European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 2, 1981, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes february prospective buyers Ore suffering from the Cost of cars today is a major somatic Power steering and subject whenever the automobile scene is Power the automatic steering and j at m r 1 a cart f p it Ash Shock and As the new York times article opposite this column Points out Small car prices Are climbing to nearly equal those of big the Cost of Small cars comes As a Jolt to most prospective american buyers be cause weve been brought up on the Auto motive principal that bigger is the thinking goes that Small cars should Cost much the advertising which did such a Good Job of Selling the bigger is better now faces an extremely Tough task convincing us that options and sell the car on a less is this Job is especially de seems what you get coming in at such necessary by Power stuff considered As most americans if Detroit could include these options in the base sticker then the new generation of Small american cars would at least stand a Chance in a fair fight with their japanese after the japanese include the options in their Price which is no longer so so Why dont we learn from these Guys and do the same in other get rid of the ridiculous or whatever base include the what you the following written by John room to bargain with when the Holusha of the new York deals discount was As High As 25 percent As it with current prices and the car buying was on big Cadillac and Lincoln models situation in the United if youre not too Long a Salesman could slash returning to the in the near future off a Price and still make a tidy and planning to buy a car youll find the article not Only but helpful As manding when less1 a High Price although people think a Small car should be much cheaper than its larger counterpart Ford escort Ford for it just Doest work out that Why not primarily because of labor after it takes just As Long for an Assembly line Workman to hang four doors on a Small car As it docs for him to hang four doors on a Large the same with mounting rims and Small cars have four on an Assembly its All the same to the who spends As much Lime lifting the trunk on a Small car As he does on a Large the trunk is lifted so that the next Guy can drop in the spare and for the Guy who docs the spare tire its All the same to while it docs take More steel to build a Large it still Doest take All that much the same goes for or the material that goes to make up a wheel americans still feel that a smaller car should Cost and some of the showroom Shock mentioned in the new York times article could be eliminated if Detroit would Knock off the of Tio loaded Small car and meet the Japa Nese Headon Price Wise with Only the necessary options included in the base sticker Price necessary options being rear window rear a new York not Many prospective buyers Are suffering from what Mark a Buick dealer Calls showroom the average age of cars on the Road today is somewhere Between four and four what you and a half he so there Are a the japanese have been doing this sue lot of people who Haven looked at prices pcs fully for and it seems that our in quite a they come in Here with a car that Cost them in and they expect to pay now for a new the Shock comes when they find it costs the average sales Price of a typically equipped car sold in the United states averaging import and Domestic models together was at the end of the 1980 Model according to the com Merce for Domestic manufacturers the average Price was close to most Domestic manufacturers have Al ready increased their prices on the 1981 with More increases Likely if re marketing experts would have taken the hint by Aid for Leyland looking at other automotive the British government has approved Bil lion in emergency Aid Over the next two years for British the Long ailing stat owned automating Industry Secretary sir Keith Joseph told the House of commons that British Ley land would receive billion in 19812 million in the German Daimler Benz makers of Mercedes meanwhile reports that at a time of generally declining Auto Daimler Benz again increased its sales 10 percent Over 1979 to reach about 30 billion Marks billion in Gerhard the firms general manag with discounts in the 12 to 16 percent Range on smaller cars salesmen Are under orders to sell at sticker Price on the most popular models and As close to it As possible on we Are really trying to sell Che vettes and Monas at said George who owns a Chevrolet Dealership in Irvin is also president of the National association of automobile dealers in general complain that smaller discounts reduce their and Irvin said he expected salesmen to press the Sale of dealer installed options such As custom undercoating and special finish the consumer is Likely to be exposed to More aggressive sales Irvin uniform discount is goal some top executives of the automobile companies say the ultimate goal is uniform discount on All a practice Fol Lowed by most the big Gap de Industry observers when de troit brought out Small cars to fight inexpensive and discounts were with More increases Likely it re to keep prices As Low As cent practices Are the result is that Small cars have become the that an average general motors new car costs More than a 1980 Model and the prices of the 1980s were raised several 1 i i Lii i ii 111 inc i ices vol in Vij Vav vow said in a press release that introduction times during the Model both in Germany and abroad of the Jne importers Haven been slow in Rais luxurious s class vehicles bearing the three pointed Star was one of the outstand ing events of the business Competition on the German Auto mar Ket has considerably increased during a from 23 percent in 1979 to 26 percent of the local Auto Market in the gain was almost exclusively achieved by japanese he now that Small cars have become the most popular models that the Domestic Industry and their prices Are climbing to nearly equal those of bigger a com Mon discount is easier to dealers seem to one new York area car dealer said Back when there was a four or five percentage Point spread in we could Knock a thousand dollars off some models but Only a few ing their prices the for hiking the Price on its 1981 an average of that a percent increase Over the Cost to car buyers also climbed last people getting the time of decreased Prinz said year when the Domestic automobile com discounts complained that it was adding that the share of imports increased panties quietly shrunk their dealer Dis y counts on Many the discount is the difference Between the Price that dealers almost All of them Independent businessmen pay the factory for cars and the suggested retail a smaller discount Means salesmen have less Randy Barnett Fords Mclaren Mustang the Mclaren a Small Dis Cobo the concept car is powered dam direct air to both front brakes and placement to Jet car Drew a lot of at by Fords turbocharged through the functional waste Gate sit dive exhibit Dur a major feature of the Mustangs design the car is equipped with special no the recent Detroit Auto show in is that the flared fenders and front air tires and Shock a buyer who is aware of the discount knows what the dealer paid for a car and is usually in a Strong bargaining the exception is with very popular such As general motors x cars and some japanese when there is a Strong dealers tend to Jack up the sometimes Over the manufacturers suggested usually by loading the cars with optional equipment and other since most prospective buyers already have a the Trade in complicates the the simplest Way to keep track of Buick dealer Herman is to focus on the net Cost of the new with no net equals list Price minus he with a it is net equals list Price minus discount and Trade in make it up somewhere else holding out for a very High Trade in Price usually Means the discount on the new car will be trimmed to give the dealer the profit he Herman one Way to determine what a Trade in is Worth is to consult one of the published guides to use car Many car insurance libraries and financial institutions that make car Loans keep them on manufacturers now build All of their cars to dealer and demand to be paid shortly after the car is like go to Banks for Auto Loans to pay the at today High interest keeping a car sitting on a lot can Cost from to a month in finance charges adding to the incentive to make a since financing is usually an important part of a Cost of a consumer advisers recommend shopping for the loan As care fully As for the car