has now been fixed,” according to NHTSA’s explanation for the probe.
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We already know that Stellantis' idea of engineering, is to hire contract-worker Indians and have them work through Zoom.
We SEE how that goes with all the problems they've had with their new models...basically, since Stellantis was formed, five years ago, and "moved" all their engineering out of Detroit.
I wouldn't risk (YUUGE quantities of) my money on a new Stellantis product. Even if the price was reasonable. Their Dodge Durango police-models were so unreliable the Indiana State Police quit buying them, and took the ones they had received - new ones - out of service.
Sad to see what Jeep has become. It had some glorious engineering moments - Henry Kaiser had purchased Willys-Overland in 1952; Willys was failing to move past WWII into civilian production. Kaiser's plan was twofold - push government contracts, and separately, build quality products for public sale. Out of Kaiser's years, came the J/SJ Wagoneer, which lasted in production 29 years; came 4wd pickups and wagons with Buick V8s. AND, while Ford and GM were putting cheaper two-speed automatics into pickups, Henry Kaiser insisted on buying top-of-the-line GM Turbo-Hydramatic automatics. The same models used in Buicks and Cadillacs.
Henry died; his companies were all liquidated, and AMC bought Jeep. AMC had its own form of cleverness...getting a dollar's worth of result out of ten-cents of engineering. Their four-cylinder engine, born ten years too late, simply took the durable six they had and cut off two cylinders. It would have been PERFECT for the Pacer; but it worked fine in Eagles and Jeeps and lasted right up until Daimler took over Chrysler and discontinued it.
Yeah. Foreign involvement, usually by money-man companies (Daimler and Fiat and now Stellantis). Parts-bin engineering. Fiat at least recognized the value of the Jeep cult, and continued the annual Moab event, and PRETENDED they were coming out with new, durable products like the retro-Wagoneer. No, they had no plans; and new Jeeps were modified Fiat designs.
Now, Carlos the test-driver, didn't even care about THAT. Just slap some crap together, jack the prices, and, of course, the first few months' production would sell - in the Post-Coof world - and he could show billions in profits.
And a legion of furious customers. And no repeat sales, and people reading/watching videos of how this crap grenades, months into ownership.
Jeep is dead. And given what autos have become, and how military trucks are now so far removed from civilian...and how a simple, para-military vehicle is not legal for manufacture or sale...AND how the original market, farmers, ranchers, land-owners, is all gone...it's just as well that the odd brand that could never support itself, finally disappears.
Viking
Yellow Jacket
One hopes.
I can't imagine it will be this easy. For one thing, makers have enormous investment in the manufacture, tooling, sales of all that emissions crap. They can't re-engineer their engines overnight.
Oil companies as well. DEF doesn't come from pumps or from truck stops. Someone has to BUY the animal waste, PROCESS it, put it in bottles and tanks, SHIP it. Suddenly changing the laws means millions of dollars lost - investment in plant and valueless inventory.
I cannot see it. I expect a few lawsuits - by engine and additive makers.
I can't imagine it will be this easy. For one thing, makers have enormous investment in the manufacture, tooling, sales of all that emissions crap. They can't re-engineer their engines overnight.
Oil companies as well. DEF doesn't come from pumps or from truck stops. Someone has to BUY the animal waste, PROCESS it, put it in bottles and tanks, SHIP it. Suddenly changing the laws means millions of dollars lost - investment in plant and valueless inventory.
I cannot see it. I expect a few lawsuits - by engine and additive makers.
Viking
Yellow Jacket
I too doubt it will happen, but they don't need to re-engineer engines. People do "deletes" to their diesel engines all the time. Just a different chip or tuning/reprogramming. They actually make DPF/DEF/EGR Delete Kits.
Yabbutt...
...the makers won't keep installing that crap if it's not required. And taking it off, as engine design, is more than just putting a different chip in. Because, the tanks, plumbing, computers, all cost money.
The engine will have to be re-tuned in design, on dynamometers, and - again - tested on rollers for EPA compliance. The DEF may be gone, but EPA remains. Wiping half the regulations away, doesn't mean the other half can be ignored. As we're going to be reminded.
Which, again, puts makers in MORE fog. What's gonna happen to the OTHER standards? What do they design for? Designing a GOOD diesel, is far different from designing a COMPLIANT diesel.
Or gas engine.
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IAM Union Urges Gov. Murphy to Sign Bipartisan Motor Vehicle Open Recall Notice and Fair Compensation Act
TRENTON, N.J. – The IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) issued the following statement after sending a letter urging Gov. Phil Murphy to sign the Motor Vehicle Open Recall Notice and Fair Compensation Act (A4380/S3309) into law without changes:“The legislation, which passed the New Jersey Legislature with strong bipartisan support, would require auto dealership technicians to receive equal pay for warranty repair services as they do for non-warranty repairs. This measure will improve wages, strengthen communities, and ensure a fair standard for thousands of auto mechanics across the state.
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Yah. Dass what we need - MOAR GOVERNMENT REGULATION.
How much regulation is enough, do you suppose? WHEN do we get to the Left's Nirvana?
How much regulation is enough, do you suppose? WHEN do we get to the Left's Nirvana?
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Quick-thinking Utah car dealer foils $95K auto theft scheme after spotting truck had a ‘suspicious’ VIN
A trio of alleged car thieves very nearly walked away with $95,000 recently. However, their scheme was thwarted by an observant car dealer at the Stephen Wade Auto Center in St. George, Utah.That employee's quick thinking enabled police to set up a sting, arrest three men and save the dealership from losing thousands paying for a stolen vehicle. And, it was all thanks to his careful checking of the vehicle identification number (VIN).
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/buy...a-suspicious-vin/ar-AA1Ly4Eo?ocid=socialshare
I'm calling obama on that one, above.
First, someone comes in with a 2023 car worth that much...first question is, who has the lien, and how much.
Second question is, if it's paid off, where is the title, showing release of encumbrances.
Third thing is, run the title number through DMV, to establish validity.
FINALLY, if all that checks out...you don't give three men named Jose, cash. You give them a CHEQUE - a draft order, instructing your bank to pay, once establishment of identity is known.
Banks don't just cash checks for $95k. You have to have an account, or open one, and the check has to clear. Meantime, in opening or having the bank, all your identity is on record.
I can't imagine why the Muddled Scheissekopf Network would put that fabrication out, or what vital bit of information is missing that would make it make sense...but as it is, it's one giant non-sequitur.
First, someone comes in with a 2023 car worth that much...first question is, who has the lien, and how much.
Second question is, if it's paid off, where is the title, showing release of encumbrances.
Third thing is, run the title number through DMV, to establish validity.
FINALLY, if all that checks out...you don't give three men named Jose, cash. You give them a CHEQUE - a draft order, instructing your bank to pay, once establishment of identity is known.
Banks don't just cash checks for $95k. You have to have an account, or open one, and the check has to clear. Meantime, in opening or having the bank, all your identity is on record.
I can't imagine why the Muddled Scheissekopf Network would put that fabrication out, or what vital bit of information is missing that would make it make sense...but as it is, it's one giant non-sequitur.