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Car Forum / Toyota / Toyota Cars / April 2007R.I.P. Jim Moran the Courtesy Man and Toyota distributor
http://www.miamiherald.com/101/story/85019.html I remember seeing commercials for his Ford dealership as I was growing up. Later, I had the privilege to meet him on a few occasions. For a billionaire, Mr. Moran was a very down-to-earth person. At dealer meetings, he would ride the bus with the rest of the dealers and Toyota employees (the first time I met was sitting next to him on a charter bus); and his daily driver was a Corolla. A lot of people (including me) objected to the many aftermarket accessories that Southeast Toyota added to Toyotas prior to delivery to dealers, yet I heard many stories of his generosity, like paying for of the medical bills to treat the cancer of a young child of a lot attendant.  SignatureRay O (correct punctuation to reply) > http://www.miamiherald.com/101/story/85019.html > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > heard many stories of his generosity, like paying for of the medical bills > to treat the cancer of a young child of a lot attendant. I remember that my family bought a Pontiac from JM Pontiac back in the 1970's. One perk was that JM Pontiac let its customers use the dealer's automatic car wash for free for something like 26 times. IIRC, they also had a gas station on site that was pretty cheap. That dealership was sold, and became a Toyota dealership at some point. He had cancer in his 40's, so I guess he was particularly sensitive to it, though you could argue that he could have provided the lot attendants with medical coverage instead. >> http://www.miamiherald.com/101/story/85019.html >> [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > though you could argue that he could have provided the lot attendants with > medical coverage instead. JM Family enterprises is consistently listed by Forbes Magazine as one of the best places to work. The lot attendant was not one of his employees. The lot attendant was an hourly employee at an independent Toyota dealership (one of his customers). Lot attendants are usually minimum wage employees, and when Mr. Moran heard about the child's illness, he not only covered all of the child's medical expenses, he flew the child and family to the best hospital in the country in one of his Gulfstream jets for treatment. An article in Automotive News talked about Mr. Moran providing new Fords every year to the clergy at his son's high school when he was a Ford dealer, including a new Mustang for their raffle. SignatureRay O (correct punctuation to reply) >>> http://www.miamiherald.com/101/story/85019.html >>> [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] >every year to the clergy at his son's high school when he was a Ford dealer, >including a new Mustang for their raffle. I hate to speak ill will of any deceased persons so I'll refrain from doing so. Instead, I'll speak derisively about his company. I'm a business man myself. I believe his company does not serve the best interest of Toyota buyers overall. I live in the Southeast and despise that I have to go through SE distributors. I have difficulty getting the right set of options when purchasing a new vehicle. It seems that the combinations that I want exist only outside of JM's area. I tend to drive far to purchase what I want. The company also adds garbage options to mimic factory ones such as leather seats, alarms, stereos, Toyoguard, and other things that don't add value to the Toyota buyers but serve to pad the pockets of JM Enterprises and the dealer. The leather fall apart quickly. The alarm falses constantly. The dashboards are hacked for stereos that quit after a few years after being installed with some ill-designed fitment kits. Toyoguard costs $699 when it merely costs the dealer $169 for it and does nothing more than put a cheap spray-on wax on the paint and what used to be Scotchguard on the seats. They even offered $800 for Enkei wheels on a Celica when the factory option for it was only $60. >>>> http://www.miamiherald.com/101/story/85019.html >>>> [quoted text clipped - 53 lines] >even offered $800 for Enkei wheels on a Celica when the factory option >for it was only $60. I totally agree! When my son bought his new Corolla, we negotiated price and options with a great dealer in Philadelphia, flew up, got what HE wanted and had a nice break in road trip back to Florida. SignatureScott in Florida >>>>> http://www.miamiherald.com/101/story/85019.html >>>>> [quoted text clipped - 59 lines] >with a great dealer in Philadelphia, flew up, got what HE wanted and >had a nice break in road trip back to Florida. A few years ago, I had to buy a Tacoma from Texas. Fortunately, I had a business trip there too. <snipped>> >>When my son bought his new Corolla, we negotiated price and options >>with a great dealer in Philadelphia, flew up, got what HE wanted and >>had a nice break in road trip back to Florida. > > A few years ago, I had to buy a Tacoma from Texas. Fortunately, I had > a business trip there too. Vehicles are distributed in Texas by Gulf States Toyota, an independent distributor. SignatureRay O (correct punctuation to reply) ><snipped>> >>>When my son bought his new Corolla, we negotiated price and options [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >Vehicles are distributed in Texas by Gulf States Toyota, an independent >distributor. I know but I still found the vehicle there that wasn't available in the SE. >>>>>> http://www.miamiherald.com/101/story/85019.html >>>>>> [quoted text clipped - 62 lines] >A few years ago, I had to buy a Tacoma from Texas. Fortunately, I had >a business trip there too. Road trips are fun.... SignatureScott in Florida > A few years ago, I had to buy a Tacoma from Texas. Fortunately, I had > a business trip there too. Unfortunately, in California it's difficult to do this. You'd have to pay sales tax twice. A lot of Northern California people do go down to Southern California to buy Toyotas and Lexuses, as the Southern California street prices are often much lower (by thousands, not hundreds). > I live in the Southeast and despise that I have to go through SE > distributors. I have difficulty getting the right set of options when > purchasing a new vehicle. It seems that the combinations that I want > exist only outside of JM's area. And then there is the other side of the coin. I bought my 2007 Avalon in Tennessee and got every option that I wanted except Bluetooth. Bluetooth is not offered by Toyota for the Avalon and is unavailable at any TN dealer. On the other hand SE Toyota do offer a BlueConnect Bluetooth as an option and dealers will install it into an existing vehicle. I drove down to North Georgia Toyota in Dalton yesterday and had it installed. BlueConnect does not integrate into the Toyota sound system (not a big deal for me), but it does everything I want; makes and receives calls and has a phone book. The installation was not cheap, but looks like it came from the factory and is not a dashboard stick-on. This is one case where SE Toyota dealers fill a void left by Toyota. SignatureBen >> I live in the Southeast and despise that I have to go through SE >> distributors. I have difficulty getting the right set of options when [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >dashboard stick-on. This is one case where SE Toyota dealers fill a >void left by Toyota. The exception rather than the rule unfortunately. Fortunate for you though. |
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