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God I fucking hate stealerships. If car dealer cartels in the US as a concept die as a result of this era of idiocy we’re in, that’s a pretty great silver lining.

Such a weird, American-only practice, like with American health insurance. The whole country is a scam, jeez.

[-] Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Want wasn't it regean that made it a law you couldn't buy directly from the manufacturer because he was buddies with people who owned major dealerships. And it just stuck since then.

[-] dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

He also imposed an import tax on motorcycles because Harley Davidson was deathly afraid that riders would rush out to purchase a Japanese bike that didn't drip oil everywhere and reliably starts when you press the button.

[-] scarabic@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Regulations were put in place to prevent manufacturers from opening their own stores right next to the dealers they worked with. Dealers assume some risk when they take on inventory. Apparently it’s not like a bookstore where any unsold copies just go back to the publisher. It’s still a flimsy justification though and enshrined these middlemen who then enshittified everything. Worse, in some cases manufacturers are entirely prevented from selling direct, even if they don’t work with dealerships. It’s too much.

[-] doingthestuff@lemy.lol -1 points 1 month ago

We have one of the most car dependent societies in the world and also the highest car prices. Burn it down and deregulate.

[-] Earthman_Jim@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Deregulate? So corporations can enslave you completely? Huh?

Where did Americans get this idea that regulation is holding you back? Probably the same "think tanks" that convinced so many they were poor because of immigrants instead of.... as usual.... the wool being pulled over your eyes by the wealth addicts....

[-] ZC3rr0r@piefed.ca -1 points 1 month ago

I'll take any silver lining, but I'm not sure if whatever replaced it will be any better given how the Chinese have acted in markets they've achieved majority stake in.

Tbh being able to purchase cars direct from the manufacturer would be dope. New car dealers are literally nothing but middlemen.

[-] jaybone@lemmy.zip 0 points 1 month ago

I don’t drive, so I don’t buy cars. But I’m curious, how would that work to buy directly from the manufacturer as opposed to a dealership? Like I assume they would still have to have the equivalent of a dealership, where inventory is locally stored, can be test driven, can perform servicing. I assume that’s pretty much the same as a dealership right?

If you go to a us dealership, there’s pretty much always some sort of financing deal or somesuch. But there’s also very often a “dealer markup”. Never, ever pay that.

That said, for some cars, they refuse to budge on that. For instance, when the new Nissan Z came out a few years ago, the dealers tacked on like 10-15k pretty much across the board, and then Nissan corporate was surprised when it didn’t sell too well… because the dealerships got too fucking greedy.

If I needed to buy a new car, I’d vastly prefer to just spec it out online, click “order”, and then have a text come in when it arrives at my local Nissan or BMW or Hyundai maintenance facility (as appropriate for the car). I do not want to talk to a human and have to literally socially engineer them into giving me a fair fucking price. Jesus christ.

[-] Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Go to website, order car with exact color, accessory you want.

Vs

Company orders 55 blue, 55 red, 56 yellow, 55 black with 55 power seats, 55 power consol, 55 ...

[-] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago

Tesla does this. They have showrooms to test drive cars and then you order it online or at the showroom and wait for delivery.

[-] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month ago

Yeah, useless middlemen are kinda a thing in the US economy.

[-] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 0 points 1 month ago

Hate middlemen all you want, but that employment level is the driving economic force behind the middle class. Get rid of the middleman, without any serious wage reforms, and you'll have a nation of 5% filthy rich, and 95% dirt poor.

[-] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

I really don't think it's that hard.

Other countries have figured it out and nationalized these various industries. The fun part is that there's still luxury, concierge medical care and insurance too alongside nationalized health care.

this post was submitted on 06 Feb 2026
104 points (98.1% liked)

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