Studebaker fleets

[altair]

[8E45E]

A repeat?? https://forum.studebakerdriversclub....udebaker-fleet

Craig

[StudeNewby]

This brings a question to mind. How strong was the effort by Studebaker to obtain fleet sales toward the end? Andy Beckman explored one such contract in the most recent TW, and there are other well-documented examples like CalTrans, but I'm curious about the extent of that initiative. Dodge has made a good living off of fleet sales for decades. Could it have made a difference for our favorite marque, too?

[studegary]

Fleet sales are good for image, get the vehicles in the public's eye and keep plants operating, but there is usually almost no profit in them.

[PackardV8]

Fleet sales are good for image, get the vehicles in the public's eye and keep plants operating, but there is usually almost no profit in them.

Worse than that, fleet vehicles often get abused. Stude sold several of the then-new OHV6s to the Post Office, among others. Most came back several times for warranty replacement of cracked cylinder heads.

jack vines

[Hallabutt]

Worse than that, fleet vehicles often get abused. Stude sold several of the then-new OHV6s to the Post Office, among others. Most came back several times for warranty replacement of cracked cylinder heads.

jack vines

Unfortunately the PO procurement was often hamstrung by the obligation to take the lowest bid for vehicle replacement. The misadventures were not limited to Studebakers-the Vega and International box truck comes to mind. Some vehicles slipped from their inventory so quickly that they only deserve an asterisk. The Ford box trucks on the other hand were a venerable part of their fleets for over thirty years. New is not always better!

Bill

[8E45E]

This brings a question to mind. How strong was the effort by Studebaker to obtain fleet sales toward the end?

Its well known Sherwood Egbert tried his best to secure fleet orders with those 20 specially made 1964 Marshals that Studebaker loaned out as demonstrators to various police departments.

Craig