Interesting take on Ferrari Dealerships

Damn that's harsh...

 

What is worse is going to see the next generation models come out with an iPad like interface (like the new Cadillac), the push is to be more integrated with electronics, my guess is the Mondial 8 in the garage will start to look reliable again...

 

LOL, FORD really makes me feel like a King when I arrive in my GT

I really love my GT

When my drive shaft bolts snapped at Daytona Gary Yeoman Ford's mechanics spent all night installing new ones for me

 

That's great to hear, amazingly cool car you have.

 

Until Ferrari Dealers go from being order takers to sales people needing to fill orders...nothing will change.


As far as dealers giving MSRP on new cars that's an easy one. They all can.

The just adjust the trade in value on the car coming in to maintain the profit margin they want.

EZ Squeezie

It's never the cost of the car it's always the difference of the cost between the two cars.

Totally different if you walk in with no trade but until the 458 the dealers didn't have new clients. They always had a car to trade in. The 458 is a new owners wet dream as I'd bet 50% of 458's sold are "new" Ferrari clients.

 

I've felt very unwelcome in Ferrari dealerships here in the UK, despite always wearing an expensive watch and turning up in a fairly expensive car ETC.

Especially the first time I set foot in a Ferrari dealership, being fairly young and looking much younger, coupled with a a nervousness brought on by all the staff there staring at me and the 'buy a mug or a t-shirt' tone that the salesman said "can I help you..." in!

Porsche/Aston Martin were incredibly welcoming in comparison (for whatever reason!)

 

When I was 16, in the late 80's, I hustled myself a job as a lot boy at a Northern California Ferrari dealer. After seeing how the salesmen treated people (and openly mocked or dismissed the most successful men in the area), I promised myself never to treat *anyone* like they did. In business, that lesson has served me well.

Mountains crumble. Empires fall. Ferrari is not immune to the immutable laws of entropy. The hubris they show toward so many of us will not pay when times turn. And they always do.

 

Buy from a private party and have servicing done by independents.

Arrogant Ferrari dealers = nonissue

 

I've only been to three Ferrari dealers, but have been well treated at each. I usually wear jeans and a polo, no jewelry except for my wedding ring ( don't wear watches except for evening attire).

Maybe an age issue?

 

There are only two Ferrari dealerships in the Chicago area and both have treated me well. I always get a friendly salesman offering help when I visit the showrooms. Never felt out of place in either one. In fact the service department at LFSC has been outstanding and goes so far as to offer to pick up and deliver my car to their service department nothwithstanding the fact that I did not buy it from them. I'm not sure what others are experiencing. I don't dress in a suit or tie or wear any jewelry yet I have never been ignored in the showroom. This whole thread is puzzling because my experience has been so different.

 

Having two dealerships in one city is great for the customer! Assuming they are owned by different people, they will compete for your business. Here in Ontario there only one dealer in the entire province.

 

Ontario used to have two. Gentry Lane off Eglington was well known at the time. i bought both a 328 anf 512 TR from them.They were forced out by FNA back in the late eighties. They gave great customer service and many personal friendships were formed there. The excuse given was lack of volume to support both dealerships profitably. Politics within Ferrari as usual had a lot more to do with which one stayed and which one had to go. Many felt that the decision to take Gentry Lanes authorized Ferrari dealer franchise away was a bad one.

 

I have been to Ferrari of San Francisco (extreamly nice) Ron Tonkin (nice) Ferrari Silicon Valley (very nice) Penske Wynn (charged tour didn't speak with anyone) Ferrari of Washington (very nice salesman) FCI in Greensboro (fantastic, so nice got a tour including a look at a Porsche CGT that had sucked a cat into the front intake at *undisclosed* speed). I haven't ever been in the posisition to buy from any of them and made it known right off the bat. I have been in the car business for 16 years and find that attitude of both parties generally leads to the quality of the experiance.

 

Paul Menage and John Graham both sold for Gentry Lane over the years. Even though the cars were not legal for street registration the dealer still got a 288 GTO and a couple of F40 models which made the occasional trip through Yorkville from the Dupont St. store. The two story Ferrari building was especially nice compared to the Rolls Royce store down the street. The original dealer was also the Ferrari importer at one time. Curious that both these GL owners died young.
David Irvine and Sergio were also great there as was Jason!
CH

 

I started out as a customer and became a very good friend of John's and knew David quite well. Since it was hard to seperate the two. I'd almost forgotten Sergio and Jason. They all worked well together and I believe John was the GM. I also did some business with John exporting cars from Canada to Russia when the wall came down. I never cared for the second owner. I was at the dealership party the night he unveiled his 288GTO. He had always been the silent partner and major investor in the dealership who made his money in realestate. I thnk he also owned a good chunk of the building. He took over for the first owners wife after her husband died. John and him constantly butted heads on how the business should be run and John left. Gentry Lane threw a party for me when the first 512 TR imported into Canada was delivered to me back in 86. Its a shame how things worked out.

 

Very well known on Jaloponik website about Ontario Ferrari dealer

 

My good friend went in to look at a Corvette. Base model, not Z06, not ZR1 (this was '06). Chevy dealer refused to let him drive one. Said that you only drove it when you owned it, not before.

He goes to the local Ford dealer that has a GT on the floor. Manager pulls the car out, throws him the keys and says "don't come back right away. Take your time, get used to it. Enjoy!"

Guess which car he bought?

I remember being in Sport Auto in NC (Steve Barney's dealership, at the time certified Lambo) when a beat up Suzuki pulled up with a young lady driving and a couple of kids. One youngster, maybe 10 or 12 years old, gets out and walks toward the door. The salesman met him there, opens it for him, invites him in, and plops him in a Murci. I thought the kid was going to black out. While the kid is a statue looking like he has died and gone to heaven, the salesman goes and gets a couple of really nice Lambo brochures to send with him (mom is still idling...)

I was floored. This is not Steve, but one of the younger salesmen, who has obviously been trained by his mentor. I say nothing. He looks at me, registers the mental question and says "you never know who your next customer will be."

Word.

 

The 288 GTO was neat with the red cloth on the seats. His daughter drove that GTO at Mosport. The TR and the GTO were parked together at that dealership party. One other neat car that showed up later at GL was the FNA market 348tb with the carbon seats. It was black / black but still the only example I have seen with a 'chrome look' front grill instead of the typical black plastic grill. It was mostly smooth sailing at GL.
CH

 

I think we just figured out that we were both at the same party at probably the same time 26 years ago and enjoyed the company and friendship of the same people.... It's posible we were even introduced to each other at some point. Ain't life something. My TR was black with an oyster interior and was later sold to Ben Johnson the Canadian track star who I believe still owns it.

 

same thing happened with me and my old DBS, not sure if the salesman was a complete lunatic, great guy or too busy to accompany me on the drive!

 

Agreed. Lake Forest Sportscars and Continental AutoSports are both great to customers (and non-customers) Very good experiences at both.

IMHO


Joe

 

I cant say I have been treated badly per se, maybe ignored a little sometimes, other times shown around. But I can also think of two f-cars I would have bought but for the inane buying process/experience.

Bear in mind I am already a long term f-car owner, twice I wanted to put down deposits
and they just were plain not interested. Once I was told demand is so high the owner of the dealership had told them to effectively auction the cars. Bear in mind I had no problem with waiting a year or more.

Now I am all for making money, but there are also certain customers who are unoffoicialy ambassadors for your product and by extension dealership. If the modern ferrari owner is a stockbroker who trades in multiple cars over the years for the newest and latest, then your brand gets a certain image, it fits in a certain place, becomes typecast.

There is a crowd who always like to go to the latest club and resteraunt, they like the idea of standing in line, it makes them somehow feel special to be let in. There are also many who go to really great top quality places without all the BS, and these places last generations. Guess which one is the majority ferrari customer today.

I dont believe that Maclaren would have such a relatively easy entry into the market without the ill will ferrari has engendered in what is part of its core customer base.
Yes I would still rater have a 458 than a Mac, but in time there will be real competitors and the in crowd will also move on. Brand management is one thing, being distasteful to customers another. And today many ferrari owners are so impressed with themselvs because they own the car, far less drivers out there.

And yes I would put down a deposit and wait for a year
no problem waiting for something good, and I dont expect red carpet treatment for something I want to buy anyway, but I wont grovel to spend my money.

You see i am not a gotta have the latest trade in entusiast. I buy cars and keep them, and where there is something good, I like to buy new so I know what I have and how it has been treated. Apparently this makes me ineligable to buy a new ferrari.

And that folks is also why Leno wont go near a ferrari. Yes they would probably treat him right now, but he is well aware of how they behave in general. However good your business is there has to be a certain code of conduct.



That there is a discussion here at all indicates a problem.

rant over

 

Robert, your story reminds me of a Tale of Two Cities. I'm familiar with both Ferrari of Ontario and the McLaren dealership you mention in your story but my experience and perspective are 180 degrees different.

I absolutely hate walking into a retail establishment and being confronted by someone wanting to sell me something. I can think of a men’s store in Yorkville that comes to mind. So when I first entered the Ferrari of Ontario dealership I was relieved that I wasn't immediately approached by a salesperson. The receptionist greeted me and I spent the next half hour leisurely looking at the models on the floor. I generally knew what I wanted but looking around without being subjected to a sales pitch was my priority. Once I finished looking at the models on display, I returned to the receptionist, asked to speak to a salesperson and then went about discussing my requirements. After a couple of visits I made a decision on the car that I wanted and concluded with the purchase.

Now compare that with the McLaren experience. As soon as I walked in there was the hungry salesmen in front of me. I didn’t want someone in my face, I just wanted to have some time to let the McLaren experience sink in. Well it did and it wasn’t as positive as it could have been.

Understand that my appearance had nothing to do with the treatment that I received. I don’t recall every wearing a suit to a Ferrari dealership and I’ve noticed many clients in shorts and t-shirts at the dealership.

Every business is subject to the winds of change and should never take their eye off the ball less they find themselves victim to failure as you suggest. Ferrari is in a very successful phase of their business cycle today in contrast to many other marques who didn’t weather the economic downturn quite as well. I believe that they are very aware of their clients preferences and requirements and work with their dealer network to accommodate these beliefs.

Who’s right and who’s wrong here, time will tell but I know where my bet goes.

 

What happened to the original blog article? It's gone.