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Gov. DeSantis signs bill banning most direct-to-consumer auto sales

floridapolitics.com

41–50 of 154 posts

Re: Gov. DeSantis signs bill banning most direct-to-consumer auto sales

#41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So are other new automakers: > The change confirms newer manufacturers like Tesla, Rivian and Lucid are authorized to hold a franchise dealer license for direct sales of EVs if they are not otherwise prohibited under federal law. That carve-out apparently does not extend to traditional manufacturers such as GM, Ford, Honda and Toyota, all of which now make battery-powered cars. It's basically a protection racket for…

If I'm not mistaken, the Ford Lightning EV pickup truck has only been available through direct sales online ordering.

You're mistaken. It still has to go through a dealership even though it's ordered online.

Re: Gov. DeSantis signs bill banning most direct-to-consumer auto sales

#42
post #17

> 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 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…

> So this is the reason given in the article, but what are good reasons, if any, to prevent direct-to-customer sales?

because cars require service, someone needs to do that service, be trained and have master techs on that service. How do you handle lemon laws without dealerships?

Just look at the nightmare tesla has been for owners with years of bad repairs, delays, etc.

OEMs provide a bunch of stuff that is adhoc to making new crs like long life spans for part productions, having dealerships service recalls, and so on. there's a lot of non-new-sale-stuff that is done

Re: Gov. DeSantis signs bill banning most direct-to-consumer auto sales

#43
post #17

> 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 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…

Use just a little bit more cynicism and the actual reasoning becomes clear.

Car dealership owners are one of the most reliable Republican constituencies. They make outrageous amounts of money through government-mandated rent-seeking and donate to Republican candidates 6-to-1. What we see here is nothing more than a quid-pro-quo, a handout to the dealership owners in exchange for their loyal monetary support over the years.

So yes, it's not about protecting the consumer. Dealerships are of course actually terrible, as everyone knows. This is about protecting the dealership owners.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/05/rich-republicans...

Re: Gov. DeSantis signs bill banning most direct-to-consumer auto sales

#44
post #17

> 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 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…

It's complete bullshit. I despise both car dealerships and realtors. They exist to service themselves.

Re: Gov. DeSantis signs bill banning most direct-to-consumer auto sales

#45
post #17

> 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 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…

They're called "stealerships" for a reason.

Actually several reasons and overpriced, excessive, or unnecessary maintenance is one of them

The reason dealerships are surprisingly powerful politically is they are usually family owned and operated so they have much wider discretion over political donations and/or bribes.

Re: Gov. DeSantis signs bill banning most direct-to-consumer auto sales

#46

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.

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Re: Gov. DeSantis signs bill banning most direct-to-consumer auto sales

#47
Car dealerships are a major leech in our “society” the provide no valuable service. They take money from car buyers, nothing more.

Their service centers charge way over average for repairs as well.

There is no reason a car dealership needs to exist in 2023!

Re: Gov. DeSantis signs bill banning most direct-to-consumer auto sales

#49

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Florida is overall one of the best run states in the country. The public pensions are largely pre-funded and there's no state income tax. The biggest issue is the property insurance marketplace. https://equable.org/pension-plan-funded-ratio-rankings-2022/

You're measuring success by spreadsheets, not quality of life. As a Florida resident for half a decade, the state is a dumpster fire. It is designed as a place for the very wealthy to live well at the expense of everyone else (with the tax framework built to be regressive vs progressive).

~26% of Florida drivers carry no auto insurance (raising prices for everyone else). Property insurance market is collapsing due to roofing fraud and climate change risk repricing. If you have kids, public school is not an option due to quality. Pedestrian deaths are higher than the national average. Despite transparency laws, there is still substantial corruption and nepotism in government. Electric rate increases exceed other areas due to primarily investor owned utilities regulatory capture and their heavy reliance on natural gas fired generation. There is an extreme shortage of healthcare workers and teachers currently (construction and agriculture aren't far behind due to recent legislation). The people of Florida elected Rick Scott for governor twice. Before he ran for governor, he was CEO of Columbia/HCA. The company presided over the biggest Medicare fraud in history, and the company had to pay a $1.7 billion fine. Rick Scott claimed he didn’t know anything about this fraud, but he had to plead the fifth ~75 times during the investigation. Rick Scott is now a Florida senator. You can also carry a concealed weapon with no concealed carry permit as of July 1st. There is an affordable housing crisis, with Florida ranking third for homelessness.

But yes, warm weather and no state income tax.

(I can provide citations for all of my assertions above but won't pollute the thread unnecessarily)

Re: Gov. DeSantis signs bill banning most direct-to-consumer auto sales

#50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So are other new automakers: > The change confirms newer manufacturers like Tesla, Rivian and Lucid are authorized to hold a franchise dealer license for direct sales of EVs if they are not otherwise prohibited under federal law. That carve-out apparently does not extend to traditional manufacturers such as GM, Ford, Honda and Toyota, all of which now make battery-powered cars. It's basically a protection racket for…

If I'm not mistaken, the Ford Lightning EV pickup truck has only been available through direct sales online ordering.

https://www.kbb.com/car-news/ford-warns-dealers-buyers-to-av...

Dealers are in the loop

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