Chrysler prodded sellers to absorb glut
of 40,000 unordered cars, dealers say
Bloomberg News,
by
Gabrielle Coppola
Original Article
Posted By: NorthernDog,
11/14/2019 1:48:01 PM
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV has been manufacturing more cars and trucks than its U.S. dealers are willing to accept, at one point creating a nationwide glut of about 40,000 unordered vehicles and stoking tension with some of its retailers. Four dealers, two of whom spoke on the condition they not be named, said Fiat Chrysler has revived what’s known in industry circles as a “sales bank.” The practice is decades old and frowned upon by investors and analysts because it can obscure an automaker’s inventory figures. Dealers don’t like it because it can amp up the pressure companies place on
Reply 1 - Posted by:
lakerman1 11/14/2019 2:09:10 PM (No. 235053)
I don't personally know anyone now, stupid enough to buy a Fiat, and rarely see one here in NW Pennsylvania. (Friends from graduate school, husband and wife, bought two little fiat 500s for their family, 2 children, 2 labrador retrievers - they were Italian American, making a statement of that, I guess. The two cars, buckets of junk, were gone in a year or so. Both came from wealth, so they replaced the junk buckets with a Cadillac and a BMW.)
I doubt the current Fiats will be around much longer.
6 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
bighambone 11/14/2019 2:09:42 PM (No. 235054)
Chrysler is junk, i was nutty one time and bought a Chrysler 300 sedan. It was not long before the engine started burning oil, a quart about every couple of hundred miles. I brought it back to the Dealer, left it, and a few days later the dealer called and said all fixed. It was not long after that when the engine again started burning oil, about one quart every couple of hundred miles. Luckily for me someone crashed into that vehicle after running a red light. No injuries, but the party at fault’s insurance company totaled out the vehicle and paid me what I wanted for it. Take this advise learned through trial and tribulation, for light trucks, forget anything called RAM, and instead stick with Ford, Honda, and Toyota.
4 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
Newtsche 11/14/2019 2:16:24 PM (No. 235060)
OP refers to '70's Chryslers.
My employer bought some company cars at that time. When you hit the windshield washer on a Chrysler K Car, the stream hit the top of the windshield, straight down onto the dashboard in the cabin.
3 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Submariner 11/14/2019 2:29:01 PM (No. 235073)
Henry Ford did this in 1927 to raise cash to bridge the months-long gap between the Model T and release of the Model A. If you wanted to remain a Ford dealer, you had to buy a number of Model T's in advance of any sales to the customer. In Chrysler's case it has to do with weak product offerings.
1 person likes this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
DVC 11/14/2019 3:02:16 PM (No. 235102)
I've never owned a Chrysler product, driven a few rental cars, ridding in a Grand Caravan and worked on it for friend. They sold the Caravan and got an Honda Odyssey and the wife loved it and drive it until the kids were all in college.
Not horrible vehicles, but they just don't seem to stand out, other than the trucks, and the few hotshot performance cars, for those that want straight line acceleration.
Sounds like they are circling the drain. A shame to lose the US jobs.
1 person likes this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
red1066 11/14/2019 3:47:50 PM (No. 235152)
Bought a 2012 Jeep new, and it's probably been one of the best vehicles I've ever owned. It has 167,000 miles on it, runs great and I've had zero problems with it. Outside of changing oil and a few tail light bulbs, maintenance on this thing cost nothing. At 153,000 miles I replaced all four original brake rotors and pads, and that's it for maintenance on this thing. Maybe it was built prior to Fiat taking over. That's my only explanation for it running so well.
4 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Noj15 11/14/2019 6:30:57 PM (No. 235301)
Fiat makes junk. No one is buying their junk.
3 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
ussjimmycarter 11/16/2019 7:56:15 PM (No. 237047)
Take Chrysler and mix in Pigout and oh boy what a rotten machine! It’s ok, though! At least it will rust down to the tires within 6 years!
1 person likes this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
ladydawgfan 11/16/2019 8:57:32 PM (No. 237068)
Bought a Plymouth Neon brand new in '96. I was heading to college out of state and needed something reliable. I mistakenly assumed that a vehicle with only 11 miles on the odometer fit that description.
By 1500 miles, the brakes had failed completely and needed to be replaced. At 30k, both the horn and airbag sensor in the steering wheel failed. At 36k, the water pump went out, leaving me stranded 75 miles from campus on a Sunday afternoon in rural Mississippi. Another 5k saw three new thermostats, an a/c compressor and a fuel pump. At 43k, the transmission ate itself and needed complete replacement. I was visiting my sister in Michigan at the time and was again left stranded. I needed to take a rental car, at my expense, 15 hours away from my home to pick it up when it was finished a week later. By 60k, the car leaked like a sieve and THREE different car dealerships couldn't find out where the water was getting in. My sister dubbed it the "mildew-mobile." At 75k, the radio quit working, and the speedometer, fuel gauge, and engine warning lights worked intermittently and it had gone through another three thermostats. By the time it finally died, I had limped and nursed it all the way home, never knowing whether it would die on the way or actually get me home, all the while using a digital kitchen timer and simple math calculations for my speedometer.
I was in college the whole time or it would have ended up on a used car lot as soon as I started having issues with it. As a result of this vehicle, I will NEVER own another Chrysler product, even were it given to me free of charge. And I recommend to my loved ones to stay far away from them and get rid of them ASAP if one is owned. They are complete and utter junk!!
0 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
judy 11/17/2019 2:17:25 AM (No. 237188)
China constantly dumps junk in the US toooooo
0 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
franq 11/17/2019 6:24:52 AM (No. 237222)
We have a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo that is still on the road with over 260k. It is a southern car, so rust isn't an issue. Had the bullet-proof inline six, so that makes a difference. My son has a 2008 GC that is running good. Normal issues, but now developing intermittent check engine lights. He's dumping it for a full size truck. Worked on a friend's Nitro off and on that seems to fit the junk description. This past summer his heater controls went out which requires removal of the dashboard to fix. Of course that was beyond my time and energy. He took it to a dealer (I have read even replacing the heater actuators requires re-programming) and I'm sure it was between $1-2k to fix. Never get me in one. I've had good luck with Chevys. Daughter has an '04 Camry that has been very reliable.
0 people like this.
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Comments:
I have heard stories about Chrysler doing this in the late '70s. Some insiders reported they junked thousands of new cars that were 'leftovers' from previous model years.