I now have a leaking headlight (after having replaced both headlamps for delaminating) - I took it to the dealer on Thursday so they could see the lamp. They agreed and ordered a new one to be delivered on Friday morning and told me to call and check on the part before I drove up.

Friday I called the dealer and the message said the parts department was closed. I figure some mix up so I press 3 anyway - and the phone rang and rang and finally someone answered and when I asked about my headlamp they said so sorry - they were closed - - I asked if they would be open after Presidents day - - They said no - they have closed down for good and are no longer taking service or parts orders. They will finish out those cars with a repair orders (mine didn't have one) and would still try to sell any of the cars/trucks still left on the lot.

Good Bye - Westoaks Chrysler
Good Bye - Rick the great Xfire Tech

Hello Crown Dodge!! - They took over Harbor Chrysler's business when Harbor stopped selling & repairing Chryslers and switched their business to a "Used Car Lot"

 

good thing they have the mini-van market and the rental car companies to keep them in business for now

 

Haa, Rental cars is so true. Every rental place has a billion neon's!

 

they must be old Neons. Chrysler hasn't made Neons since 2005.

 

Yep, and Chrysler sure F-d up by stopping production of the Neon.

 

Also by stopping production of the Intrepid.
I am on my second one and would like to have another when I wear it out. Great mileage, comfortable, HUGE trunk. Great car for trips.

MikeR

 

I did my bit for Chrysler over the years:

1963 Plymouth Savoy SS

1970 Plymouth Barracuda

1973 Plymouth Duster

1984 Dodge Omni

1992 (I think) Chrysler Sebring

2005 Chrysler 300C (wrecked)

2006 Chrysler 300C

2006 Chrysler 300C SRT8

2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT6

 

I have had a few chryslers over the years myself

1980 Lebaron 318 RWD
1985? Omni GLH
1988 Shelby Daytona
1998 Dakota
2000 Dakota
2001 Dakota (currently own, 293k miles and still goin)
2002 Ram
2003 Ram
2003 SRT-4
2005 SRT-6

And... drumrolll...
Over 30 Neons from 1995-1999. I still own 5 of those LOL

I am sure i forgot a few here and there.

 

dealers are a seperate identity for chrysler. most are privately owned.

 

I think it is good that dealerships are dying. The big three have too many dealerships, which results in a glut of unwanted vehicles on the market. Toyota, for one, has very few dealerships relative to the big three.

 

Good point. My wife and I were out a few weeks ago and we drove by about 10 dealerships in a 5 mile radius. There had to be several thousand vehicles just sitting there. What ever happened to ordering a car? That used to be a big deal, I used to go nuts from the anticipation. The last time Chrysler did that (the PT Cruiser first run) they had people literally waiting in line. I'll never forget walking into a dealership at 8:00 p.m.and there were people waiting in line and signing up for a test drive.....I had to come back another night.
Boy how things change!

 

I just realized I have never owned a Chrysler product.

 

My understanding is that it is difficult for the manufacturers to close a dealership. There are to many legal issues. When Olds was shutdown I think it ended costing GM a billion plus dollars. So the only way to reduce the count of dealerships is to let them fail.

 

Patpur you and I are the same age and I long for those days in the Sixties and Seventies when the new model year intro's were such an exciting time for car nuts. As you said, it was so nice to go into a dealer and sit down and order each and every little thing you wanted in a car. Remember having a CHOICE of several different interior colors to coordinate with the exterior? Go buy a new Dodge Challenger today. How many color choices do you have on the interior? I'm guessing one. At least in the Crossfire you had 4 interior color options and I did order mine with each option I wanted (there just happen to be several fewer to choose from). I'll never forget the unveiling of the 1965 Chevy Impala fastback on Bonanza on a Sunday night in 1964. They had the car sitting on the top of some rock all alone in the middle of no place. Had to be put there by helicopter or something. I think more people were tuning in to see the car that night than watch Bonanza. Those were the days.

 

Dealerships are privately owned their numbers are determined by state law and the dealers ability to expand in his assigned territory. The manufacturer has to approve each location but rest assured they want all they can get. The failure of a badge has little if anything to do with its dealer body, an under preforming dealer will fail on its own actions but an under preforming manufacturer causes the entire chain to fail and it fall's like domino's. The issue has little to do with the number of cars on the lot, inventory was driven by demand but what happened was reduced availability to credit and that was and is the underlying issue.

Will Chrysler fail? I am not sure but I think it is very possible that one of the big three will go down this year.

 

I agree with you, in our area we used to have lots of Dodge, Plymouth, and Chrysler dealerships. Many of them seemed to prey on the public with crappy service centers, shifty sales staff, and unnecessary dealer add-on's to pad the price of their vehicles. I'd rather have one or two GOOD dealerships in each metro area than numerous bad ones.

A big THANK YOU to this forum; I can fix most things myself and avoid trips back to the dealers.

 

Missed it by >< that much.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvKvP4r4i2o

I was watching Bonaza that night too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X5m4emm0OM

 

How did you ever find those commercials? The one I loved the most was a 1965 (maybe a 1966) Impala Sport Coupe (Fatsback) in pale yellow (actually like the Crossfire yellow). That car was gorgeous and like nothing I'd seen to that point in my life. Thanks for digging those up.

 

My Brother was the parts manager at the largest Chevy dealer in Akron back in 1965. I really liked the 65/66 Impalas too.
It's funny when you see them at car shows now, they're HUGE cars. But then everything was back then, and yet they still ran pretty good.
Actually I think the best cars to ever come out of Detroit were built from 1962 thru 1970....ahh good times.

 

I know how we can save the auto companies!
Stop investing in lame NASCAR and produce real cars and equipment to contend at Le mans or F1.
Ferrari, Porsche, Audi... (list goes on), they design and built for race and then engineer that for public sale. Much more advanced and everyone wants one of those elegant Euro cars. I know the big appeal for my X is that it is MB under the hood. I personally think the only good thing that Chrysler/Dodge made is their large diesel trucks. I hate to say it, since my father is a retired auto worker, but if the Americans don't stop making cookie cutter cars and pull their head out... we aren't going to have a American market