All Cars, All the Time

GM Is Coupon Clipping

To add to all the backroom intrigue that happens when you buy a car/truck at a dealer, GM has now handed out coupons to its dealers to use as deal closers. The value of the coupon is $250 and the dealer can give you up to four of them for a total savings to you of $1,000. These "coupon" deals have been around before. I seem to recall that Ford used them in the not so distant past. Dealer incentives like this will only add to the unevenness of transaction pricing that frustrates customers. Bob goes in, plays nice, and pays $1,000 extra. Eric goes in, raises hell, calls the dealer names, storms out and they chase after him with a $1,000 in coupons so they can close the deal. I'm all in favor of lowering sticker prices to realistic levels. I'm a little less enthusiastic about deals that customers have to fight for. Full story from Detroit News here.