For Those Who Buy "Elsewhere"

[gltrap54]

Just curious about members that have elected to buy their tractor from a dealer that isn't local. What has been your experience when taking your tractor to your local dealer for warranty work or perhaps even repair/service after the warranty expires. I'm sure Kubota has hard fast rules for dealers to live by, but I'm not sure my local dealer would be receptive to an outside sale.......

 

[bp fick]

Others here have mentioned that an Extended Warranty dealer will service your machine, it just may be slotted behind the work from his "regular" customers.

As for how different dealers can be from another, I hadn't experienced that until this past week. I asked for quotes on a FEL. Simply request. No different than buying parts in my mind. Just a big, expensive part, that's all.

Some dealers didn't really respond. Another gave me an email lecture about having to pay list from him because I didn't buy the tractor from him. Geeesh. What difference could that possibly make?

The dealer I did buy it never asked where I bought the tractor and treated me like a king. Seemed like they were more concerned about the present sale and making a future looking relationship. Got 15-20% off list, give or take. And a hat!! So, guess where I am buying my next tractor and next case of oil and next filter set and next implement and next .....

A good parts and service department builds future new sales. It's as simple as that. Some dealers get that and perhaps others don't.

 

[LBrown59]

Just curious about members that have elected to buy their tractor from a dealer that isn't local. What has been your experience when taking your tractor to your local dealer for warranty work or perhaps even repair/service after the warranty expires. I'm sure Kubota has hard fast rules for dealers to live by, but I'm not sure my local dealer would be receptive to an outside sale.......

I bought my first BX 60 miles from here in WV.
I gout my lst 2 In KY.
None of the 3 have never been to any dealer .

 

[gltrap54]

I'm the type of guy that tends to hang on to my tractors & I'm not much of a mechanic beyond routine maintenance , so I fully realize the importance of a dealer having a good service department. I'd also like to think their service manager is a bit more flexible if he knows you've been a repeat customer. I live two miles from my dealer, so convenience factors in also. Sometimes the cheapest bid isn't always the best.........

 

[Ductape]

My opinion is....... if we are talking about hundreds of dollars, i'd buy local. Thousands, I'd buy far away.

 

[MerkurRS]

I just went through this too.
I first priced at my local dealer as the benchmark. It was there that I got to see the BX1860 first hand too. checked Barlows (best price by $1000). I checked closer dealers and they were all the same as Mr. Local. Unfortunately Barlows is 11 hours away, that translates into almost $400 in fuel and a looong weekend to go get it. I was honest with the local dealer and he did his best to match the price, dropping a lot, but still a grand apart. He did mention free delivery and if they pick up for service/ warranty work they do not charge a fee when most do.
I thought about service and parts and in the long run, it wasn't worth the $600 difference, so I bought local.
I hope this helps.

Oh by the way, I think that I may get his business in return!

 

[07 LMM LTZ]

I know a lot of people buy from dealers no where close to where they live but my local dealer I can't say enough about. When it came down to it they were about $1100 more expensive that some of the internet dealers but it sure is nice for me to know they are right there for you. They did my first service included in the price of the tractor. Any time I have had any questions about something they go out of there way to help you out. I believe it is just a matter of how your local dealer operates. Some great and some not so great, just the luck of the draw for the area that one lives in JMHO.

 

[mrennie]

I think it depends alot on whether or not you plan to do your own maintenance or repair work and how much you'll have to rely on the local dealer if you buy from someone else. I do all my own work so the only advantage to having a local dealer is getting parts (and my closest dealer is an hour away).

The local dealer wasn't helpful when I was looking for a used TLB. He started out by telling me that wasn't what I wanted, and that I should buy a B3030 and add a loader and backhoe instead. (Of course, he had a new B3030 he wanted to move).

When I told him I was really looking for a TLB like a B21 (couldn't afford a B26), he went on to tell me how I didn't need one, I had no legitimate use for one since I wasn't a contractor, hydraulics worked too fast for a homeowner to get used to, overkill for anyone other than a business, etc., then when I wouldn't agree with him he switched tactics and tried to sell me a new B26.

When I explained I couldn't afford a B26 (I had set a budget and didn't want to exceed it), he tried to convince me that the total price wasn't really important, as long as I could make the monthly payments. Wouldn't even tell me what the total cost for the B26 was, just kept telling me the monthly payment amount. Finally after much discussion he tells me the cost, and I laugh since it is $12,000 more than what I told him I was willing to spend. Needless to say I hung up and kept looking.

I ended up finding a dealer in the US selling a demo B26 with 25 hours on it at an awesome price. By the time the deal was finalized, I ended up buying a set of filters for the 50 hour service, a Kubota service manual, bolt on cutting edge for the front bucket, hydraulic thumb for the backhoe, and a block heater and horn kit. When I picked it up he gave me and my buddy some Kubota hats, an extra spare key, and a few pens.

Even after calculating the exchange rate (I live in Canada), I figure I saved $14,000 (yes, 3 zeros) over a new similar machine from the local dealer. Even though it was a 14 hour drive each way to pick it up, I am much further ahead and bascially have a new machine, at a price I was willing to pay.

The job of the salesman/dealer should be to help you find what you want, not to simply push what they have with no regards for whether or not it meets your needs. If they don't have what you want, they should at least have the foresight to try to create a relationship with you so you will come back for any future attachment or accessories. The arrogance and stupidity of my local dealer in trying to tell me I didn't know what I wanted just served to ensure I will NEVER buy anything from them other than parts and oil (and if I can buy from another dealer instead, I will). Their loss!

 

[radioman]

The dealer I did buy it never asked where I bought the tractor and treated me like a king. Seemed like they were more concerned about the present sale and making a future looking relationship. Got 15-20% off list, give or take. And a hat!! So, guess where I am buying my next tractor and next case of oil and next filter set and next implement and next .....

A good parts and service department builds future new sales. It's as simple as that. Some dealers get that and perhaps others don't.[/QUOTE]

I agree!!!! This is why these dealers last a long time. This is the reason why I walked out the door from a tractor dealer of a different color that was only less then 10 mins from me. If they don't want to take the time to talk to me about my needs and wants- I'm out the door and leave them hanging!! ( and I have done that :confused3

 

[gltrap54]

I know a lot of people buy from dealers no where close to where they live but my local dealer I can't say enough about. When it came down to it they were about $1100 more expensive that some of the internet dealers but it sure is nice for me to know they are right there for you. They did my first service included in the price of the tractor. Any time I have had any questions about something they go out of there way to help you out. I believe it is just a matter of how your local dealer operates. Some great and some not so great, just the luck of the draw for the area that one lives in JMHO.

This pretty much reflects my position on this matter........ My local dealer,where I recently purchased my B3200, was around a $1,000 higher than other distant dealers, but I feel it's money well spent. The fact that my dealer has 8-10 locations in the state assures me they'll be around for the foreseeable future.

 

[brain55]

When I was working at the first Kubota dealer I worked at 23 years ago, there was another dealer about an hour away that would sell tractors at his cost. My boss could not and would not compete with that. He would do the best that he could and believe me, when I say he could sell ice cubes to Eskimoes. Nothing would piss him off more than a customer buying a machine at the other dealer and then expect us to do the warranty work like they had bought it from us. Dealers don't make money on warranty work, Kubota's flat rate for warranty is lame, plus it practically took another hour to properly fill out the forms.

Brian

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I find it strange that several here say they got a good deal, how nice the dealer is and will buy from again but won't share the name of the dealer with their fellow TBNers. I've already heard the identity theft reasoning so I don't need/want to hear that one again.

 

[gltrap54]

When I was working at the first Kubota dealer I worked at 23 years ago, there was another dealer about an hour away that would sell tractors at his cost. My boss could not and would not compete with that. He would do the best that he could and believe me, when I say he could sell ice cubes to Eskimoes. Nothing would piss him off more than a customer buying a machine at the other dealer and then expect us to do the warranty work like they had bought it from us. Dealers don't make money on warranty work, Kubota's flat rate for warranty is lame, plus it practically took another hour to properly fill out the forms.

Brian

The above mentioned issues are the main reason I bought local. Everyone's situation is different, but I'm pretty much at my dealer's mercy when it comes to parts /service both during and especially after the warranty expires. Ya have to weigh the savings vs the relationship with your local dealer.

 

[gltrap54]

I find it strange that several here say they got a good deal, how nice the dealer is and will buy from again but won't share the name of the dealer with their fellow TBNers. I've already heard the identity theft reasoning so I don't need/want to hear that one again.

I'd be happy to plug my local dealer here on TBN, but being a newbie I wasn't sure if they had to be a supporting vendor to be mentioned.

 

[Danilo]

I am at this moment considering buying from a far far away dealer. My local dealer wants me to buy a BX2360 over a BX1860. He does not have a BX1860 in stock and three BX2360's. I have purchased from him in the past as well. Long story short, My local dealer assumed I would but from him and was shall we say not happy when I showed him the other quote from the internet. He actually walked away. So we had some words and I told him i was just showing him what the other guy was doing. Well, he was about a grand off, but when you look at the fact I will order what I really need, The difference is more like $2700. That is a lot in my thought so I have decided if I buy the 1860 it will be from out of town. If I decide on the 2360 I will give my local dealer one last go.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I'd be happy to plug my local dealer here on TBN, but being a newbie I wasn't sure if they had to be a supporting vendor to be mentioned.

We're all here to learn. If you got a good dealer and a good deal, share it. Truth doesn't have to be paid for.

 

[Royboy]

I think it always makes sense to buy as local as you can. That does not mean that I think anyone should pay an unfair price or accept lesser service, etc... in order to buy locally. However my view is that if I am buying something I plan to keep for a long time, something that will need service from time to time, then I am willing to pay a little more for the convenience of doing business locally. Plus, my local dealer hires and pays the people in my community from high school kids to full time workers. There is more to the picture than just the price and the product to me. If my local dealer is close in price and provides reliable service with a good reputation they can count on me for my support.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I think it always makes sense to buy as local as you can. That does not mean that I think anyone should pay an unfair price or accept lesser service, etc... in order to buy locally. However my view is that if I am buying something I plan to keep for a long time, something that will need service from time to time, then I am willing to pay a little more for the convenience of doing business locally. Plus, my local dealer hires and pays the people in my community from high school kids to full time workers. There is more to the picture than just the price and the product to me. If my local dealer is close in price and provides reliable service with a good reputation they can count on me for my support.

Don't see how or why anyone would/could disagree with this. But, and it's a big but, What is an unfair price? What is lesser service? What is etc? What or how much is a little more? What or how much is close? What or how much is close without reliable service? What or how much is close and with reliable service? Also what's close and reliable service and a good reputation worth in my or your dollars? Seems like alot of hedging to me. I happen to buy local and have for 10 times because my local dealer has the best prices, good service and a good national and local reputation. He can count on me for my support. He can even count on me to come pick him up in an adjoining town if his truck breaks down, if his wife won't but she did but I still would have went and got him.

 

[3BPercherons]

Don't see how or why anyone would/could disagree with this. But, and it's a big but, What is an unfair price? What is lesser service? What is etc? What or how much is a little more? What or how much is close? What or how much is close without reliable service? What or how much is close and with reliable service? Also what's close and reliable service and a good reputation worth in my or your dollars? Seems like alot of hedging to me. I happen to buy local and have for 10 times because my local dealer has the best prices, good service and a good national and local reputation. He can count on me for my support. He can even count on me to come pick him up in an adjoining town if his truck breaks down, if his wife won't but she did but I still would have went and got him.

Do you deal with Lawson or Barlow?