561Lexus

Psh. What happened to the good old days when Touch Up Paint came with the car?

HERBos

iTrader: (6)

ppl will lie/cheat to get watever they want/need...beauty aint it

funglenn

iTrader: (10)

i will keep going to sewell, they have really helped me, even on small stuff that makes me go back for odd ball and large things.....

CleverName

The OP makes a good point that several here miss.
I too am lucky my local dealer price matches Swell, but I make it as fair to them as possible by talking about "delivered cost", not direct part number to part number pricing.
Example, if an internet seller has a $100 part, and charges $15 to ship. I ask my dealership to sell it for $105 +tax (which matches the $115 I would have paid). I have had many retailers pleasantly amazed, and agree to this type of negotiation. I have even gotten "Thanks" for giving them the opportunity to "fairly" compete.

I feel everyone should at least make an attempt to buy local whenever possible. The truth of the matter is that when your money remains in your community, it keeps your friends and neighbors employed as it trickles to secondary services around your town. When you line the pockets of a company on another seaboard, your own town looses.
Next time you drive around and see all the empty store fronts in your area, or talk to those unfortunate enough to be out of a job because of those failed businesses, or even drive a street full of potholes thanks to the missing tax dollars your town use to use to repair them, stop and wonder if you aren't actually part of the problem.

I still order things online when I have to, but not without trying locally first, and even then I do not quibble about an extra dollar or two (or ten, depending on the price of the overall item) because I know my town is just a little bit better for it.

my 2 cents
V

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

Hey, I tried. They still wanted $100 more than Sewell for the credit card key, so instead they get $0.

Went through the same thing with them on the extended warranty- offered to buy from them if they matched the online guys, and they wanted $1000 more even when I showed em the comparison quote, so again $0 for them instead.

Ditto the sway bars where they would "cut me a deal" and only charge me $75 more than the online price for the parts, but if and only if I also gave them $200 for the install, which I instead did myself in an hour. So again $0 for them.


But somehow they can still afford the free starbucks and pastries in the waiting area, so obviously some folks are still overpaying them for what they charge and they're ok with not getting any money at all outta me.

langjaykev

iTrader: (1)

dealerships "will" match sewells prices. but its the tax.. that makes them unbeatable . Ca is nearly 10% tax!

Pnthrzrule

I do have the good old days...my dealer repairs any paint chips I point out for free...so I don't really need to buy the paint. I will probably pick up a bottle at some point but they even fix the chips I make in addition to the "road" chips.

robertrios

iTrader: (11)

Lexus of Tampa Bay matched Sewells prices on brakes and front rotors for my IS however I still got destroyed on labor which is probably why they didnt mind doing it. However I had a rental for like 3 days (also did the cam fix) so I guess I dont mind paying so much since I had the car and all.

Defender46

iTrader: (2)

Amazing, well put.

daem0n

iTrader: (2)

same story, my local dealership here in sofla (JM Lexus, supposedly the #1 lexus dealer in the world) said they'll price match Sewell for me on anything, but ofcourse tax > shipping, fml!

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

This is exactly why I buy tires from the local Discount Tire instead of the Tire Rack. Sure they're a little more on the price, but when you consider Tire Rack's price + shipping (can't get out of sales tax in Georgia), Discount is actually cheaper. Add to this, I went in with a bolt in the middle of my rear tire and they fixed it free...well...let's just say I'm a loyal customer now.

Also, I did buy tires from Tire Rack when I first came to Georgia, and had them installed at a recommended installer who aligned the car without authorization and charged me $150 for the alignment. I never went back and I would never recommend them to anyone.

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

I admire the point you're making. And I see your point in the first paragraph; when trying to price match Sewell at a dealer, to be fair you have to compare delivered costs. No one should disagree with that, and I'm glad you pointed out that distinction.

The problem is that this usually doesn't make an ounce of difference. What I mean is the premium the dealership charges as pure profit is often far, far more than merely the added shipping from Sewell. Of course if Sewell had a part for $100 + $10 shipping and the dealer had it for $110, even $120 I'd probably go with the dealer for the convenience. But I haven't once found a part that any dealer sells that is remotely close to the price of Sewell. Sway bars at every dealer I checked were more than $200 more expensive than Sewell....and shipping was about $25. No way I'm going to a dealer. Spark plugs at every dealer I checked were $25, fully twice the $13 Sewell charges. Again, no way I'm going to a dealer.

So I appreciate the distinction, and agree that everyone should keep it in mind. Problem is, far more often than not it's irrelevant in practice because of how much dealers mark up their parts. I think Sewell is just recognizing the absurd mark-ups that dealers are charging on parts and is taking advantage. Denso manufactures and sells the aforementioned spark plugs. I don't see any reason why Denso would charge Sewell a lower price than other Lexus dealers; so I would imagine both are buying the part for the same price. But then Sewell turns around and sells it for $13, while dealers sell it for twice that. Why? It's purely profit. There's no added transaction or shipping costs for other dealers vs. Sewell; it's pure profit for the dealer. Ditto the sway bars; Lexus manufactures and sells them to both Sewell and other dealers, but Sewell sells them for a reasonable price while dealers mark them up to twice that.

That gets to my second point. I appreciate the notion of supporting your local community. But I appreciate much more highly the notions of economic efficiency, competitive advantage, economies of scale, and free markets. If someone can perform a service or manufacture and sell a part for less than someone else, then that person is more economically efficient. If two people are selling the exact same part (no difference in quality, etc) but one can do it for $10 less than the other, then the former person is making the most efficient use of limited resources. The second person should be directing their efforts and resources to other pursuits, where they can add value, because currently those efforts are not efficient. In addition, natural economic competition is the best defense against monopolistic practices, and natural competition is the most beneficial force for the consumer in our economy today. It drives costs lower and drives innovation.

That said, I do believe there is a time and place for supporting local businesses over out-of-state or giant corporations, etc. But it has nothing to do with the mere fact that one is local and one is not. It has to do with difference in the benefits they offer. If a local shop sells a part for more than Sewell does, I'll buy from Sewell. But if that local shop offers better customer service; has people working there who answer questions, take you to find the part and explain how it works; offers a warranty or tells you informally you can come back later with problems and they'll fix it; THAT'S when I'll support a local shop over the online company or giant corporation. They have to offer you something more if they're going to sell the part for more than an online company. That something more doesn't necessarily have to be tangible or pricey; but it has to be there. This explains the earlier poster's comment about why he buys from a local Discount Tire over Tire Rack; the Discount Tire offered more to him than just the tire at a price - they went above and beyond and fixed his tire for him, something he could never have gotten through Tire Rack.

It's about the total value proposition offered, not just price. So yes, there are many situations when you should support local businesses - when they offer you a better overall value/benefit proposition than alternatives, not just on price.

You say that we should support local business over online or giant corporations. I agree with you, according to the criteria above. But for me, car dealers don't fit these criteria for two reasons. The first is that in the Sewell vs. car dealer example, we're talking about exactly the same part; there is no difference in quality, benefits, etc. It's not like you're considering buying an organic tomato from a local seller vs. a mass-produced tomato from a national grocery store chain. The organic tomato has benefits the other tomato does not; they're different things. But using spark plugs as an example, the Denso iridium pre-gapped spark plugs that Sewell sells are the exact same Denso iridium pre-gapped spark plugs that the dealer next door to me sells. But the dealer sells them for twice what Sewell does, and offers absolutely no added benefit to make the premium worth it. For Sewell, I'm going to browse to their website, add it to the cart, and have it shipped to me. For the dealer, I'd walk in to the parts counter, buy the plugs, and walk out. In neither case does any non-price factor make a difference to me in the overall value proposition.

The second reason is that your argument doesn't even extend to many car dealers. Some car dealers are family- and locally-owned. But many, if not most in these days, are owned by larger conglomerate companies of multiple dealerships either within one brand or across brands. These companies often span states and even entire geographies. If you buy a part from a dealer that is owned by a company headquartered 4 states away, chances are that money you put in isn't going to be reinvested or spent back into your local community. Some portion of it certainly will, since a portion of every dollar you spend there goes to paying the salaries of the people who work at the specific dealership (who presumably live and spend locally). But if you use that argument, then you can justify buying from any giant corporation's local stores, like your local Walmart (something mom-and-pop store advocates would likely abhor).

600rr05

iTrader: (9)

i tried to get my local dealership and they straight shut me down with the quickness... looks like ill be sticking to sewell.

sgv2GIS

that's funny, because Longo Lexus here in S.Cali claims to be #1 also. I wonder if it's all BS.

langjaykev

iTrader: (1)

yeah.. im sticking to sewell.. lexus of glendale wanted around 1800 plus tax/installation with the fsport exhaust.. and longo wanted like 1700 or so..