Xou Vang thought he scored a sweet deal on eBay: $55,100 for a 2009 Nissan GT-R with just 36,069 miles on the clock. But Honda of San Marcos, Texas, is refusing to honor the sale, pressuring Vang to pay the full $59,000 sticker—and violating eBay’s stringent rules in the process.

As of yesterday, the GT-R is still listed on the dealership’s inventory at $62,674. While a three grand reduction off the price is impressive enough, it still isn’t what Vang is legally bound to pay. He called the dealership repeatedly, arranging a deposit and a time to pick up the car, which the dealership refused. A sales manager told Vang.

“So he kept telling me he will not sell it as he has the rights to not sell this car,” said Vang, “as eBay is not a contract and eBay has fine small prints that says dealers are exempt and they do not have to sell the vehicle. I asked him where was this and he was unable to point me to the information where he is finding this small print.”

Vang wisely contacted as many offices as he could: eBay, the Better Business Bureau, Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Texas Attorney’s Office, and the Federal Trade Commission. But he lives all the way in Anchorage, Alaska, and the idea of making the trek down south makes him feel “hopeless, since I have no one to turn to,” he said. For now, however, he’s got his comrades at My350Z Forums, and as we’ve learned time and time again from similar cases—don’t underestimate the power of the Internet.

[Source: MotorAuthority]

A Honda dealer in Vancouver, Canada who wanted to show support for the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks was forced to remove the team’s logo from their showroom.

Kingsway Honda manager Doug Lum told the CBC that the NHL informed Kingsway Honda that the use of logos constituted copyright infringement and had to be removed immediately. Lum cited Honda’s sponsorship as the NHL’s official car, and noted the irony of the legal reprimand.

Lum said that he didn’t plan to fight the NHL’s demands, but had the lettering altered to read ”Go ‘nucks GO.”

[Source: CBC]

The California New Car Dealers Association is accusing Chrysler of operating a factory store illegally in the Los Angeles area. The showroom, dubbed Motor Village L.A., was designed to boost Chrysler’s profile and show off their revised product lineup, as well as the new Fiat brand.

The dealer group filed a petition with the California New Motor Vehicle Board, asking for an investigation and disciplinary action against Chrysler, including a possible revocation of their business license. The dealer group alleges that proprietor Howard Drake lacks any financial stake in the business, making it illegitimate. Motor Village also is within a 10 mile radius of other independently owned Chrysler stores, which violates California law.

In a statement, Chrysler spokesman Ralph Kisiel said “looks forward to discussing the matter with the Department of Motor Vehicles.”

[Source: Automotive News]

If you’ve ever driven on Interstate 95 north of Fort Lauderdale, you’ve doubtlessly seen Champion Motors in Pompano Beach, Florida, home of the world’s largest Porsche dealership. Unfortunately, the dealership also suffered a Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year, and its recovery story in Portfolio magazine gives the layman an interesting look into how dealerships operate.

Dealerships must keep an inventory of cars, and use whats called floor-plan financing for this. Essentially, it’s a fancy name for a loan provided by the bank to cover the cost of buying inventory from the manufacturer. At the time, Champion was getting credit from VW Credit, due to Champion’s Audi franchise sharing real estate with the Porsche showroom.

However, VW Credit cut back the repayment time from 10 days after a vehicle’s sale to 3 days, a move that caused major headaches for Champion, as the cutback came in the middle of 2009′s economic downturn. Undoubtedly, the large and expensive inventory Champion must carry exacerbated the problem.

The Portfolio article explores what happens during the bankruptcy, but also details the various maneuvers used by Champion to shed their dead weight (in this case, an Audi franchise) and re-emerge as a leaner, more profitable business. The article also details how dealership financing works, an interesting topic for those who have overlapping interests in business and cars.

[Source: Portfolio]

Mazda Canada announced Friday that a dealer that sold a Mazda6 demonstrator to a woman for nearly $25,000 above retail value has had its franchise agreement terminated. Mazda of Orangeville, situated about 35 miles northwest of Toronto, will no longer be able to sell new vehicles or parts or make repairs.

Mazda of Orangeville attracted a flurry of negative press after it emerged that it sold a disabled woman a 2010 Mazda6 demonstrator for $66,000, when it should have sold for roughly $41,000

In an interview with the Toronto Star, Greg Young, Mazda’s director of corporate public relations explained the reasoning behind the termination. “We informed the dealer this morning that we were terminating the agreement because he had not adhered to the business standards, under the terms of the sales and service agreement.”

Young said that the overpriced car was one example found during an investigation into the dealership’s business practices. The dealership charged the buyer, Madeline Leonard, nearly three times the retail price for various accessories, and gave her an 8-year loan which added significant costs to the vehicle. Leonard is on a fixed income and should not have qualified for a standard loan.

[Source: Toronto Star]