Why GM lost a sale for 2007

[rwalth]

Most of you are to young to know this but back in the 70S and early 80S, the Big Three were criticized for offering their vehicles with TO MANY options and configurations. The long list of options and configurations were causing huge quality control problems in the factories as well as to much money tied up in parts inventory.

[fp115]

I highly suggest you have a talk with your dealer a little more deeply. If he can't do it ask him a number to make custom orders. It happens with a few clients that want options from another trim. The only difference is you end up paying for it.

Originally Posted by Explorer4x4

Same thing, but the Avalanche is bigger. Both are offroad inspired, SUV-based, four door sport utility trucks.

Pretty dense aren't you? Its like saying the Saturn Sky is the same as a Ferrari F430. Learn your cars, leave Ford out of at least half your posts, or go back to your beloved BlueOvalForums.

[pgill00]

Originally Posted by shadams

I was about to call , but I asked my Sales Mgr and turns out you can. Sweet, never heard of that.

I have been trying to convince our GM for a couple of weeks to custom design a color and vehicle package for our store. I have not come up with a good color to pick and what vehicle to go with but I am digging the Jay-Z Blue on the Denali he designed.

[BusyBody]

Don't buy the Tundra. Its an inferior product to the Silveradoo.

[HoosierRon]

So you want the off road suspension with the maximum towing package? Be sure to take a picture when you are using those.

As for the "Not a huge deal, but why is it that the larger air filter is only an option w/ the Z71 package? ", if you have to ask, you don't need it.

[chakis24]

y not get something as close as u can get, but then have things switched at the dealer? order ur truck then have the gears changed. have the z-71 stuff added (which is mostly just shocks and skidplates- nothing u cant get aftermarket). it might even work out cheaper in the end?

ex. get the vortecmax with the max towing package. and then throw in some new shocks and skid plates. u can sell the old shocks for a couple bucks. or if u get the ltz with 20's, sell the 20's and the tires and buy some nice 17's with some good tires (cause the stock tires are usually horrible anyway)

[lmychajluk]

Have you guys had luck getting a dealer to change options? Most dealers I've talked to don't seem to be willing to do that. I can see where they're coming from with something like the 4.10s, which are a $100 factory option, but seem to be a $1,500-$2k dollar job to swap out, but they don't even seem to want to swap something simple like wheels, let alone interior trim (aluminum vs. 'wood') and/or guage clusters.

In light of some of the responses, I'm giving the '07s another go and have been searching local dealer's inventories again. I think I've found a non-z71 truck that I can live with in my original color choice (Deep Blue). It's an LTZ, but I think I can get at least $1,200 for the 20" wheels/tires, which would pay for the better part of a new set, and the 5.3L Avy w/ the 4.10s should be fine for the occasional towing I would need it for. I've also found an aftermarket lift kit w/ skid plates, the price of which is more palatable with current incentives & offers on the '07s. I think I will still hold out another week or two for the '08 announcements, but I guess there are options out there if I really look.

Oh, and in reply to rwalth's post regarding the options available in the 70s - keep in mind that back then, the dealer was pretty much the only source of information on a new car. With the advent of the internet, people have access to alot more information, and it's alot easier to present that information to the buyer, such as the car configurators that many manufacturers have on thier web sites. Combine that with computerized manufacturing and inventory systems, I don't see why it wouldn't be possible for the manufactures to open up the option lists a little more these days. Just my opinion...

[member12]

The Z71 avalanches are pretty nice, but I personally can't stand the front end of the non-Z71 Tahoes and Avlanches and wouldn't pay that kind of money for a truck unless it was equipped and styled in a manner that I can live with. Good luck with your purchase. I'd say to hell with it and look at another truck, but that's me. The non-Z71 avalance looks too much like a wannabe Escalade with it's plastic bumper covers, (that don't shine as much as the sheetmetal parts), high sticker price, pointless 20" wheels, and super low front end. That is a rebadge and nothing more. Two trucks with the same personality, only one is a budget version and the other comes with more engine. I totally understand why previous generation Avalance fans are upset.

They should make every Avalance look more rugged looking...let the guys who want the dubs buy the Escalade. That's what they really want anyway.

I have found that GM dealers dont' even try to sell some models....it's like they have too much control over their inventories or something.

Every single car on the lot is equipped almost exactly the same. I noticed this when my parents were looking at 2005 Trailblazers. Every single truck was an LS 2wd. They bought the first one they saw that wasn't an LS 2wd truck.

We could find no regular wheelbase with leather seats, so they ended up getting an LT with cloth seats, yet somehow it still stickered for 32K. Despite this, the only options that it has that my 2002 LS doesn't have standard are foglights, 17" wheels, onstar, and power seats (none of which they really needed). Their LT doesn't have the cassette/CD combo, locking differential, 4wd, nor side airbags that my LS model has (all for a $29K sticker). If they didn't have the employee discount, they would have driven to the toyota dealer across the street and gotten the exact 4runner they wanted.

It's frustrating. On one had they want to sell more, but they offer nothing to shop around with. They take the best selling models and dump them on the lot, then try to overprice option packages in hopes that no one will notice. When shopping with GM, always check what the next trim level will get you...chances are, it's packed with gimmicky options that are simply not worth the price. Options you do want are not available, not in stock, or not in the color combo that you want (for what reason are Z71 Avalanches only in certain colors?).

go to the Toyota dealership and you can find at least two examples of every trim level that is pretty close to what you are looking for.

I think this is one reason Toyota is growing so rapidly. They have fewer dealerships that stock more variations of models/trims etc. where the Chevy dealers stock the same trim over and over again (except for Silverados). If they have the upper trim level, they probably only have the one to look at, and more than likely it is on the showroom floor where you can't test drive it.

Oh well...just a long rant.

[HoeyHimself]

You think you got it bad?...there are people stuck in Toyotas, they have things to actually complain about!

[TahoeMikeZ71]

Originally Posted by member12

(for what reason are Z71 Avalanches only in certain colors?).

The GMT800/GMT900 Tahoe and Suburban Z71's are like that too.

[1G6]

I agree 100%. I like to order my cars, but find all too often that the configurations I want are not offered.

GM can sell me a V8 Impala as soon as they let me order one with a bench seat.

[King Riffle]

So have you only looked at Chevy and Toyota? How about Ford, Dodge or Nissan?

Also, it is my belief that you can never have too many options or packages.

[redlipp]

Originally Posted by SuperSS27

"You can please some of the people some of the time, but never all of the people all of the time." Abe Lincoln

Keep that in mind, and welcome to the forum.

well put! can you only imagine his survey to whom ever the lucky salesperson and manufacturer are? jeez!

[FightingChance]

I know this doesn't really have anything to do with the discussion at hand, but I am curious; do you want a truck just because you want a truck or do you need a truck to perform some task specific to them? (e.g. towing, hauling, off paved roads performance, etc.)

I'm not coming down on your choice I just wanted to understand.

[CJ Thunder]

Originally Posted by [LEFT

rwalth[/left]]Most of you are to young to know this but back in the 70S and early 80S, the Big Three were criticized for offering their vehicles with TO MANY options and configurations. The long list of options and configurations were causing huge quality control problems in the factories as well as to much money tied up in parts inventory.

That's all kids want nowadays is their own car, that's the only reason I would hope someone would have for buying a scion.