Local Dealers

[MtnViewRanch]

I was wondering, how many of you have that dream dealer? You know, the dealer that brings out different tractors for you to try out at no charge, so you can really see what one you want. You buy a tractor from them and they throw in the 1st service with pickup and delivery. Tires filled at no charge if you want, whenever a FEL is purchased. They have lots of implements for you to look at, not just brochures. If you do have a problem with your machine, they bring out a loaner and get yours repaired and returned promptly.

Or is your dealer the one that sold you your tractor and is done with you? Anything else costs extra. Then there are those of you that buy from a long distance because of varying reasons knowing that you will have no service.

So which one are you and why did you choose your dealer?

Brian

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

I was wondering, how many of you have that dream dealer? You know, the dealer that brings out different tractors for you to try out at no charge, so you can really see what one you want. You buy a tractor from them and they throw in the 1st service with pickup and delivery. Tires filled at no charge if you want, whenever a FEL is purchased. They have lots of implements for you to look at, not just brochures. If you do have a problem with your machine, they bring out a loaner and get yours repaired and returned promptly.

and a question to go along with that... is anyone willing to pay what is costs to offer this level of service? or do you go to this dealer to make up your mind and then go buy somewhere else because they offer a lower price.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

My local Kubota/Cub Cadet dealer is a "dream" dealer. I bought several Cubs and 1 Kubota from him, plus implements. This dealer has been a fixture in our town forever, not a large dealership, but a good family dealer that does reasonable volume with a good size, fully equipped shop with several service techs, 2 guys in parts, and a little old lady who recognizes my voice on the phone when I call.

My local New Holland/Branson dealer is a "dream" dealer. I bought a NH and some implements from him. He mostly sells large agricultural equipment, he has a large fully equipped shop, can fabricate repairs in house if necessary, and also has a full hydraulics shop. Been in their town forever with a great reputation.

Heck the dealer I bought my Ventrac from is located 2 states away in central Wisconsin, he brought the Ventrac and implements down for a no-obligation test drive. When I wanted another implment for the Ventrac he shipped it to me on common carrier.

What I know is that I want a good price, but that the cheapest price is not always the best deal. I want to buy from someone who not only is willing to take care of my needs, but is also CAPABLE of taking care of my needs. I won't buy from a dealer who can't provide me a high level of service when I need it. I have several other dealerships nearby I will not buy from.

• One is a big 3 dealer, has a decent selection of CUTs out front, typically a dozen. Has a decent selection of implements. But he needs to send his sales staff to congeniality training, I've walked out of there because nobody would take the time to take my money.
• Another is a minor brand dealer, and a lawnmower shop. He has had the same 5 tractors on his lot since March of this year. Sitting in the same place. No implements. Not a particularly friendly guy either.
• Another is a minor brand dealer and a garden center. He sells flowers, trees, and decorations. Also has tractors, ZTRs, and lawnmowers. Not sure if he does service and repairs on tractors, but is willing to deliver mulch.
• Another minor brand dealer is a lawnmower shop. A large one. Added a brand of tractors last year. Not sure what type of diesel repair facilities he has but he has a lot of experience in small gas engines.

 

[rico304]

I have a dream dealer near me. My idea of a dream dealer is...When I call with questions they take the time to answer them. Even when they have nothing to do with buying anything from them. I called about finding a good price for a backhoe that was for sale on E Bay. The service guy took the time to tell me what % off it took to be considered a good deal. Another dealer said "it isn't worth buying a backhoe off ebay because by the time you pay us to put it on, you might as well have bought a new one."
I don't need them to bring me tractors. I just want a place to ask questions. (I should mention that I bought my tractor off a private party and not from the dealer) I will always use this dealer first because of their "service" that they offer.
That is a dream dealer for me.

 

[CDsdad]

and a question to go along with that... is anyone willing to pay what is costs to offer this level of service? or do you go to this dealer to make up your mind and then go buy somewhere else because they offer a lower price.

No, I bought from him, I paid his price, no discount. He did fill the tires at no cost and deliver. No 50 hr service, $50 discount on the implement I bought (whoooopee), and they will answer the phone if I call. BUT, I walk in the dealership and they look at me like "What you want?". So much for service after the sale. Hope warranty issues go smoothly.

 

[bill177]

I can't even get good sales service.

Went to the JD dealer again today - nope the sales guy wasn't there and nobody else can help. Date was made on the phone yesterday. That makes six times and the last time. I don't care that he is only a couple of miles down the road. If there is no interest in selling - there for sure won't be interest in service.

Monday I'll go buy a Massey Ferguson and have it done with. At least they act like they want my business. Also, as little tractors are only a small part of their business - major portion is heavy construction stuff - they will probably still be there in a few years.

For service, all I need is a parts counter. Except, that is, for warranty issues.

 

[3RRL]

I was wondering, how many of you have that dream dealer? .....
....Then there are those of you that buy from a long distance because of varying reasons knowing that you will have no service.

I bought my tractor long distance for varying reasons, thinking that I can work on it myself and just use the dealer to get parts under warranty or general service parts. Then when I tried to do that...no dice...no service...SOL...
So yes, I have that dream dealer too...a dealer from ****! It took some "persuasive" methods to get him to send me missing stuff that should have been included with the purchase.

 

[rozett]

I don't think the dream dealer really exists.
When I decided what CUT I wanted, I went to the local dealer. The Sales Mangler was barely interested in answering my questions and I had to twist his arm to give me a quote. I realize that only 5 or 10% of the walk-ins actually buy, so there is some reluctance to invest a lot of time. But I expected at least a few attention units. I never went back. Bought from a distant dealer and paid the shipping.

Now I live in Maine. The local CC dealer actually sells snowmobiles and ATVs. He has a few lawn tractors and four CUTs in the front lot. He rarely has parts in stock and the ones he orders for me take twice as long to arrive as he says. Fortunately, I rarely need parts. The local Kubota dealer is not much better. When I wander around his large selection of tractors and implements, no one ever comes out to meet me. When I ask for an implement price, all I get is MSRP. So most of my implements have been shipped up from NC.

 

[williekioti]

IMHO it's some where in between. Selling tractors is a business not entirely unlike other sales/service businesses. Both parties, buyer & seller/owner, must be satisfied with the transaction and subsequent service and sales for it to be a success. "Dream dealer"??? I guess it's one that will sell you the appropriate for your needs machine at a fair market price. Won't push you into buying something you don't need. Will be honest about the capabilities and reliability of the machine(s) your interested in. Will create a package "deal" for you of the machine of your choice and related toys, er implements and give good advise on the things you need or those you don't. Has an experienced service staff, with reasonable rates and is willing to back his product after the sale.

I think expecting a dealer to give you an extreme liquidation price on a machine, give you all sorts of freebies at sale and into the future, not charge for delivery while performing free service and generally giving you the shirt off his/her back to sell one unit is ridiculous. I think a fair price, honest answers and maybe an extra or two(whether it be a discount on an implement, no charge delivery, free 50 hour service, etc...) is reasonable to expect with the $$ being spent. The more you're willing to spend with a particular retailer the more freebies, extras, bling he/she can afford to offer. It is a business after all, if they aren't making a profit how long do you honestly expect them to be around to back up your investment. So unless you are completely, including all future parts needs, self-sufficient you are going to need service and/or support from your dealer at some future point.

I personally don't want to be hassled by an over-zealous commissioned sales person when just browsing a lot, but when it's time to talk turkey it's nice to have a knowledgeable, attentive sales guy/gal as well as talk to the owner if possible. I like dealing with family-owned or small, local businesses whenever possible. To me paying a few more $$ to deal with someone locally, who treats me well, who I'll likely run into many times and hopefully want to deal with again is priceless.

Just 2 cents from a recent tractor consumer. Good thread subject.

 

[rico304]

IMHO it's some where in between. Selling tractors is a business not entirely unlike other sales/service businesses. Both parties, buyer & seller/owner, must be satisfied with the transaction and subsequent service and sales for it to be a success. "Dream dealer"??? I guess it's one that will sell you the appropriate for your needs machine at a fair market price. Won't push you into buying something you don't need. Will be honest about the capabilities and reliability of the machine(s) your interested in. Will create a package "deal" for you of the machine of your choice and related toys, er implements and give good advise on the things you need or those you don't. Has an experienced service staff, with reasonable rates and is willing to back his product after the sale.

I think expecting a dealer to give you an extreme liquidation price on a machine, give you all sorts of freebies at sale and into the future, not charge for delivery while performing free service and generally giving you the shirt off his/her back to sell one unit is ridiculous. I think a fair price, honest answers and maybe an extra or two(whether it be a discount on an implement, no charge delivery, free 50 hour service, etc...) is reasonable to expect with the $$ being spent. The more you're willing to spend with a particular retailer the more freebies, extras, bling he/she can afford to offer. It is a business after all, if they aren't making a profit how long do you honestly expect them to be around to back up your investment. So unless you are completely, including all future parts needs, self-sufficient you are going to need service and/or support from your dealer at some future point.

I personally don't want to be hassled by an over-zealous commissioned sales person when just browsing a lot, but when it's time to talk turkey it's nice to have a knowledgeable, attentive sales guy/gal as well as talk to the owner if possible. I like dealing with family-owned or small, local businesses whenever possible. To me paying a few more $$ to deal with someone locally, who treats me well, who I'll likely run into many times and hopefully want to deal with again is priceless.

Just 2 cents from a recent tractor consumer. Good thread subject.

Well said!

 

[Donnyj]

My experience over a year ago was there was no "dream dealer" that I talked to. All of the dealers I talked to never called me back, including the dealer I bought from. The local NH/Kubota dealer here is very good with parts. My old Fords of the past were always taken care of. I even bought a used Ford 3000 from this dealer. All my parts came from them. Sometimes in stock, but never had to wait more than a day. There service labor rate was high, but they know what they are doing. I believe it is fair for the knowledge they have. Sales????? Well that was another story all together. Only have 2 salesman. Sometimes you would wait at least an hour. If it was Saturday, forget it. 12:00 pm rolls around closed the doors. I never did understand how they made so much money there. Big new building, rows and rows of tractors and equipment. I bought a tractor, attachments and parts. Never beat them up at all with the prices. When it come time to buy again, no help. I had to call them back just to get prices. Then when I did the prices were the lowest compared to other dealers of the same brand, but they were out of my budget. Plus they were jerks. Loss sale.

Now move to the dealer I bought from. He is the closest dealer to me. Around 50 miles. Not bad to me. I called him the very first time and asked if they were open on Saturday to come look at a DK40 he had on the lot. "I don't know about this Saturday." That is the response I got. I thought it was a joke. I asked why? " Opening day of trout season." He said I will have to call you back to let you know for sure. Friday evening comes and no phone call. So I start calling. Finally get a hold of someone. Someone with an attitude I might add. Long story short I bought from him 2 weeks later. Why? His price was rock bottom cheap. I figured only thing I would need him for is warranty issues. I now buy all my parts from a different Kioti dealer {Wallace Tractor}. To be fair I never contacted them when I was looking for a tractor. I did not know of them. Day after taking delivery of my tractor I noticed the direction arrows on the rear tires was backwords but the tread was in the correct direction. I called my selling dealer to ask him about it. His response " I suggest if you have a jack to jack it up and swap the tires around yourself." I never once tried to get the price of the tractor and attachments down. I paid what he asked for it. The rear tires are not on wrong, they are just maked wrong from Titan. That is all I wanted to talk to him about. I never once complained.

Now the dealer I use now {Wallace Tractor} gets all of my business. I try to help them out with additional business if I can. If I need to buy anything I will make that 3 to 4 hour trip. No doubt about it. Parts are always shipped to me fast. I wish I knew of them when I bought my tractor. I feel very confident that WALLACE TRACTOR would fit my definition as a "dream dealer". Not trying to advertise here, just believe when someone does something right they should be recognized.

I found that every dealer I talked to did not have a clue how to deal with the public. I guess sales must come easy for them. Most of there business is the large farm equiment. A simple phone call goes very far to making a deal. Just pick the phone up and call. No, you are not going to sell every time you call. Thats part of the business. They chose there line of work and all that is involved with it. Basically, do your job!

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Here are some of my experiences while shopping for my utility tractor. First went to the Massey - Cub dealer. Told him what I was looking for and he said that they never got anything that big in. That I should look at a Kubota or New Holland. Ok, I go and look at the Kubota - New Holland dealer.

When I am at the Kubota - New Holland dealership, I start to look at the New Hollands and a salesman comes out to help me. Asks if he can help me and I say that I want to look at some New Hollands. He says "you don't want a New Holland, they're nothing but problems". What? "You want a Kubota, they are better and cheaper." This from a New Holland salesman. Ok, I want this size I tell him. We don't stock anything that big, we would have to order one in. Great no Kubotas to look at and the guy does not want to sell me a New Holland. I just left.

So now I go to the John Deere dealer, well not one tractor to look at, zero, nadda. I go inside and wait what seems like forever before somebody helps me. Finally a guy asks what I want and I tell him. He says to wait a minute, he goes and gets a price and tells me. Well my jaw must have hit the floor. He said "come back when you're ready to buy and we'll find you a used one".

Now I end up at the Mahindra dealer looking at the biggest thing he has, ask him a few questions and go on my way.

I check back with all these guys off and on over the next few months. What I found was a bunch of people that were not very knowledgeable and would not budge from their high prices.

After giving up on my local dealers I turn to the internet, find TBN, buy Mohammed's on line book (which is great by the way) do lots of research and make a purchase.

While reading on TBN about some of the things that your dealers do for you guys, I think "What world are these guys from" because it sure was not like that for me when I was looking.

I ended up spending over 40k on my tractor and implements and another 10k on more implements since I got my 7520 Mahindra. I found a construction repair place that sells implements but no tractors. They get all of my business. Maybe one of my local dealers would have treated me better if I had spent that money with them, but I doubt it and they sure didn't try very hard.

I never tried to grind any of the dealers down on there prices. Just asked for the best price that they could give me. I don't want anything for nothing. If I think it's fair then I go with it. But I don't expect list price. I've been in business for myself going on 32 years now and I now what it's like to get hammered on and it's no fun. I give out the best price that I can live with and don't change it. Maybe that is what my local dealers did for me. I just could not live with their prices and attitudes.

My neighbor spent over 50k at the Kubota - New Holland dealer that I had gone to. Said that they were great to work with all the way up to the point where he gave them the check. (no financing) Then it was all down hill from there. Needless to say, he is not a happy camper with his local dealer.

Just some of my experiences.

Brian

 

[390GT]

There's the old expression about first impressions. I have found it to be true most of the time. My dealer is great to work with. Has gone above and beyond IMO. Family owned and operated for over 40 yrs. That speaks for itself. Greg

 

[ToddW]

I started out looking at a TC30 at a dealer about 5 miles from my house. He quoted me higher than MSRP and wouldn't budge. I then went to a JD dealer about 20 miles from my house to look at a 790. He didn't have one in stock but said he had some coming in that week (this was in April of 2006), I'm still waiting for him to call me as he promised. Then on a friends recommendation I went to a Kubota dealer about 10 miles away. What a difference! I ended up with a great deal on a L2800 HST with a FEL and Woods bush hog. The salesmen were all busy when I got there and the owner came out of his office and helped me. He called me back the following day to see if I had any questions. When I purchased from him the following month he didn't even ask me for a deposit. He delivered it the following Saturday in spite of the fact that they are not open on weekends. He was actually on his way to go fishing but spent about 2 hours explaining the machine to me. He has called me a few times to see if I had any problems or questions with the tractor. The 50 hour service will be labor only, the fluids and filters are free. I've gone back to the dealer since then for some chainsaw parts and new chaps and the guy at the parts counter knew me by name. When I mentioned to the owner that I was going to be purchasing a chipper he offered his loading dock for the delivery. This dealer will get all my business in the future.

/Todd

 

[rback33]

I started out looking at a TC30 at a dealer about 5 miles from my house. He quoted me higher than MSRP and wouldn't budge. I then went to a JD dealer about 20 miles from my house to look at a 790. He didn't have one in stock but said he had some coming in that week (this was in April of 2006), I'm still waiting for him to call me as he promised. Then on a friends recommendation I went to a Kubota dealer about 10 miles away. What a difference! I ended up with a great deal on a L2800 HST with a FEL and Woods bush hog. The salesmen were all busy when I got there and the owner came out of his office and helped me. He called me back the following day to see if I had any questions. When I purchased from him the following month he didn't even ask me for a deposit. He delivered it the following Saturday in spite of the fact that they are not open on weekends. He was actually on his way to go fishing but spent about 2 hours explaining the machine to me. He has called me a few times to see if I had any problems or questions with the tractor. The 50 hour service will be labor only, the fluids and filters are free. I've gone back to the dealer since then for some chainsaw parts and new chaps and the guy at the parts counter knew me by name. When I mentioned to the owner that I was going to be purchasing a chipper he offered his loading dock for the delivery. This dealer will get all my business in the future.

/Todd

You have found yourself a gem of a dealer. Too bad they aren't all like that... on the other hand, the fact that they aren't made it EASY to decide where to buy...

 

[schmism]

The dealer ive visted twice in my area is kinda bone head.

The sales side sucks, but the service side is ok.

the sales side is run by a kid no older than me with a last name same as the one on the dealer sign (ie dadies boy) who feels entitled to get every last cent out of a deal as possible.

Hes got LOADS of used stuff out rusting away but refuses to "deal" on any of the stuff.... i dont understand why...

bought my tractor from a dealer 250 miles south because he was willing to work a deal on a piece of equip he had sitting around for a couple of months. ie he understood you make no money just having equp sit on the lot....

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I was wondering today about population. Does population of a surrounding area have anything to do with how our dealers treat us? If the population is large, the dealer figures he/she doesn't have to cater to us costumers, because someone else will come in later anyway. Sort of a take it or leave it attitude. Curious if any of you feel this way?

Brian

 

[CDsdad]

I've wondered about population, too. The county I live in has about 20,000 folks. Down around Hattiesburg the population of the 2 counties I think is close to 200k. Adjacent county to us has about 40k. My hometown dealer is not overly friendly, but neither are some of the guys in the bigger places. If I had it to do over I may have dealt with one particular dealer in a different town. The rest are about the same as who I dealt with.