Then you haven’t seen anything yet! As reported on Jalopnik recently, the following story transpired which resulted in a car dealer attempting to shovel a $413,000 price tag on a brand new, yet to be build Corvette ZR-1. Despite putting down a deposit on the car over two years ago, one reader was told that to actually get the car, he’d more likely have to pay 2-4 times the MSRP of the ZR-1. The story goes a little something like this:

“I put a deposit down for the 2009 ZR1 about 2 1/2 years ago at “my” chevy dealer from whom I have bought many GM cars, including trucks, vettes. I have probably bought 15+ GM vehicles over the years. I was told 2 1/2 years ago that the price for this “iffy” car would be around the same ratio as the 5K overcharge I paid for my 2006 Z06.

I was called to order my ZR1 yesterday since I was #1 on the allocation list of this dealer’s 4 allocations. I was told that by the way the price would be between 2-4 times the MSRP. Tadge Juechter, the Chief of Corvette Engineering, has urged GM ZR1 dealers to respect the MSRP. I am very upset with the greed and disregard for customer loyalty in a down economy. Is there any recourse?”

I can’t say that I’m surprised by a  car dealer doing this, as we’ve seen it before from other more pretigious marques like Ferrari and Porsche with their super cars. However, never before have we seen this from a domestic car maker. I hope that after contacting GM directly, the user will get some satisfaction, or else demand some satisfaction. I am all in favor of full on capitalism, but when a loyal customer puts down a deposit on a car that might not even exist two years ago, I tend to think they need to honor his trust with a reasonble markup.

Source: Jalopnik

EasyAutoSales.com now allows buyers, private sellers and dealers to upload avatars in their account. This feature while small - is the first of many improvements to our service that will help add a community feel to the website and help open up the communication for the buy/sell process for both parties.

Real estate agents have long been using their their faces in various marketing materials and websites for local marketing and we feel car sellers can also benefit from the same type of exposure. Assuming you have a trustworthy face, this feature should help you sell cars in the new, web 2.0 market.

Yes, we’ll admit it - we are a big sucker for photos here at EasyAutoSales.com. Head shots of users and unlimited photos for cars are definitely great features to help you sell cars.

Despite the fact that gas prices are through the roof, the value of SUVs is dropping fast, and Detroit may be experiencing more job cuts in the near future, there are reasons to feel good about the car buying industry. Here are 5 reasons to look beyond the climbing gas prices:

1. Hybrids, Electric Batteries, and Hydrogen Fuel Cells - The progress being made with alternative powered cars is significant. They may not be making an impact tomorrow, but they will come sooner than later.
2. Smarter Rides - From fuel displacement systems to collision avoidance software, the technology we are wielding these days is astounding, and making the roads safer every day.
3. Coolness Factor - New cars these days are looking damn good. Not to mention the nifty features that continue to make the driving experience more enjoyable.
4. Automakers Responding Quickly to the Market - If the SUV market had tanked 10 years ago, Detroit’s car makers would have been extremely slow to react. Today, Ford has already said it will cut production and avoid building SUVs that the dealers will not be able to sell.
5. The final reason to feel good about the car buying industry, is without a doubt a self plug, but I think a valid one. EasyAutoSales.com is embracing the internet’s social presence in a way that other car classifieds sites are not. These days, with Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, FriendFeed, and many many more, the web of connection cast by an individual across the web is nothing short of remarkable. Imagine if you could use that massive social network to help you buy and sell cars. EasyAutoSales.com is integrating itself into this web 2.0 phenomenon , and the car buying industry will be better for it.

What makes you feel good about the car buying industry (or bad for the matter if you think this is all a crock of ….)?