We all know people who are extremely demanding when it comes to getting things exactly, precisely, specifically they way they want them. They are the kind of people who will never say anything like "close enough" when it comes to ordering a coffee or anything else. When the time comes to buy your product, it's either their way or no way.
Except when it comes to buying a new vehicle, that is. People will hike through a forest for a day to pick out the trees that a woodworker will slowly and carefully turn into a coffee table in three months, and then invest 15-20 minutes waiting for a bespoke decaf-latte or whatever on the way home from the forest. But those same people will spend a half-day -- tops -- and a small fortune -- at least -- on a car that sort of resembles what they wanted as long as they can pick it up tomorrow, or the day after at the latest.
Even though they might know for months that they'll have to get a new vehicle on a certain date, they act as if they only have about 48 hours to get a new vehicle before the other one evaporates.
It's a condition that I like to call spontaneous consumption, and it is practiced by the vast majority of new vehicle buyers in Canada and the United States, but not most of the rest of the world.
Not surprisingly, the auto companies and dealers in North America have learned to respond to this condition. My favorite example was the luxury car dealer in Florida who promised to get you out the door in your new vehicle within 90 minutes of your decision to buy it.
This condition explains why every dealership on the continent is covered with millions of dollars worth of product every day, and this has a very negative affect on their financial situation.
Dealers in Canada and the U.S. buy the cars from the auto companies using money provided by banks and other lending institutions, and generally pay about $40 billion every 30 days for the privilege. For the consumer, the most obvious result of this situation is contending with a dealer who wants to move the metal that's sitting on the lot right now, to reduce the interest costs being paid.
This could be a good thing for the consumer, of course, since it shifts the pressure to close the transaction onto the dealer. Unless the model that's been gathering dust and snow in a far corner of the dealer's lot satisfies enough of the buyer's desires and can be ready to go the next day, in which case the supply/demand teeter-totter tilts the other way.
That teeter-totter can be tilted back to the buyer's benefit in a significant way if the buyer plans ahead enough. Take the time to pick out the vehicle you want and the variations available, and then order the exact, precise, specific model you want from the factory. You might have to wait a couple of months, but you will also have the added negotiating edge of the dealer not having to spend any financing money on your vehicle.
But beyond maybe getting the vehicle you want for a little less money, you'll be getting the vehicle that suits you a lot more. That means you get the right exterior and interior colors, with the best stereo setup for your needs, the most becoming wheels, and so on, and so on. No more settling for a product that costs more than $30,000 and you'll have to live with every day for the next three or four years.
Ordering a vehicle that meets more of your demands just sounds like the best way to do things, but now come those relentless number-crunchers from J. D. Power and Associates with hard, clinical evidence supporting the principle.
Except when it comes to buying a new vehicle, that is. People will hike through a forest for a day to pick out the trees that a woodworker will slowly and carefully turn into a coffee table in three months, and then invest 15-20 minutes waiting for a bespoke decaf-latte or whatever on the way home from the forest. But those same people will spend a half-day -- tops -- and a small fortune -- at least -- on a car that sort of resembles what they wanted as long as they can pick it up tomorrow, or the day after at the latest.
Even though they might know for months that they'll have to get a new vehicle on a certain date, they act as if they only have about 48 hours to get a new vehicle before the other one evaporates.
It's a condition that I like to call spontaneous consumption, and it is practiced by the vast majority of new vehicle buyers in Canada and the United States, but not most of the rest of the world.
Not surprisingly, the auto companies and dealers in North America have learned to respond to this condition. My favorite example was the luxury car dealer in Florida who promised to get you out the door in your new vehicle within 90 minutes of your decision to buy it.
This condition explains why every dealership on the continent is covered with millions of dollars worth of product every day, and this has a very negative affect on their financial situation.
Dealers in Canada and the U.S. buy the cars from the auto companies using money provided by banks and other lending institutions, and generally pay about $40 billion every 30 days for the privilege. For the consumer, the most obvious result of this situation is contending with a dealer who wants to move the metal that's sitting on the lot right now, to reduce the interest costs being paid.
This could be a good thing for the consumer, of course, since it shifts the pressure to close the transaction onto the dealer. Unless the model that's been gathering dust and snow in a far corner of the dealer's lot satisfies enough of the buyer's desires and can be ready to go the next day, in which case the supply/demand teeter-totter tilts the other way.
That teeter-totter can be tilted back to the buyer's benefit in a significant way if the buyer plans ahead enough. Take the time to pick out the vehicle you want and the variations available, and then order the exact, precise, specific model you want from the factory. You might have to wait a couple of months, but you will also have the added negotiating edge of the dealer not having to spend any financing money on your vehicle.
But beyond maybe getting the vehicle you want for a little less money, you'll be getting the vehicle that suits you a lot more. That means you get the right exterior and interior colors, with the best stereo setup for your needs, the most becoming wheels, and so on, and so on. No more settling for a product that costs more than $30,000 and you'll have to live with every day for the next three or four years.
Ordering a vehicle that meets more of your demands just sounds like the best way to do things, but now come those relentless number-crunchers from J. D. Power and Associates with hard, clinical evidence supporting the principle.