Studebaker - Sales Per Dealer for Calendar Year 1958

[2R2]

(from the March 2, 1959 issue of Automotive News):

	Make	1958 Sales Per Dealer	1957 Sales Per Dealer		1956 Sales Per Dealer		1955 Sales Per Dealer
1	Chev	170	195	2	206	1	216	2
2	Ford	149	213	1	195	2	224	1
3	Olds	83	99	4	114	4	153	4
4	Buick	82	112	3	148	3	206	3
5	Cad	69	79	7	74	7	80	7
6	Rambler	68	42	11	32	13
7	Pontiac	62	84	6	90	5	133	5
8	Plym.	57	77	8	55	9	72	9
9	Mercury	49	85	5	87	6	122	6
10	Dodge	42	74	9	61	8	75	8
11	Edsel	25	23	15
12	Lincoln	23	29	14	31	14	25	16
12	DeSoto	23	46	10	41	10	45	12
12	Chrysler	23	39	12	37	11	48	11
15	Stude	19	32	13	36	12	45	12
16	Imperial	11	21	16	6	18	4	17
17	Packard	2	3	19	12	17	41	14
	Nash		7	17	19	15	59	10
	Hudson		5	18	13	16	33	15

[BobPalma]

Eric, your post reminds me of the most memorable words of advice given to my Dad and Uncle Milton when they moved to Paris IL in 1953 and assumed the Packard dealership.

The DeSoto-Plymouth dealer in Paris, D.R. Noonan, was friendly and helpful in welcoming Dad and Uncle Milt to the community. Here is Mr. Noonan's DeSoto-Plymouth dealership building circa 2009. Obviously, the showroom windows weren't mostly covered when the place was a car dealership:




Shortly after they arrived, he took them to lunch. He was probably 20-25 years older than they, and his advice was this:

"Just remember, boys; you are used car dealers first and foremost; that's where you'll make your money.

But you have a leg up on other used car dealers because you have a new-car franchise. People will automatically think more of you and be inclined to buy your used cars....but you are still used-car dealers!"

So, Eric; that explains how most of those Studebaker dealers stayed in business selling so few new cars per year; they listened to D. R. Noonan! (And, no, I never did learn what the initials "D.R." stood for!) BP

[Bill Pressler]

Our International dealer where I grew up was named "D.R. Thompson". I never heard a bad thing about him. The place is slowly being turned into a restaurant called "The Bent Fork", including some I-H signage left behind.

Man, those sales units per dealer numbers were certainly dismal. My Stude dealer friend was doing considerably better than that in the '64 model year in a town of under 9,000 people.

[avantilover]

Maybe they were all (many) a bunch of lazy buggers and we would have been better to have concentrated on better dealers a long time before the arrival of Sherwood Egbert.

[BobPalma]

Good grief, Eric; I just spent more time analyzing those numbers. If Studebaker dealers averaged 19 cars per dealer for all of calendar year 1958, just imagine how horrible it would have been without early Lark sales...maybe 10 per dealer....or less? Ouch! BP

[56H-Y6]

Hi

Thanks for posting these revealing statistics, yields a very clear picture of the dire circumstances the independent make dealers found themselves by the latter part of the 1950's. Those fellows who had had moderate success now could barely keep the doors open depending on new car sales. Doubtless used cars were their primary source of income if they persevered.

Nothing like bad business news in the press to drain the vitality from what had been a better year in 1955, especially for the Packard end of the corporation. Not just a few of those dealers had sold Packards for decades only to have the corporate debacle bring that to a abrupt end, what a shame.

Steve

[Swifster]

Keep in mind, many of those dealers sold parts, provided service, and in most cases, were dualed up with another brand like Mercedes or VW. Also keep in mind, those numbers are averages. Dealerships in larger cities did a lot more business. Dealers in the sticks probably only sold 5 or 6 cars.

[JRoberts]

I guess these numbers are exactly why so many Studebaker dealers in this area took on a myraid of other makes. At least two that I know of took on Simca, of all things. The dealer here in Fayetteville actually sold grey market VW's with some success (A large military presence helped as many were familiar with VW from their travels in Europe). He also took on Amphicar again of all things. Although he did not become a Mercedes dealer his service shop specialized in repairing them. He also, at least for a time, had a successful used car operation. This dealer was in operation from 1939 until the end. Hard work being a Studebaker dealer that's for sure, especially in the south.

[57pack]

Boy!, you can really tell 1958 was a recession year! I think they called it "The Eisenhower Recession"
Our local Studebaker dealer in Pitman NJ was John S. Stratton, he sold Jeep, Pontiac, and Studebakers, what a combo!
Thanks
Bill

[Milaca]

The Studebaker dealers sold Studebaker trucks too, but I suppose they only averaged one truck sold per dealership.

[2R2]

I should add that starting with the introduction of the Lark, Studebaker was agressively trying to add new dealers - nearly every-other issue of Automotive News during this timeframe has a full page ad trying to recruit new dealers. In fact the March 16, 1959 issue annouced 45 new Stude outlets. The list is much to long for me to re-produce, but Milica, you might
like to know that one of the new dealers was North Star Garage, at 125 S. Central, in Milica, MN!

[Milaca]

Thanks for that information Eric. North Star Garage of Milaca, MN began as a Chrysler dealership in 1927 (if I recall correctly) and remained as such until Chrysler revoked it's franchise in 2009. The co-dealership with Studebaker was very short lived however, as early 1962 was the end of their Studebaker franchise. The building/business is still in the same family but is now a used car dealership/service center.

[kurtruk]

I've always been amazed to hear stories of a dealer recalling a certain vehicle as having been sold being new at their dealership decades earlier. Now I see why. For some, each sale was a major event!

[Greenstude]

The owners of two very successful, long-time Studebaker dealerships, Capital Garage in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and Maccan Garage of Maccan, Nova Scotia both told me, "Studebaker was the only car maker who never pressured us to sell cars." Capital Garage was in business from 1912 to 1977, and Maccan Garage from about 1922 to 1999. Both had other successful franchises before and after Studebaker. (Capital Garage started with Stanley Steamer, and ended with Volkswagen-Porsche-Mercedes.) Probably if Studebaker had put more pressure on their dealers, there would have been fewer with inadequate sales.

[studegary]

I've always been amazed to hear stories of a dealer recalling a certain vehicle as having been sold being new at their dealership decades earlier. Now I see why. For some, each sale was a major event!

I sold a lot more cars than these averages. Most I do not remember, but some cars and/or buyers I do remember.