Dealerships vanishing
- Thread starter Mafesto
- Start date
There may be some validity to that point, however I believe that the main reason that they don't do something similar to what I proposed is fear of opening a Pandora's box.
There would be multiple dealers following that lead.
J
Jaynelson
Well-known member
Requirements from manufacturers getting stricter/more expensive. Margins shrinking with emphasis on volume. Can be hard to do volume in smaller/rural communities. All of this ads up to consolidation to larger dealers. This goes for all manufacturers...Cat dealers also have the disadvantage of 4-wheel product that doesn’t sell, and heavy overstock of all product.
I drive 100 miles to my Cat dealer. There are Doo and Poo dealers 30 miles from home and a closer Cat dealer ~50 miles away. The Poo dealer is the one I took my '14 Pro to 12 times for the same problem. Another dealer ended up fixing it. I appreciate that they tried but 12 visits? Hard to deal with that level of incompetence... I can't ride a Doo, most of my buddies do because that is a pretty good dealer. The other Cat/Poo dealer closer told me to get my chit and get out after I was unhappy with the job they did installing a new motor in my Axys, it should turn more than 7000 with a new motor right?
So I drive to get to a sales and service center I can work with. I drive 100 miles, right past the other dealer, even for a jug of oil. My buddy price checked the closer dealer for his Alpha, wouldn't budge on msrp. Drove 50 more miles, discounted $1000 on the same sled...
The point being, supporting your dealer is a great plan, as long as they are capable and willing of supporting you back.
I hope the Cat dealer in Delta CO goes under personally. Maybe somebody who understands business a little better will pick it up. I have seen it change hands a couple of times now, current management stinks!
I wish we had a choice of dealerships within 100 miles. In Montana they're 150 miles apart.
well if your not a snow checker like my self and buy this time of year and one dealer has the same sled for 3/4500 less im willing to travel. also when everything has to be ordered at the dealer i may as well order it my self. if your dealer is well stocked and can make deals that's great or you don't care if you pay that much more that's awesome but not everyone is in that boat.
I'm all about customer service. It's hard to find a dealer that can see that as well. Being in the sales industry, I usually demand more than the average person. I want to make sure that the dealer will be there in the long run for me.
From parts and service to the sled itself. I'm fully confident that my guys will take care of me.
That's probably why they're still around where others are dropping out.
From parts and service to the sled itself. I'm fully confident that my guys will take care of me.
That's probably why they're still around where others are dropping out.
Looking back, we saw this coming. We just ignored it.
In the 70's there were kids on snowmobiles EVERYWHERE.
We'd spend every spare minute riding (or working on) snowmobiles.
The whole argument that snowmobiles have become too expensive for today's youth is bull$hit. None of us were riding new sleds, we were riding crap that needed constant tinkering and repair.
Riding that unreliable crap produced a generation of mechanically competent kids. Our dads didn't keep our sleds running. We didn't take them to a dealer. If we wanted to ride, we dug into it and figured out how to properly repair it,or at least n***** rig it to running condition.
My point is $2,000 will buy a sled that will provide a lifetime of memories.
There is also a false narrative that we must make it a "family event".
None of my riding buddies ever went on a family snowmobile vacation as a child. Given the choice of a weekend getaway with the family or a Sunday afternoon of bangin ditches with your buddies, which one would you have chosen in your youth?
Perhaps the effort to morph the sport into the picture perfect family activity has hurt the sport by leaving many on the sidelines thinking they can't ride because their family doesn't ride.
It wasn't about family, it was about independence, as much as your first car was about independence.
We had good intentions, trying to pass our love for snowmobiling onto our children but the fact is we failed miserably because just like us, our kids still prefer fun with friends over family time.
With the amount of disposable income that today's youth have, a local snowmobile dealership could've been a goldmine.
Granted, other factors had influence on how we got here. Low snow years. Overzealous law enforcement. High tech alternative entertainment. But I believe my point is valid.
In the 70's there were kids on snowmobiles EVERYWHERE.
We'd spend every spare minute riding (or working on) snowmobiles.
The whole argument that snowmobiles have become too expensive for today's youth is bull$hit. None of us were riding new sleds, we were riding crap that needed constant tinkering and repair.
Riding that unreliable crap produced a generation of mechanically competent kids. Our dads didn't keep our sleds running. We didn't take them to a dealer. If we wanted to ride, we dug into it and figured out how to properly repair it,or at least n***** rig it to running condition.
My point is $2,000 will buy a sled that will provide a lifetime of memories.
There is also a false narrative that we must make it a "family event".
None of my riding buddies ever went on a family snowmobile vacation as a child. Given the choice of a weekend getaway with the family or a Sunday afternoon of bangin ditches with your buddies, which one would you have chosen in your youth?
Perhaps the effort to morph the sport into the picture perfect family activity has hurt the sport by leaving many on the sidelines thinking they can't ride because their family doesn't ride.
It wasn't about family, it was about independence, as much as your first car was about independence.
We had good intentions, trying to pass our love for snowmobiling onto our children but the fact is we failed miserably because just like us, our kids still prefer fun with friends over family time.
With the amount of disposable income that today's youth have, a local snowmobile dealership could've been a goldmine.
Granted, other factors had influence on how we got here. Low snow years. Overzealous law enforcement. High tech alternative entertainment. But I believe my point is valid.
This isn't always the case. The Poo dealer in my town is a travesty and i'm honestly surprised they are still in business.
Luckily a Big Poo dealer opened up a few towns away a few years back and I've had nothing but excellent experiences with them. In fact I was just there today snow checking my 2020
