November 2015 SDADA Column

Are you my friend? Or are you family? Do you want to buy the tag vehicle? Or does that one have a "super" tag? Is it "Black Friday" yet? It's Thursday but we can give you the "Black Friday" deal! But I'm not sure that you can buy on "Black Friday" if you're in the military! That's not confusing!

When the salespeople are confused, it's a pretty good bet that the customer is confused. Are the incentives designed to confuse? That seems like a rhetorical question. But is it?

Most dealers want to offer the customer all the incentives available. They typically are not an additional cost to the dealer. Dealers, however, may not offer all the incentives available to the customer because there are so many, they are so confusing and they are poorly communicated to the dealership personnel.

Customers are NOT confused about one thing - they do remember the biggest number they hear on the television ad. They may not be certain what vehicle it applies to, how to qualify or when it ends. But they DO remember the number!

Who gets to clarify the incentives for Mr. Customer? The dealer does. How does that work when the dealer is buried in the 60 page bulletin that explains the incentives. Hey manufacturers, maybe you should consider simplifying the incentives!!!

Perhaps the dealership compliance officer can help us with the incentives!

CFPB Bill Passes by Wide Margin House in Bipartisan Vote

Congress rejected the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau's attempt to eliminate dealer discounts in the showroom. Eighty-eight Democrats joined all the Republicans in passing the "Reforming CFPB Indirect Auto Financing Guidance Act" by a 332-96 vote.

The bill requires the CFPB to withdraw the flawed guidance that attempts to eliminate a dealer's ability to discount auto financing for consumers. The bill also requires the minimal safeguards the agency failed to follow, such as public participation and transparency. Nothing in the bill would restrict the CFPB's ability to enforce fair credit laws in auto financing.

Before the vote, the Wall Street Journal weighed in on how some Democrats are fed up with the Administration's unending parade of regulations.

NADA Convention Registration Now Open 

Online registration for the 2016 NADA Convention & Expo in Las Vegas is off to a fast start. Nearly 2,200 dealers and their managers registered to attend the convention during the first five days of registration, up 12 percent compared to the same time a year ago. And as one of the most popular destinations in the country for meetings and conventions, four hotels in NADA’s convention block have already sold out. They are Encore at Wynn, Marriott Convention Center, Renaissance Hotel and Wynn Las Vegas.

Sixteen hotels are still available in NADA’s block. Other top hotels include the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Aria Resort & Casino and Vdara Hotel & Spa. Aria and Vdara are located in CityCenter, which is considered a city within a city spread out over 67 acres on the Las Vegas strip and includes hundreds of restaurants and shops, spas, shows, nightclubs and other unique attractions.

The NADA convention—which runs from Thursday, March 31, through Sunday, April 3, 2016—will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center.For more information or to register, visit www.nadaconvention.org.

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It…)

Why are there no Malibus in Malibu? Are there Tacomas in Tacoma?

But the factory guys are the industry's smartest people...just ask them!

Your car got hacked; not jacked - HACKED...who's problem is it?

Driving a new Corvette through the showroom windows is a very expensive way to learn how to drive a manual transmission!

Ford wants more friends and a bigger family.

Another Point of Views

South Dakota adopted the slogan "Great Faces, Great Places" in 1990. It refers to the famous faces of Mount Rushmore and all the other interesting people and places across South Dakota. The slogan is seen on license places, promotional materials and some road signs.

The Chamberlain-Oacoma area, my home, has some of those great places. I have chosen my five favorite views in our area. It was difficult to narrow it down to just five. We have many spectacular views and I reserve the right to add to this post at a later time!

I need to point out that the most difficult part of this post was in choosing just one of the many photos that I have of each of these views. It seems that regardless of whether they come from my phone or my DSLR, these great views cannot be spoiled!

(I encourage you to click on each of the photos.)

Sunrise from my Deer Blind

The only thing that would make that sunrise better is the silhouette of a big 5x5 buck on the right or left side of that horizon. There is nothing like being reminded of the majesty of God's creation first thing in the morning. I admit to being a bit drowsy on some of those early mornings but a sunrise like that snaps me out of it better than a strong cup of java! (as does the silhouette of a nice rack of antlers!)

Chamberlain-Oacoma Bridge from ANY Angle

The Chamberlain-Oacoma Bridge (Old Highway 16 Bridge) has an interesting history. Perhaps, more importantly, it has personality. One only needs to look a mile to the south at the Lewis & Clark Memorial Bridge (Interstate 90 Bridge), which was built in 1974, to see a comparably functional, but completely vanilla bridge spanning the Missouri Bridge. The lights make it a great model 24 hours a day. Trust me when I tell you that I have many, many photos of this bridge taken at all times of the day!

Any Fireworks Display Over the Missouri River

If you've ever watched a fireworks show near water, you understand this one. The show is magnified by the reflection in the water. Chamberlain's "Rock the Bluffs" show is one of the area's best every year. Sometimes (as above) Mother Nature contributes to the grandeur.

Cliffs North of Chamberlain at Sunset in Summer

I've told many people that this is my favorite view in our area. Most have seen it from the the deck of Cedar Shore Resort. While this is a spectacular view, the best venue for this view is on a boat in the middle of the river. Ironically, I do not have photo of this view at my favorite time. The best time is when the sun has begun its descent behind the bluffs on the west side of the river casting a shadow on the water. The cliffs are still lit by the setting sun and are glowing in contrast to the deep blue of the water and the emerald green of the bluffs on the east side. This lasts about for only 12-15 minutes. I will have to capture that vista on pixels this coming summer!

 

 Any November, December, January Sunset from my Backyard

This is my favorite despite what I tell people! Those who visit us in the summer tell us how spectacular our sunsets are. They are right...kinda. While our summertime sunsets are great, our sunsets in the late fall into winter are the best. They are even better from our our backyard because the sun sets behind the bridge straight down river which gives us the most reflection possible. I am partial to the orange and red sunsets but the purple and yellow one are equally amazing.

I have learned over the years to identify when we will experience one of these breathtaking sunsets. We need a few clouds in the southwest sky later in the afternoon. The reflection in calm water adds to the splendor as does an ice covered river.

I literally have thousands of photographs of sunsets from my backyard. It took me a half hour to narrow them down to the six photos above. I can't help myself. When I see one of these glorious panoramas, I have to get a shot.

Follow me on Instagram (@DougKnust) for more #SDsunsets!

Update 2/15/2018: How about this one - absolutely untouched! November sunset from Amreican Creek Campground in Chamberlain.