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#1 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 23 June 2010 - 04:11 PM

I know we have all spoken on and off about this topic. I'm a little surprised no forward-looking community has looked at creating incentives to dealers to create one and steal all that tax base away from Douglas St.

Maybe it is not politically correct to be seen to be car-friendly. Is there any Indian reserve big enough to maybe host one? EDIT: It looks like maybe the E. Saanich reserve would be big enough for one.

#2 Holden West

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Posted 23 June 2010 - 09:23 PM

I wouldn't invest in one. I think buying cars off a giant multi-acre lot will be a thing of the past.
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#3 aastra

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Posted 23 June 2010 - 09:39 PM

Mail order is the way things are going now.

#4 Mike K.

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Posted 24 June 2010 - 06:44 AM

Auto malls are still popular. The malls in Vancouver and Seattle are more competitive than some dealerships considering the lower cost of running such an operation, proximity to the drop-off point and of course nearby competition.

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#5 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 24 June 2010 - 06:59 AM

I wouldn't invest in one. I think buying cars off a giant multi-acre lot will be a thing of the past.


I really think you are wrong. I'll bet the amount of people pre-ordering their car has not changed over the last 15 years. People get their loan approved, or get some cash, or get the buy-bug, and they go get what's on the lot now.

As long as there continues to be lots of cars on the lots, like there is now, buyers also do have an instant choice of features and colours for the popular brands. Look at all those cars parked in a pen off Tyee, they are just sitting there, waiting for the lots to take up that supply.

Not very many years ago I sold furniture. Our most popular line we carried had a choice of probably 125 different fabrics you could have it covered in, as long as you could wait 3 weeks. Consequently, we had maybe 4 full sets of each pattern on display and available for immediate sale. I swear, for each set that was pre-ordered with a custom pattern, we also sold one set right off the floor. So given a choice of 4 they could have right away, or 125 they could have in three weeks, for the exact same price (we did not discount the floor model), half chose one of the floor models to save the wait. It's the way people buy, it's about emotion. And this was not cheap furniture, it was mid-range, $900-1400 for a couch. So $2-3k for a complete living room set.

#6 Koru

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Posted 24 June 2010 - 07:05 AM

Auto malls are still popular. The malls in Vancouver and Seattle are more competitive than some dealerships considering the lower cost of running such an operation, proximity to the drop-off point and of course nearby competition.


I gotta say I'm a big fan of the automall. I've just recently purchased a 2010 Truck, and I enjoyed the ability to walk from the GM Dealership to the Ford, to the Chrysler Dealership to shop for the truck that was going to fit into my needs best, and play the other dealerships off each other to maximize my best possible price. The price I got at the GM dealership at the automall far exceeded any quotes I got from independent dealerships as they knew I talked to Ford and Chrysler as well.

#7 Bernard

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Posted 24 June 2010 - 07:15 AM

I wish we had a auto mall here so that we could get all those unsightly, and space wasting, car dealerships out of town and out of sight.

I would love to see Victoria and Saanich create new property tax classifications for car dealers and tax them out of the city.

#8 Koru

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Posted 24 June 2010 - 07:26 AM

I wish we had a auto mall here so that we could get all those unsightly, and space wasting, car dealerships out of town and out of sight.

I would love to see Victoria and Saanich create new property tax classifications for car dealers and tax them out of the city.


I couldn't agree more. The space that, for example Suburban Motors occupies would hold 2 if not 3 dealerships in an automall situation, if you combined Speedway, Nissan and Surburban all on to the same lot, thing of the space available to development. Same goes for Pacific Mazda, Vic BMW and Ensign...so much wasted space

#9 Holden West

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Posted 24 June 2010 - 07:54 AM

I must admit, my bias against car malls is more to do with land use than marketing.
"Beaver, ahoy!""The bridge is like a magnet, attracting both pedestrians and over 30,000 vehicles daily who enjoy the views of Victoria's harbour. The skyline may change, but "Big Blue" as some call it, will always be there."
-City of Victoria website, 2009

#10 sebberry

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Posted 24 June 2010 - 09:41 AM

Not a bad idea at all. Even combining some of the dealerships to make a few smaller auto malls. Douglas Street would be a good place for condo development.

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#11 rjag

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Posted 24 June 2010 - 11:53 AM

I couldn't agree more. The space that, for example Suburban Motors occupies would hold 2 if not 3 dealerships in an automall situation, if you combined Speedway, Nissan and Surburban all on to the same lot, thing of the space available to development. Same goes for Pacific Mazda, Vic BMW and Ensign...so much wasted space


Dont forget that Suburban and Speedway for example have been in those locations in excess of 40 years. At that time that area was out in the boonies! Its not their fault that the city has spread around them. Dont blame the dealer.

Anyway, whether they occupy .25 acre or 25 acres its market driven, large dealers are there because of high volume.

Jaguar which is owned by the Carson Family is about to build a new dealership where the old Payless used to be bust between Suburban and Speedway. 1st 2 floors will be the dealer and the remaining floors are offices.

#12 concorde

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Posted 24 June 2010 - 04:08 PM

Coming soon to Victoria...

a new multi storey Jaguar/Land Rover dealership on Douglas St which should break ground in the next month

and a new Acura dealership on Oak Street which should break ground by late summer.

oh and Mazda will be starting exterior renovations with a huge new "performance wall" complete with Mazda logo very very soon

So don't plan on an auto mall any time soon...

#13 LJ

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Posted 24 June 2010 - 07:40 PM

I wish we had a auto mall here so that we could get all those unsightly, and space wasting, car dealerships out of town and out of sight.

I would love to see Victoria and Saanich create new property tax classifications for car dealers and tax them out of the city.


And replace them with what? There are too many condos available now, a glut of office space, and empty storefronts all over now. What do we need more of that is going to provide an income for landlords or a profit for a developer? The dealerships are providing tax revenue that is badly needed in Victoria, if you tax them out of the city you will just loose that revenue, you wont replace it anytime soon.
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#14 Holden West

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Posted 24 June 2010 - 08:22 PM

^I think it will take decades for change to happen. And that's OK. There is a long-term plan for growth for Victoria and it will take place over a long period of time as the population changes.

Used car lots and self-storage lots are called "ground cover" by Dolores Hayden. Just something to fill up the space for the time being.
"Beaver, ahoy!""The bridge is like a magnet, attracting both pedestrians and over 30,000 vehicles daily who enjoy the views of Victoria's harbour. The skyline may change, but "Big Blue" as some call it, will always be there."
-City of Victoria website, 2009

#15 Bernard

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Posted 25 June 2010 - 06:58 AM

And replace them with what? There are too many condos available now, a glut of office space, and empty storefronts all over now. What do we need more of that is going to provide an income for landlords or a profit for a developer? The dealerships are providing tax revenue that is badly needed in Victoria, if you tax them out of the city you will just loose that revenue, you wont replace it anytime soon.


We are desperately short of industrial space in the whole region.

Given the price of condos. the price is high to make a development worth building.

We also have a very high demand for apartment buildings - a dozen or so 6-8 story apartment buildings are needed as of right now.

#16 Bob Fugger

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Posted 25 June 2010 - 07:33 AM

We also have a very high demand for apartment buildings - a dozen or so 6-8 story apartment buildings are needed as of right now.


I hope that never comes to pass. I enjoy the vacancy rate right where it is. ;)

#17 LJ

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Posted 25 June 2010 - 07:17 PM

We are desperately short of industrial space in the whole region.

Given the price of condos. the price is high to make a development worth building.

We also have a very high demand for apartment buildings - a dozen or so 6-8 story apartment buildings are needed as of right now.


You want to replace auto malls with industrial space? I don't think so, nor would any of the neighbouring business/people. Industrial parks should be large, sparsely inhabited, and close to good transportation links. None of which exists in the downtown core. Also the cost of the property is much to dear to sign over to industrial uses. You can move an auto dealership relatively easy when and if you need the space for a different use, much more difficult trying to move an industrial site.

Agree with you on condos.

If apartment buildings were profitable we would have dozens of them under construction, they aren't and we don't.
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#18 rjag

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Posted 25 June 2010 - 08:00 PM

You can move an auto dealership relatively easy when and if you need the space for a different use, much more difficult trying to move an industrial site.


Dont you have to ask the property owner? hehe easier said than done, theres a thing called grandfathering

#19 LJ

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Posted 26 June 2010 - 07:29 PM

Dont you have to ask the property owner? hehe easier said than done, theres a thing called grandfathering


Property is always for sale - if the price is right.
Life's a journey......so roll down the window and enjoy the breeze.

#20 rjag

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Posted 27 June 2010 - 08:01 AM

Property is always for sale - if the price is right.


And if you're a politician then its not your money only the taxpayer. Which makes it easier to spend.

 



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