Laura GMC equivalent for Chevy?

OmniGLH · July 11, 2016

Who's the Laura GMC of the Chevy world?

Buddy of mine is looking at trucks. I bought my Sierra from Laura and was happy but am curious who's out there on the Chevy side that is similar?

Silvern Sentry · July 11, 2016

I did not know a GM dealership could not sell a GM Brand. Have you spoken to them and they told you to bugger off we do not sell chevys or are you basing it just on their name?

GMC is a brand like Chevrolet, the company is GM. I thought they all sold or could sell Chevy, GMC, Buick, Cadillac. At at least that is how they all work up here in Canada. I have seen companies call themselves stuff like 'Eastside Dodge' but they still sold the entire Chrysler lineup.

In the end though it does not matter which dealership you buy from price wise. Just make sure to max out all available credits. Dealerships are not even allowed to undercut each other so the price is what it is set by GM on all new vehicles period. Dealership a) cannot sell you the same vehicle for $5000 less than dealership b) because they would constantly be trying to under cut each other. This is also why you see gas prices pretty much the same at every pump at the same time, no one wins with a viscous circle of under cutting. If dealership a) flat out tells you they will get a price on exact same car, same options, same color same everything they are flat out lieing and I would avoid them.

It can however matter which dealership has the better selection and the one you want with the right options. That is how they compete.

newdude · July 11, 2016

I did not know a GM dealership could not sell a GM Brand. Have you spoken to them and they told you to bugger off we do not sell chevys or are you basing it just on their name?

GMC is a brand like Chevrolet, the company is GM. I thought they all sold or could sell Chevy, GMC, Buick, Cadillac. At at least that is how they all work up here in Canada. I have seen companies call themselves stuff like 'Eastside Dodge' but they still sold the entire Chrysler lineup.

In the end though it does not matter which dealership you buy from price wise. Just make sure to max out all available credits. Dealerships are not even allowed to undercut each other so the price is what it is set by GM on all new vehicles period. Dealership a) cannot sell you the same vehicle for $5000 less than dealership b) because they would constantly be trying to under cut each other. This is also why you see gas prices pretty much the same at every pump at the same time, no one wins with a viscous circle of under cutting. If dealership a) flat out tells you they will get a price on exact same car, same options, same color same everything they are flat out lieing and I would avoid them.

It can however matter which dealership has the better selection and the one you want with the right options. That is how they compete.

Canada they are like that but in the states they have to have the franchise rights or whatever (I think). Or, there is some distance rules or something. We have dealers that are just Chevrolet dealers, GMC/Buick dealers (in the states GMC and Buick are almost always combined), there are Chevy/Buick stores, Chevy/Buick/GMC stores, just Cadillac stores and Chevy/Buick/GMC/Cadillac stores.

So if a customer loves the Chevy dealer he deals with but wants a new GMC, he has to go to a GMC dealer as the Chevy dealer can't purchase or sell a GMC.

Ag76 · July 11, 2016

Who's the Laura GMC of the Chevy world?

Buddy of mine is looking at trucks. I bought my Sierra from Laura and was happy but am curious who's out there on the Chevy side that is similar?

I am also curious to know the answer to the O.P.'s question. Might be looking for a Tahoe in the near future for the wife.

OkieDavid · July 11, 2016

It never hurts to ask. My local GMC dealer owns a Chevy dealership about 45 miles away. When I was looking I commented that I might go to the Chevy dealership that is literally across the street to check them out and the rep quipped that they could have a Chevy of my choice brought down from the other dealership within a couple of hours and there was no need to cross the street. Of course, I wasn't cross shopping to check out the features, I was guaging one dealer against another but still, it never hurts to ask.

OmniGLH · July 11, 2016

Well part of the reason Laura gets the pricing they do is because of the volume they sell.

Even if they had a Chevy dealer, unless that dealer was #1 (or close to it), likely the pricing on the Silverado would not be close to the pricing they give on the Sierra.

Just trying to cover all the options for my friend is all.

Silvern Sentry · July 11, 2016

Well part of the reason Laura gets the pricing they do is because of the volume they sell.

Even if they had a Chevy dealer, unless that dealer was #1 (or close to it), likely the pricing on the Silverado would not be close to the pricing they give on the Sierra.

Just trying to cover all the options for my friend is all.

This is entirely false. The price of a new vehicle will not change between dealerships period. They absolutely cannot undercut each other and GM would pull their licence and entire inventory so fast if they tried it would make your head spin. The dealership does not own their inventory they have not paid for anything, GM does they simply invoice everything.

Selection varies yes but not price and I do not care how much volume they sell. Just think about it rationally it would be complete chaos and dealerships would force others and themselves out of business which would be bad for GM's bottom line. Customer service and satisfaction also varies which is why your salesman was very adamant about you giving him a 5 star rating on the after sale survey. As with most ratings anything less than 5 stars counts as zero.

winn0040 · July 11, 2016

This is entirely false. The price of a new vehicle will not change between dealerships period. They absolutely cannot undercut each other and GM would pull their licence and entire inventory so fast if they tried it would make your head spin. The dealership does not own their inventory they have not paid for anything, GM does they simply invoice everything.

Selection varies yes but not price and I do not care how much volume they sell. Just think about it rationally it would be complete chaos and dealerships would force others and themselves out of business which would be bad for GM's bottom line.

This is an absurd post. I don't know what world you live in, but if you think capitalism in the auto industry doesn't exist you're kidding yourself.

Silvern Sentry · July 11, 2016

This is an absurd post. I don't know what world you live in, but if you think capitalism in the auto industry doesn't exist you're kidding yourself.

It is 100% accurate and you are more than welcome to look into it and research it yourself. Or you could just think it through rationally and realize why this makes sense.

Source: I was told this by the dealerships owner, not the salesman, not the sales manager but the owner.

Bonus Protip: Did you know you can absolutely buy a vehicle from another lot through your dealership? Why? Because they do not own shit. GM does and that is who you are buying from.

P.S. True Capitalizsm died around 1914 when they introduced a temporary war measure called income tax. Government stay out, yea good luck telling Obama that. Oh wait didnt Obama bail GM out? That is right so yes I am telling you exactly that capitalism does not exist in the new car market for if it did GM would not even be a thing today and would have went under.

winn0040 · July 11, 2016

It is 100% accurate and you are more than welcome to look into it and research it yourself. Or you could just think it through rationally and realize why this makes sense.

Source: I was told this by the dealerships owner, not the salesman, not the sales manager but the owner.

Bonus Protip: Did you know you can absolutely buy a vehicle from another lot through your dealership? Why? Because they do not own shit. GM does and that is who you are buying from.

Do you live in Canuckistan?

I will go ahead and give my local dealer a call and tell them I want to pay Laura pricing. First they will laugh, then they will tell me to pound sand.

Silvern Sentry · July 11, 2016

Do you live in Canuckistan?

I will go ahead and give my local dealer a call and tell them I want to pay Laura pricing. First they will laugh, then they will tell me to pound sand.

Do it, I would. Also ask them to show you the sheet with all the available credits and which will combine I bet you that when you do and do the math it comes out exactly the same.

I should also clarify that I am talking cash prices only. You cannot compare a cash price at one to a finance price at another, apples and oranges. Either way you should always only ever shop using the cash price, shopping for a vehicles by monthly payment amount is just silly and bad. Always figure out your out the door price first before discussing anything including a trade in.

I will give an example which is how I purchased:

- My truck was $48500 MSRP + freight + levy.

- I bought on April 2015 which was truck month and had $10,000 cash credits on Kodiak Package.

- My truck is not badged 'Kodiak' but has every single one of the exact same options so when you added them all up it was exactly $10,000 in purchase credits.

- My out the door was $38500 + freight + levy. I figured this out first this was my non taxable credits.

- I then looked at the sheet I just mentioned and applied all of the taxable credits I could.

- I applied a $1000 loyalty credit since I had previously driven a Chevy Optra and still had my registration papers after selling it privately. (it was $1500 for discontunued lines like Saturn)

- I was also able to find another credit I could apply for $500 it was a monthly sales credit or something

- I was on GMC.ca a bunch through this whole process and had been emailed a $1000 credit which I then pulled out at end.

- The $1000 online offer did NOT stack with the monthly sales credit but the loyalty credit stacked with both.

- There was also a $500 student credit which I did not apply for but did not stack with online offer.

- There was also a $500 military credit which I did not apply for but did not stack with the online offer either.

- Final price $38500 + freight + level + tax - $2000 in taxable credits.

- It would not have been possible to get that exact truck for cheaper anywhere in Canada period even if you were a veteran with a student id. It really did not matter what dealership I walked into.

Now here is where one dealership may win in customer satisfaction:

- I only had $20,000 as my budget

- We looked at GM Financing which was BS and not 0% (Even though available, I worked the cash price & 0% does not apply to cash price)

- We looked at GM leasing which I I did not like the buyout of. A lease literally is just (total obligation + residual = the out the door price you just figured out)

- Finally the dealership said well it is a good price you know your shit and have $20000 in cash how about we will buy it and lease it to you for 2 years as a commercial lease in house with a 21500 residual buyout. *This is the reason I know a dealership does not own its stock they had to buy at the truck from GM and get it titled before they could lease it to me which took a few days*

- I made one payment and now have 2 years to save for the residual buyout(or did it is less than a year now)

- 3 days ago I looked up the Black Book value and it was 35,900 for my truck at 26,000km. Mine is 10,000km.

- Basically that means that my truck is worth nearly what I paid for it - tax because blue/black book is calculated from the MSRP not your cost because everyone's is different at different times. This difference between MSRP and BB value is why you want your out the door as low as possible and work the cash price not payments which can leave you upside down (car worth less than is owed). Downpayment also offsets that hence big downpayment is good even if your talking about stuff like 0%.

- Could I get that $35,900 in cash if I sold it today? Probably not but when it comes to financing that last bit I will be laughing or I can just trade it in and put the difference towards something better. I am keeping it though a few years.

So now you see how it does not make a difference in out the door price between dealerships but some WILL win your business more through extra buying options, customer satisfaction, and selection.

*I just checked Black Book right now, it is has actually gone UP to 36,167! Crazy right? Not really because there IS a market and highs and lows in used cars which is why the profit margin is bigger and dealerships make MORE from used cars sales. (dont't believe me feel free to check that fact and google it) http://www.canadianblackbook.com/averageprice/2015/GMC/Sierra%201500/SLE/Double%20Cab%20SWB%204WD/V8V1H3 North Americans love their trucks especially 4x and they sell fast as used vehicles, just try to find a used truck with 20,000KM (10,000MI) on a lot under $30k, now try and find one with 10,000km (5000MI) you cannot they do not exist and you would be better off looking for unicorns in the forest.

When I was looking I did want a Kodiak in Black or Silver we actually spent time looking at several other lots through dealer stock database listings and we did find one black that was in Quebec the only other badged Kodiak even close was a Blue one in a different city a few hours away which I could have 'Had in a day'. I instead opted for the Quicksilver z71 of exact same build which they had on their lot. So I could have bought from another lot in another city at that dealership I just did not like Blue and did not want it to come all the way across country. Would I send anyone to that dealership because I think they could get a better price than anywhere else, nope but I would send them there because they will do everything possible to help you work the best deal you can and can provide purchase options that others may not, there is also a human making the decision to lease to you or not instead of just an algorithm if you an put your money up and assume the risk should it go sideways.

Silverado Steve · July 11, 2016

This is false. First a volume dealer has more dealer hold back to work into a customer deal. Case in point, I bought my truck from a dealer which is part of the Penske group. Their sister GMC dealer couldn't come down as much in the GMC that they could on the Chevy...reason was because this dealer was the #1 Chevy dealer in Arkansas. Second, many dealers even with the same name work independently from others with the same name. Another case in point, here in Colorado, we have several large dealerships that carry similiar names, Phil Long, Medved, Al Serra, and one of the most familiar, John Elway. While Phil Long Ford may be willing to undercut the Al Serra Chevy dealer across the street, they are less inclined to under cut the Phil Long Chevy dealer a short drive down south. Bottom line is volume pricing leads to more discounts if a dealer wants to use dealer holdback and bonus cash into deals up front. Last dealers can give better deals on finance deals because they get additional cash back for selling a finance deal.

Do it, I would. Also ask them to show you the sheet with all the available credits and which will combine I bet you that when you do and do the math it comes out exactly the same.

I should also clarify that I am talking cash prices only. You cannot compare a cash price at one to a finance price at another, apples and oranges. Either way you should always only ever shop using the cash price, shopping for a vehicles by monthly payment amount is just silly and bad. Always figure out your out the door price first before discussing anything including a trade in.

fbachman · July 12, 2016

How does this (^^^^^) all work when a dealer finances his own floor. The owner of the dealer I purchased from CLAIMS he finances his own floor...

I ASSUME meaning that GM does not own the vehicles... or not?

I really have no clue how this all works, but am interested....

bigsam94 · July 12, 2016

This is false. First a volume dealer has more dealer hold back to work into a customer deal. Case in point, I bought my truck from a dealer which is part of the Penske group. Their sister GMC dealer couldn't come down as much in the GMC that they could on the Chevy...reason was because this dealer was the #1 Chevy dealer in Arkansas. Second, many dealers even with the same name work independently from others with the same name. Another case in point, here in Colorado, we have several large dealerships that carry similiar names, Phil Long, Medved, Al Serra, and one of the most familiar, John Elway. While Phil Long Ford may be willing to undercut the Al Serra Chevy dealer across the street, they are less inclined to under cut the Phil Long Chevy dealer a short drive down south. Bottom line is volume pricing leads to more discounts if a dealer wants to use dealer holdback and bonus cash into deals up front. Last dealers can give better deals on finance deals because they get additional cash back for selling a finance deal.

This is correct. Volume dealers have more hold back to work with. in addition, GM gives them more "coupons" so to speak when they sell more cars. Laura probably gets so many that they can apply some to almost every car they sell. These coupons are up to the dealer to use or not.

if you still refuse to believe that, go ahead and call the manager at Laura. They will tell you the same thing; it isnt a secret. i.e. where i live we have one of the largest chevy dealerships on the east coast. They undercut almost everybody else around, and they do it with GM's blessing. Why would GM not incentivize those dealers (or "employees" so to speak) to sell more cars?

Silvern Sentry · July 12, 2016

How does this (^^^^^) all work when a dealer finances his own floor. The owner of the dealer I purchased from CLAIMS he finances his own floor...

I ASSUME meaning that GM does not own the vehicles... or not?

I really have no clue how this all works, but am interested....

Invoicing, no money actually changes hands. They do not pay for it until they actually sell it. Very common for like last 100 or more years.