Today I saw something that made me think. Parked behind a local car service center was a late model Vette. White. Looked like custom exhaust

 

For a dealer, selling a used car (even a different brand) is always more profitable then selling a comparable new car, at least short term. Semi-rare sports cars are a bit different because the margins are a bit higher. But I'd guess the dealer would make several thousand $$$ on a used vette, which are much easier to come by then S2000s anyway.

Long term you risk losing a repeat Honda buyer to chevy (heaven forbid!) if the used car is really nice.

 

There are several owners who traded their vette in on their S2K. You will see brandX with brandY License plates alot actually. I've seen plenty of Toyotas sold by Honda and vice-versa. The dealership is more interested in promoting their business than the brand. There are also many dealerships that sell many different brands of cars. There is one in a town near me that sells Honda, Toyota, Mazda and Fords.

 

Nice train of logic, but it's OT.

 

Okay, at the risk of sexism, how about the husband died and the wife traded in his vette on a Civic?

 

Hey, if I died my wife would sell her Saturn, my Ford truck, cash out the insurance and hit the road in our only real car - the S! And I don't blame her.

 

the honda dealer where my s2k came from has 3 vettes in its lot

 

On the other hand.. I bought my S2000 with 3000 mi on it from a Toyota dealer. Salesman told me the previous owner bought it as a "mid-life crisis car" and traded it in on a Toyota truck.

 

Dealers sell used cars that they feel they can profit from, it's as simple as that. The only consideration regarding brand is whether it's something consistent w/ their typical customers' demand. In fact, most dealers make higher profits on used cars than on new ones, partially b/c consumers can't look up their used car costs on the Internet and they're not as commoditized b/c each one is a little different (mileage, condition, color, options, etc.)

C'mon, you've never noticed dealers selling a variety of different brands before? It's much more common than not.

 

Any dealer with a used car department wants to sell what's hot. God trade ins are kept, crap is taken to the auction. The grosses and profit are generally higher on used cars than new ones, and the salesmen make much more on the used lot than they do on the new.