> The attempt by auto manufacturers to cut out the dealer would only result in higher prices and less customer service to the public,” he said. “The new car dealer is the customer’s advocate when it comes to warranty work and service on a manufacturer’s product, and this bill will protect that<p>So this is the reason given in the article, but what are good reasons, if any, to prevent direct-to-customer sales? I haven't bought a new car yet, but seems like every anecdotal story I get of people buying cars is always that their dealership tried to push every useless feature or additional warranty that they could.<p>Same goes for maintenance, I have had many more terrible experiences with dealerships than local garages as the former tends to have a more captive customer base whereas the local garage is incentivized to actually keep you satisfied or you'll just go elsewhere.
Isn't that welfare state with extra steps? Why don't you just increase taxes and deposit it into the dealership bank accounts? At least you will skip dealing with dealerships if you don't want to?<p>If there are other concerns(maybe availability of parts etc.), addressing those directly should be a better option, no
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Car dealerships are a major leech in our “society” the provide no valuable service. They take money from car buyers, nothing more.<p>Their service centers charge way over average for repairs as well.<p>There is no reason a car dealership needs to exist in 2023!
Florida has prohibited direct to consumer sales for over half a century with an especially stringent automobile dealer franchise law. The interesting point is the carve-out for Tesla.
The single greatest politically backward thing in America is how the republican party has positioned itself as a pro free market party by, as best as I can tell, often championing precisely the opposite.
The auto dealership lobby is one of the most powerful in America. It leans heavily Republican, and Republicans dutifully propose legislations which protect these wealthy -- but almost wholly unnecessary -- middlemen. Slate had an expose [1] recently about them that is very enlightening.<p>[1] <a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/05/rich-republicans-party-car-dealers-2024-desantis.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/05/rich-republicans...</a>
A unpopular view but… This is why overruling Lochner may not have been so great. We used to have “right to contract” and so the state couldn’t forbid me from purchasing an item that the seller wanted to sell me. But now it’s more like you get to participate in the economy only in the way that the legislature decides is acceptable.
I buy that dealerships are paying off state government officials as part of their lobbying efforts. Putting on my cynic hat, my question is, why aren't automakers? I mean, other than Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid, who presumably have no dealership footprint to protect. I know Ford also wants to sell direct-to-consumer, and I have no doubt they've got no ethical issue with lobbying politicians. So, why not shell out a few million?
Although dealerships suck I’m not convinced that direct-to-consumer auto sales won’t also have their own special brand of fuckery, and I’m not exactly sure which business model will be better in the long run. I see potential for abuse like never before.
My first thought was how does this sit with Elon, after promoting DeSantis for President, and after a history of being against these state laws that protect dealers? Of course, the law has a carve-out for Tesla…
As long as rich people can buy your politicians, America, your politicians will treat you with disdain.<p>This is not an isolated instance, this isn't even the most egregious.<p>Good luck changing it but...