Lone Star Mopars

Well, it came to my attention tonight that I am driving around in a "fake" car. Yes, that's right, texas dodge and all star dodge have felt it necessary to inform folks that yours truly is piloting a non-Mopar 10. Apparently, I just sourced all the parts and slapped them on a base Challenger to give off the illusion it was a Mopar 10...I've probably got a 3.5 under the hood....which I likely sourced from a wrecked lx car.

I must applaud them for their noble efforts as I had no idea I was important enough to be talked about behind my back...

And let's be honest, these guys and gals know their stuff...their passion for the vehicles is unmatched by any competing dealer or loyal enthusiast, in fact we should all offer up a tithe for being blessed to live within 250 miles of the temple. I was sad to miss the monthly sacrifice of a mustang, but I hope that my transgressions can be forgiven as I'll pilot my "fake" car to the sacred realm for next month's burning of the camaro. I hope that one day, I too will bleed Mopar blue and see the cars and their drivers in the form of an invoice, commission, and profit margin. Perhaps if I endure the rigorous training of the sales force I can show up to work the front lot of the temple. Naturally, I will have to get rid of the "fake" Mopar 10 and trade it in for a toyota camry or chevy cobalt, as that seems to be the preferred mode of transportation. As a mere mortal I have a hard time grasping the concept of why someone would work at a Dodge dealership and not come in a Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep to work, but then again I didn't know my 69 Charger was a "nice mustang" either; I truly have a lot to learn....I am doing my best.

I did have a lot of folks console me and let me know I did an excellent job faking the Mopar 10. It is funny, I remember taming the unicorn and finding the pot of gold, but I just can't quite remember when I installed the front and rear strut bars (Does that sound like I'm good enough for the parts department at all star?). I also had a few folks ask if I did crochet work for personalized quilts; they said my stitching on the seats was top notch, had a real factory feel to it. Maybe, if I work hard enough, I will be able to recall how I formed the fully functional air box or shaped the T/A hood...but if I can't make it happen, I can probably get a job at texas dodge disappointing people with my "best price.," they are similar skill sets after all.

It seems like just yesterday that I called texas dodge on the phone and couldn't get a price on their red striped Mopar 10. It turns out, their internet price, which was the lowest in the country as of January 2011, could be made even better for someone as unimportant as myself. I had a few dealerships I called and e-mailed give their best prices; those fools, who would do business over the phone or via the internet when you could meet in person? As fate would have it, I made the drive to texas dodge (I guess in a big, black Off-Road...oh well, I suppose that is fake as well, it didn't come from the sacred realm after all) to get the "special price."

What a fool I am, the price on the internet never should have been posted! Good thing the great folks in the main office were willing to tack on an extra $6,000 to the price for me! Where would we be without a dealer like that? I know I enjoyed not getting an answer on the phone, being misled and driving all the way to the lot. And let's be frank, the 15 minutes it took to get there were totally worth the extra $6,000. Everyone was so nice they balked at my $250 coupon I printed off online. I can understand completely though, when you raise the price $6,000 on a car, you really don't have the necessary wiggle room to drop another $250.

It was an "honest" mistake, certainly not a by-product of being out-of-touch with your own product line or unaware that you have a limited edition car on your showroom floor. It was a lot of fun teaching the sales staff and managers about all of the special features of the Mopar 10. I must warn everyone, I didn't mention the hood scoop was functional so for whoever was fortunate enough to score the red-striped Mopar 10 can take solstice in that "bonus" feature. Hopefully you got your call from Chrysler and the Owner's Kit, I don't know that they could repeat the contents I cited for them...that would require listening to your customer after all...and we all know that is not an attribute that has a place with bradley and his dodge boys at texas dodge, all star dodge, and plains in lubbock. Yeah, they have the 3 lots...and some ford lots as well; see what I mean, all these years of me being loyal to Chrysler, what a fool. I should be like the dodge boys here in town and diversify. I've missed out sticking to Dodge and Plymouth products exclusively and starting a few Mopar related car clubs and websites, if all goes well I'll unload the "fake" Mopar 10 and pick up my new camry so I can go to work just like the local dodge boys!

Oh and for those of you worried about the blue stripe, yeah that is what I wanted all along. The friendly and all-knowing staff at texas dodge had the red-striped Mopar 10 on the showroom. Never one to turn someone away, they offered to pull the red stripe and put a blue one on it just for me! What an honor! I still remember trying not to laugh on the phone as I politely had to decline. It is something I regret to this day however. How great would it have been to have had the only Mopar 10 in the country that a dealer ship spruced up! A blue side stripe, red stitching, maybe they would have been kind enough to even remove that pesky limited edition decal off the dash! You can barely notice them anyway, I know none of the sales staff had a clue the Mopar 10s were limited production (anyone remember when I said the price went up $6,000? ).

Shame on Chrysler for not flying out the brass to school this great bunch of folks! It is absolutely absurd and unrealistic to expect a dealership to take pride in what they do and what they represent. The mere thought of having someone research and understand their product line is ludicrous! Need proof? Just take a look at texas dodge and all star dodge! Both dealerships are humming along just fine without virtually any knowledge of the cars, upcoming features, colors, much less performance figures. All you need to know to be a successful dealer is to make money! When will folks stop catering to the customer, working dealer trades, and lowering prices? Just follow the tailored model of these five star friendly folks and set sail for success! I hope that I too will stop viewing the cars as an extension of my personality and a hobby that I can truly enjoy sharing with my fellow Mopar enthusiasts and just view them as rolling wheels and invoices! Oh to see the world through these rose colored glasses but for a brief moment, I would gladly give all that I have! Ignorance, greed, and hypocrisy for me!

I must confess...despite the offer to have the red stripe pulled and replaced with blue and somehow resisting the temptation to pay an extra $6,000 for a sight unseen blue striped Mopar 10 without the $250 off coupon, I passed. It wasn't the fact they were gracious enough to let pathetic, little ol' me waste their time...it wasn't how cute they were not knowing anything about the car that had been sitting on the showroom floor for a week (after all, the sales force at texas dodge is always out on the front lot trying to cut similar deals to this one and encouraging folks wanting a new 4x4 MegaCab Dodge Ram to take a look at the nice, low mile, single cab Ram on the used lot)...and it wasn't the fact they offered me the ultimatum to buy the car and make friends or leave. No it was none of that.

I made the huge mistake of reaching out to the Mopar network and having a friend in the Dallas area, Moparx2, locate and inspect a blue-striped Mopar 10. Then I dug myself in a deeper hole and called Josh Lewis at Huffine's Dodge in Lewisville, Texas (that nut gave me his best price over the phone, shame he hasn't learned the ways of the bradley bunch). Then I truly botched everything when I agreed to a deal with Josh at Huffine's Dodge over the phone letting Tony, moparx2, vouch for the Mopar 10. We all know, the worst person to have inspect your future Challenger is another die-hard Challenger owner.

To further worsen the state of things Josh had the car buffed at a high end paint shop and fully detailed waiting for us on the show room floor. I really regret flying to Dallas with blcd74, getting picked up by Moparx2 at the airport, having a few other Challenger owners show up to welcome us, and then signing off to buy the car. We really made an ass out of ourselves when we went to Rod at Grapevine Dodge for parts and left with freebies! I know better than that, everything at Texas Dodge is usually twice the price and not-in-stock...plus, we all know that freebies and treating a customer good will only cost you money in the short run and sure as heck won't result in a long time returning consumer!

After all that, filling up back in Amarillo, and tacking on every part and modification I have made to my fake, blue striped Mopar 10, I still have yet to spend what I would have if I would have just made friends with texas dodge and taken them up on their insanely gracious offer to buy the Mopar 10 from them for an extra $6,000. I was told they would be an extra $1,500 higher than any other dealer in the country. The payroll must understandably be more of a burden to maintain when you are dealing with such noble and intelligent sales people.

I guess the remaining $4,500 (or is that $5,500 for the bradley boys...it's just another one tacked on after all) is so they won't talk bad about you. I truly regret that seeing how they take the liberty to tell folks who come in and mention the black Challenger, with black wheels, and a blue stripe is FAKE. I must say, as the shamed owner of a fake Mopar 10, and extremely shamed creator of the Mopar 10 Registry...thank you!

Thank you mr. bradley, texas dodge, and all star dodge for showing me your true colors! Thank you for the incredibly gracious offer and for not misrepresenting your product online with false sales tactics...thank you for listing an unbelievable price and making it $6,000 higher, I know that isn't false advertising and certainly isn't anything that could involve legal action. Thank you for letting me take-up your time in your office. Thank you for pointing out to everyone that my blue striped Mopar 10 is fake!

I will take this revelation and share it with Chrysler/Dodge, Ralph Gilles, Josh at Huffine's Dodge in Lewisville, Shannon the Chrysler Rep, Rod at the Grapevine Dodge Parts Department, Tony (moparx2) and Bill (blcd74), all my friends in Amarillo Area Mopars, the uneducated masses at LoneStarMopars.com, Moparts.com, DodgeCharger.com, For A-Bodies Only, For-B Bodies Only, Allpar.com, Challengertalk.com, TexasStreetCars.com, AmarilloRacers.com, maybe even get it posted on ChallengerForumZ, and I'll be sure to forward it to Mopar Collector's Guide, Mopar Muscle Magazine, Modern Mopar Magazine, Mopar Action, Hot Rod Magazine, and I'll be sure to let everyone I meet know that I got hosed into buying a fake Mopar 10. The presentation of the Owner's Kit at Huffine's, the letter and embroidered polo shirt...all lies! And how dare someone call me up pretending to be from Chrysler looking for feedback on the car!

I will work tirelessly towards clearing the air from this moment forward. I feel like I have been living a lie since age 14. As a car guy and die hard Mopar loyalist, I consider myself fortunate to have the all-knowing Mopar gods of the bradley group's dealerships here to correct me and let everyone know I am wrong and living a lie. Thank you gentlemen; I will not rest until your story is told!

Please re-post or forward this to all your friends and family, they deserve to know of the great services and knowledge mr bradley and his teams at texas dodge and all star dodge have to offer for folks like ourselves.

Best Wishes,

Lance

Founder, Amarillo Area Mopars
www.amarilloareamopars.com
Founder, Lone Star Mopars
www.lonestarmopars.com
Founder, Mopar 10 Registry
--Oops, my mistake!--

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What a bunch of loser's! They just lost my business for sure! Thank's Lance for the heads up on these ass hats!

That is exactly what I hope to hear. I wasn't a fan of the dealership, but only told people when they asked me directly. Now that is not the case. When you get ready for something new, just let me know and I'll get you in touch with Josh at Huffines. You'll get a price over the phone and I assure you it will be lower than anything in this area. Plus, if you are looking for something exotic that they don't have, he will track it down and make a dealer trade.
If you need parts, go thru Rod at Grapevine. They stock stuff, have better prices, and it comes next day via UPS Ground. A far cry from 2-3 weeks for mudflaps for a Challenger.

I was fine with them going up on the price and not sellling the car, hence why I went elsewhere. I was happy, but I guess they are still sour about it. You'd think if it meant that much to them they would have just made a better deal on the car to begin with...but what do I know, I'm not one of the few and proud of bradley's bunch.

Thanks for the heads up. Maybe I can flip a couple of cars after I move to buy a new one.

I'll be happy to get you Josh's contact info...you're welcome to come thru town with your new ride, just don't pick it up from the local lots

Holy shit there stupid. And that sounds familiar. I work at a Nissan dealership now selling cars. We have a very limited limited edition Nissan GTR black series. I had to listen as a "veteren salesman" informed me about the car. To bad his information was completely and utterly WRONG.  Starting with one of the important thing of any super car, exclusiveness. He said there only 500 in America right now. Well for limited production super car comman since tells you that's way to high. There ARE only 15 in America. With no promise of anymore coming.
Next we move on to horsepower. He said it had 495 hp. Not true while the regular GTR has 495 bhp the black edition has 530 bhp. He claimed 0-60 was just under 4 seconds. Not true the regular GTR is 3.6 seconds the black series is 3.2 seconds. WRONG again. Also said that the spoiler does absolutely nothing. WHAT!! WHAT!!!!! The whole areadynamics of the is designed to funnel air around the car and to the rear spoiler. Theres is an under spoiler also both of these causes the car to grip the road better around fast high speed corners. He said that the only big visual difference is the wheels. NO what about the special racing seats with a whole new color scheme through out the inside. Now are y'all ready for the big bomb shell. He IS THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED to sale this car other than a manager! WHAT!!! After he just fucked up all the stats on this car. On top of that he sold it to a rich Arabian kid. He's 20 years old with a rich daddy he doesn't know about cars nor appreciates the beauty and raw power of such a car. Can I kill him!!!    

Gtr sold for 98,000 dollars he made 700 dollars off that one so HA served him right cause a manager was selling it for 125,000 dollars. The commission would have been 4-5 thousand dollars if he only knew what he talking about. Btw lance they maybe telling you that hopeing to convince you to trade it for a "real one". Some salesman are assholes and give us a bad name.

Yeah, it is unfortunate that people that work as salesman often lack the same passion as an enthusiast...

However, when they do not know and are not trained to know the basics of their line-up it is unacceptable in my opinion. You can be an ass, not willing to work with customers, and even be a little cocky, but if you do not know the ins-and-outs of your line-up I have to wonder why you even show up at work and why management keeps you there. When a guy cuts grass he doesn't raise the blade to get done faster, or put it off because it is too hot..it is his job and he does it as best he can.

The real amusing thing with texas dodge (only time you'll see me not capitalize Texas or Dodge) is that the guy offering to pull the red stripe and replace it with a blue stripe was the head guy...the trigger man for dealer trades, cutting prices and the one person who SHOULD know everything on the lot.

Everything that went down in January is just sad. I was fine with it, I don't expect much from them (via past experience and other's first hand experience) and they once again delivered nothing other than a bad impression and very disappointing knowledge of their product line.

What is truly disgusting is the fact that the very guys that refused to honor their price online that we had agreed to on the phone (I was told to come in for "better" pricing) and exhibited a clear lack of interest in their own inventory are the very people at the source of spreading the lie that the car is fake. I didn't run around telling people that the brass at the local lot didn't know their own line, or that they refused to honor an advertised price, mislead me about coming in for "better" pricing, and then wouldn't even budge on a $250 coupon. I never said a word outside of those directly involved in getting the M10 Tony sourced.
I guess I should have been telling everyone because texas dodge was already busy telling folks the car is fake.

You would think telling a guy that is buying a Mopar 10 that the "other Mopar 10" is fake would be a turn off...I would use it as a selling point and how cool it would be to have both the red and blue in town.

That sounds like a mess with the black car...really sad they have that set-up...I'd let anyone that knows it sell the car, but then again, I guess I'm not dealership material

My passion for cars and my passion for money which creates a passion of fixing up duke (speaking of which I really need to put my catch can on) makes me dealership material and keeps me pushing on through the bullshit there are stupid people on both the customer and management. Example Saturday I had a lady who just wrecked a cadilac escalade. Well she needs a new car and she only 15,000 to spend and doesn't want to finance. Well that's fine but then she want the car to have a sunroof leather seats navigation all the extra trim she wants top of the lone altima or maxima or a suv with mileage for 15,000 dollars are you crazy woman your boy gonna get that. Ever then she said a dealership down the road has one with all that for 15,000 (if that was true wouldn't be at that one instead) I hate that shit. I'm honest with them from start to finish sometimes a little too honest. And I hate a customer that lies especially something as rediculas as that. No ones gonna sell a 30-40 thousand dollar car for 15,000. Which leads me to my next thing. A tip from the other side. New cars DO NOT have a lot of mark up. They just don't. Used cars some of them do. A lot of us make money by taking a customer who is wanting a new one, and showing them a slightly used car that is close to or just like the new one. It has a good bit of mark up so I get paid good, and they get a cheaper car that's exactly what they needed or wanted so everybody wins.