Lochmoor Used Cars on Mack

[1KielsonDrive]

I went to Thompson Chrysler-Plymouth to pick up my dad's Volare. I left the dealership in the late afternoon, visited friend's living in a nearby downriver neighborhood and departed for home early night - maybe 9 or 10 PM. It took me over an hour to get back to River Rouge. The rear-end that had just been repaired/replaced, went out again - no more than a few miles and few hours from the dealership. I called my father from a pay phone to tell him why I was behind schedule. He asked, half kiddding, if I'd been racing. He really knew better, but this car was so bad it was beyond belief. So we'd find ourselves looking for other explanations. Over time, we just laughed about it. They, the dealership and Chrysler Corporation, wouldn't own up to the fact it was just a junker, until after many returns and threats of lawsuits, etc.

[1KielsonDrive]

All problems aside, this Volare was a beautiful car. Maroon color with a cream vinyl top and I think it had landau bars by the small rear windows. It had wire wheel hup caps that looked like authentic wheels. The interior was very plush ; velour like seats, armrests and a great stereo and A/C. As bad as it was, I loved cruising in it because it was 'classy' looking car.

[jackie5275]

Here is a pic of the Mack Ave Rat Pack down the street at a Pontiac Dealer probably in 1963..shiny suits big cars and big money for the day

Is there supposed to be a photo in this post? I'm not seeing it.

[EastsideAl]

what is a wall job?

Where they park your car against a wall somewhere, tell you they've done the maintenance work you asked for, charge you for it, and give you the car back without having done a damn thing.

[EastsideAl]

What is REALLY going to put this country in danger [[and truly is ALREADY contributing to its downfall) is this ongoing liberal entitlement attitude that just because someone fails, others should feel obligated to bail them out "just because."

I know I should just let this go, especially because it's not really Detroit related or related to the main topic of this thread, but I'm always thrown for a loop when I see this kind of statement. How is giving away money to corporations and failing big businesses a "liberal" entitlement scheme? Last I looked, the Republicans were the main pushers behind corporate welfare of all sorts. We just came out of an administration that spent 8 years increasing the federal deficit to record levels, with much of that spending going to favored businesses. Indeed, the big multi-jillion dollar bailout of failing Wall St. firms was begun under the Bush administration, and was done to save companies that had gorged themselves after being highly favored and enabled by the Republican administration.

It's not that I disagree with you about giving away the money, its that I think you've falsely ascribed who it is that's primarily responsible for doing the giving.

[EMG]

Eastside Al - to put it briefly and "leave it at that," I'll just say I'm a Republican who did NOT agree with Bush's actions. Even so, what Bush did to address what he perceived to be an emergency situation does not even begin to compare with the Ponzi schemes started by the likes of FDR and LBJ.

[EastsideAl]

Ahhh, so you're against the very things that made real sustainable prosperity and security possible for most of us whose parents and grandparents came from working class backgrounds. Thanks for clearing that up. Knew I shouldn't have asked.

[stasu1213]

I loved the volarie. Especially the front bench seats. 3 people could ride in the front. You could go to sleep on that seat. Very roomy. I always wonder why cars doesn't come with front bench seats anymore

[reddog289]

My first car was a hand me down Dodge Aspen. Not from "Pointe Dodge" or Lochmoor but another defunct Chrysler Corp dealer. Ed Carpenter in Wayne. After two years the car was recalled, Needed new front fenders. My father a GM guy, Hated that car. My son in laws Uncle has a Plymouth Fury which brought back memories of the first car. Was giving it a look over. It came from Lochmoor many years ago. This reminds me I need to get the scanner running and the Old Car Dealers thread too.

[Gistok]

Regardless of how you may feel about dealerships, domestic vs foreign autos, etc, the downside is the jobs lost to the employees of the closed businesses. We're nowhere near the end of this depression. We can only hope that alternative businesses open and thrive and can provide employment to those who've lost their jobs to the meltdown of the auto industry.

1KielsonDrive... that stretch of Mack Ave. in Detroit is one of the nicest retail stretches in the city, due in great part to the fact that Grosse Pointe is across the street. A lot of land will be cleared up by the dealer closing[[s).

When the economy picks up I expect that the property will be developed into denser retail space.... especially since auto dealers use up so much land.

[stonechipped]

I went to Thompson Chrysler-Plymouth to pick up my dad's Volare. I left the dealership in the late afternoon, visited friend's living in a nearby downriver neighborhood and departed for home early night - maybe 9 or 10 PM. It took me over an hour to get back to River Rouge. The rear-end that had just been repaired/replaced, went out again - no more than a few miles and few hours from the dealership. I called my father from a pay phone to tell him why I was behind schedule. He asked, half kiddding, if I'd been racing. He really knew better, but this car was so bad it was beyond belief. So we'd find ourselves looking for other explanations. Over time, we just laughed about it. They, the dealership and Chrysler Corporation, wouldn't own up to the fact it was just a junker, until after many returns and threats of lawsuits, etc.

Thequality of those cars is exactly the reason people in their 30's have never sat behind the wheel of a "Big 3" car. As a service writer during those years, I saw first hand what the car companys did to their customers, who had to bring their brand new car back time after time for warranty issues, with a co-worker waiting to take them to work in a old Honda........That is exactly the reason I drive a Honda today

[1KielsonDrive]

1KielsonDrive... that stretch of Mack Ave. in Detroit is one of the nicest retail stretches in the city, due in great part to the fact that Grosse Pointe is across the street. A lot of land will be cleared up by the dealer closing[[s).

When the economy picks up I expect that the property will be developed into denser retail space.... especially since auto dealers use up so much land.

Gistok, you're absolutely correct. I lived on University Place between Mack and Kercheval for a while. I walked to Kercheval [[downtown Grosse Pointe City) and Mack Avenue almost daily. I always marveled how that business stretch of Detroit thrived while so few others have. It was exactly the reason you stated. I almost bought a vehicle from the Pontiac dealer at the end of my street. They tried the same old, same old BS : hard sell with multiple sales people hammering me. They broke my auto sales rule #1 : ONLY ONE PERSON IN THE ROOM WITH ME AT A TIME. As soon as the GM walked in, I walked out. They called me and asked me to come back, saying they'd give me a great deal. I said : screw you, you lost your only chance. I bought a car at a dealership that honors my rules. We did start out talking about cars and dealers, did we not?

[EMG]

Where they park your car against a wall somewhere, tell you they've done the maintenance work you asked for, charge you for it, and give you the car back without having done a damn thing.

Ah! So there's a name for it! How well I could relate to that!

[stonechipped]

I didnt know the Pontiac dealer had stooped to the old sweat box technique that the Dodge dealer was known for. Things have really got a lot worse than I thought. Too bad

[dc313]

I know an employee at the pontiac dealer and things are getting bad. The owners son has been running the place for some time and he doesn't have a clue what going on. Sad.

[mrrichard]

They sucked as pointe dodge, I took a test drive in a car, they had my license there, for some reason i forgot, i went back to get it and they lost it.
I was so piised, i threatened to boycott they dealership until they paid me the cost of my license.
At another chrysler dealership in a different state, the manager wanted me to sign a doc so he could get my credit report and see how he could finance me. I declined to sign and then he got mad so i was walking out and he came outside behind me and was yelling at me in front of the other sales losers "he's afraid to buy a car"
I yelled back at him F Off a hole and he came runniing at and then i spit in his face and took off. I swore I would never buy a Chrysler

But the government shouldn't determine who should or should be in business,
it should be the consumer/marketplace.
I hope it doesn't turn into a McDonalds, that would really f up the area.

[1KielsonDrive]

I worked in auto sales for a brief period in the early 80's. I wanted to try a new career. A family from St. Louis, MO owned and operated a couple of franchises in the Detroit area. I knew the father and son, who ran the businesses, quite well. They offerred me an opportunity to sell. I jumped. It was one of the most demeaning jobs I've ever had. I worked with another rookie named Ivan, and we both did well considering our lack of experience. The last straw for me was when the GM, who was considered to be one of the best in the business, screamed at me upon one of my customers walking out, that I'd better get the 'f*#k out there and get them back in, or else. This wasn't the first time this happened. He was a tireless screamer and thrower of fits. The usual routine was to have the customer come into your cubicle, get the keys to their auto, ostensibly to evaluate it for trade-in, and not give them their keys back no matter what you had to do to persuade them. If a sales person let them go without a deposit on a new auto, they were in BIG trouble. They had so many scams and so much collusion amongst sales, service, used auto and administrative employees, it could've been a RICO operation. I laugh in hindsite. I was seldom so happy to leave a job.

[lpg]

Before it was Thompson's Chrysler Plymouth it was owned by George Bistran. He originally was on Eureka Road in Wyandotte. That was where I bought my new 68 Road Runner. After the dealership moved to Quarry Road and Fort St, I took the car in because the windshield washer would not shut off. The so called mechanic called me in the back to show me he had fixed the problem. I had to point out to him the washer was not spraying the fluid because the bottle was empty of fluid. I never went back.

[Melody]

I will miss Lochmoor. I always took my car there and now I don't know where to go. My uncle worked there for many years, but after he left I continued to go there and got treated well and my car was always fixed at a reasonable price. I'm sorry everyone else didn't have the same experience.

[1KielsonDrive]

Having a friend or family member working at a dealership always improved the experience. My cousin was in sales at Bob Ford, Ford Dealer on Michigan Avenue in Dearborn. He was always there to take care of me. I didn't have many problems, but whatever happened he took care of it. I loved my Pinto. I bought a Chevy someplace where I didn't know anyone. It was a big mess getting any service.

[luckycar]

Sold a car today.Told the buyer the price,plus taxes,title.Then I told him how much his car was worth on a trade in.Next I wrote it all down in plain english how much the difference was.This is what he had to bring in to buy the car.He did just that and drove away with a nice used car.The whole transaction took all of 10 minutes.I was kind and helpful.I didn't ask if he wanted to purchase a warranty,Carfax,or any add ons.Nor did he inquire about any of these things.This is how we've sold cars since 1952,and why we'll be selling them in 2052!

[dc313]

Sold a car today.Told the buyer the price,plus taxes,title.Then I told him how much his car was worth on a trade in.Next I wrote it all down in plain english how much the difference was.This is what he had to bring in to buy the car.He did just that and drove away with a nice used car.The whole transaction took all of 10 minutes.I was kind and helpful.I didn't ask if he wanted to purchase a warranty,Carfax,or any add ons.Nor did he inquire about any of these things.This is how we've sold cars since 1952,and why we'll be selling them in 2052!

Helpful? Offering a FREE Carfax would have been helpful. Whats it cost? Twenty bucks?.Not everyone that walks onto a used car lot knows what there doing when it comes to car buying. Peice of mind is worth a lot more then that. Maybe I'm wrong, but knowledge is everything. Let the consumer make the decision.

[1KielsonDrive]

Thanks luckycar. It's nice to see your input. Good luck selling. My rules when buying a car are as follows; Do the research. Consumers Reports, KBB, Car-Fax, etc, etc, as much research as possible. Both the car I intend to buy and trade-in. Don't announce trade-in until after negotiating the price on the new car. Keep in mind target price for both vehicles and remember this is not a zero sum game. As the old saying goes - 'take a little, give a little'. I want the sales person to treat me fairly and give me a good deal. The dealer and sales person have to make money. Therefore, no unreasonable demands. That's why you do research beforehand - so you know when you're near a realistic price for both parties. I only allow one person in the room or talking to me at a time. Preferably, the only person talking to me is the sales person. If I feel another person [[the GM?) is impinging upon my deal, I ask the GM to leave. Only once! When I give my trade-in key to the sales person, I give only one key, not my chain with others, and I'm sure to put a strict time limit on it. If my keys aren't back by the set time - I leave. No add ons, unless I request. The contract is reviewed by me away from all salespeople. I take a fresh copy of my credit report. If they need to run another, it's okay. But no BS. I know my credit. Don't try downgrading my credit, and raising my interest rate. My last purchase took a couple of hours. It was on New Years eve, the dealer was rocking. I was there for about 2 hours and got out with about $300 - 400.00 total difference in price for both my new car and my trade-in, including all deals and incentives to the dealer, according to CR. That's pretty good. The sales person has since left that dealer but I'll find him again if needed. He was their top sales person for quite a while. Oh yeah, my trade-in was spit shined and ready to go. Top dollar, baby.

[1KielsonDrive]

I was at a LaFontaine dealership a few years ago. The GM came to the desk, interrupted me and my sales person to tell me how unreasonable I was and why they couldn't sell the vehicle for any less than they offered. He said it in a loud tone [[he was a LaFontaine himself). I asked him to leave. He continued. I walked. The sales person emailed me to say I wrecked a perfectly good deal. I replied : you and your GM wrecked the deal. I was ready to go home with a new vehicle that night. You broke my rule we had agreed upon at the outset. They tried to get me to come back in. There are too many auto dealers out there to have to put up with a bad one.

[reddog289]

I myself have often wondered that new car prices on the eastside seem to be cheaper then the westside. I might be miss reading something, But thats how I see it.