[Shotimes] OT - 2006 Mercury Milan

[Ron Porter]

I think it's more that it doesn't "fit" what most folks want. Any 2-door is
not useful as a primary car. And, as a "play" car, it doesn't fit the bill
that well. At least the new T-Bird is a convertible for fun.

I think the GTOs problem is the same as the problem that the F-bodies
(Camaro/Firebird) had. Too expensive and not "special" enough to be a 2nd
car......and the folks who can use them as primary cars (the under-30 crowd)
can't afford the payments and the insurance.

FWIW, I am eligible for the GM A-Plan, but I still can't get excited enough
for any GM vehicle.

Ron Porter

-----Original Message-----
From: shotimes-admin@autox.team.net [mailto:shotimes-admin@autox.team.net]
On Behalf Of Jason Hartberger
Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2004 11:47 AM
To: Leigh Smith; '_ShoTimes'
Subject: Re: [Shotimes] OT - 2006 Mercury Milan


I think the GTO isn't selling not because it's underappreciated by the
public, but because the public feels betrayed by Pontiac using an australian
chassis around an engine that ain't 'all that and a bag of chips'. I know it
goes fast, but it just doesn't look... like a GTO. It's a cheap sellout and
the public knows it.

Jason



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Leigh Smith" <leighsm@comcast.net>
To: "'_ShoTimes'" <Shotimes@autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2004 11:30 AM
Subject: Re: [Shotimes] OT - 2006 Mercury Milan


> I second the "move the metal" mindset at dealers. My brother in-law is a
> finance manager, and they get additional finance incentives for moving the
> cars off the floor plan very quickly, as well as incurring almost no floor
> plan (finance) charges. A winner is a car line that moves out in 30 days.
It
> basically costs the dealer nothing.  A loser is one that sits around for a
> few months, they have to keep discounting them to sell them, and the floor
> plan charges keep racking up, so they actually lose money on each unit
sold.
> Now that line is a "lemon" in their eyes. Then word spreads, dealers don't
> order them, factory inventory backs up, and the factory resorts to
blackmail
> and makes them take x number of those models to get x number of the hot
> selling model.
>
> The SHO was definately a sales "lemon". And we know that, we say that it
was
> "under-appreciated" by the public.
>
> The current GTO is having the same problems. They have only sold 6,000
units
> in 6 months and have another 9,000 already produced and in inventory,
giving
> them over 9 months of inventory. A long way from their 30-60 day target.
> Cool car or not, some business manager is having a hard time keeping it
> alive and not pulling the plug.
>
> A lot of cool high-performance cars wind up with this problem, because of
> low sales potential, which is why performance cars have earned a bad rap
in
> general with dealers even though they may be very good cars.
>
> Performance cars I can think of that fit this category are the SHO, GTO,
> Fiero GT, Cosworth Vega, Corvair, late model Camaro/Firebird, and many
other
> stick-shift models. Ever see a five speed Grand Prix or Lincoln LS?
> Appreciate them quickly while they last, because they probably won't be
> around long.
>
> Lee
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Ron Porter" <ronporter@prodigy.net>
> To: <alfitz@alfitz.com>; "'_ShoTimes'" <Shotimes@autox.team.net>
> Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2004 1:52 AM
> Subject: RE: [Shotimes] OT - 2006 Mercury Milan
>
>
> > This is looking at it from the perspective of a dealer who has to move
the
> > metal.
> >
> > IIRC, they had leftover SHOs just about every year they were out. Even
my
> > current '94, which was built in 10/93, wasn't titled until 1/95-2/95
(it's
> > on the Carfax around here somewhere).
> >
> > Dealers aren't into whether cars are good or not.....rather, they have
> their
> > own definition...."good" cars sell because buyers want them, "bad" cars
> sit
> > on the lot sucking up finance charges.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: alfitz@alfitz.com [mailto:alfitz@alfitz.com]
> > Sent: Friday, August 27, 2004 10:51 PM
> > To: Ron Porter
> > Cc: _ShoTimes
> > Subject: Re: [Shotimes] OT - 2006 Mercury Milan
> >
> >
> > Ouch !!  Pinto, Edsel, or Vega?
> >
> > I would like to think we are in better company than those dogs. Like
maybe
> > Stutz Bearcat or Packard V12....
> >
> >
> > Al Fitz
> > alfitz@alfitz.com
> > _______________________________________________
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> > Shotimes@autox.team.net
> > http://www.team.net/mailman/listinfo/shotimes
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