Mazda Dealers and Mazda Enthusiasts - Does It Work To Mix Them Together?

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Permalink Reply by Tim Kilpatrick on November 9, 2009 at 10:23pm

i think a dealership should have a good standing with local car community's. what most dealerships lack is actual passion for the cars they sell, they are mainly trying to make money off selling cars. by having a good relationship with a local club, having a place clubs can hang out or do a BBQ, can provide the passion that may be lacking for potential customers to see. local clubs provide a way for others to see what can be done to Mazda's and also have a source to ask questions how to do things to vehicles they are wanting to purchase.

the problem i've seen with most dealerships is that unless the local car club is willing/wanting to buy cars they usually don't support them very well. they initially think it's a good way to bring in customers, but they forget that we already have cars and love them so aren't really in the market for a new one. the return they get off parts sales is usually minimal so not really something they are looking for and lastly most dealerships don't work with car clubs for warranty work when a car has modifications to it. some dealerships try to blame any modification on the problem even when they are not even remotely related.

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Permalink Reply by ADP Social Media Marketing on November 13, 2009 at 6:41pm

@Tom - I like your comment... I was an automotive enthusiast before I ever got into the business, and still am. My name is Ralph Paglia and I am working with Phil Kerr and Greg Limbeck at CardinaleWay Mazda to help develop their social networking strategy... This automotive community site was my idea and Phil and Greg agreed to it because they understand that Mazda has a huge enthusiast component to its success in America. In fact, I work with several East Coast Mazda Dealers that tell me they cannot imagine a Mazda dealer being able to do well unless they themselves are true enthusiasts of Mazda cars. Regardless of success levels for the dealership, there is no doubt that different brands of cars have different groups or types of people that become evangelists for the brand and participate in various related activities, such as car clubs and motorsports. With that said, it is exciting to see the level of passionate enthusiasm that so many Mazda owners have for the cars and what I call the "Zoom Zoom Lifestyle...". Which, is hard for me to describe, but I see so much evidence of it. That's why I uploaded those video clips with interviews, such as the Mazda Racing driver who describes how Mazda out performs other teams with more budget and more people on race day.

I have owned several Mazdas over the years, starting with an RX-2 way back in the eighties that I loved... It had a bigger twin rotary engine than the initial RX-7 did and although it looked sort of funky, by the time I got done with it and put wheels and tires, Suspension Techniques, stripped all the chrome trim off of it, then painted it "Saturn Bronze Firemist" which was a Cadillac color, it looked pretty radical. What a great little canyon racer that car was! I was living in San Diego at the time and had taken the RX-2 in on trade while working as a salesman at a VW dealership.

Anyways, thanks for the comment and your obviously sincere opinions... I am committed to working with the crew at CardinaleWay Mazda to better connect them with the Mazda Enthusiast Community, and what they see here at MazdaCommunity.org will go a long way towards the real people in the dealership getting a better understanding for how important the Mazda Community of enthusiasts are to their job satisfaction and customer relationships.

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Permalink Reply by Jacob Bastian on December 28, 2009 at 8:16pm

Personally this is the first i've seen of this and i love it! Its very hard to find a good parts department that when you ask for gaskets for your Rotary Engine, they then ask "is that a 6 cylnder???" nothing lowers my confidence more, than having to explain my engine to the parts guy or especially another technician.

P.S. You guys hiring? lol i'm currently attending UTI and Graduate in June and am Pushing my way into trying to work for Mazda.

CardinaleWay Mazda said:

@Tom - I like your comment... I was an automotive enthusiast before I ever got into the business, and still am. My name is Ralph Paglia and I am working with Phil Kerr and Greg Limbeck at CardinaleWay Mazda to help develop their social networking strategy... This automotive community site was my idea and Phil and Greg agreed to it because they understand that Mazda has a huge enthusiast component to its success in America. In fact, I work with several East Coast Mazda Dealers that tell me they cannot imagine a Mazda dealer being able to do well unless they themselves are true enthusiasts of Mazda cars. Regardless of success levels for the dealership, there is no doubt that different brands of cars have different groups or types of people that become evangelists for the brand and participate in various related activities, such as car clubs and motorsports. With that said, it is exciting to see the level of passionate enthusiasm that so many Mazda owners have for the cars and what I call the "Zoom Zoom Lifestyle...". Which, is hard for me to describe, but I see so much evidence of it. That's why I uploaded those video clips with interviews, such as the Mazda Racing driver who describes how Mazda out performs other teams with more budget and more people on race day.

I have owned several Mazdas over the years, starting with an RX-2 way back in the eighties that I loved... It had a bigger twin rotary engine than the initial RX-7 did and although it looked sort of funky, by the time I got done with it and put wheels and tires, Suspension Techniques, stripped all the chrome trim off of it, then painted it "Saturn Bronze Firemist" which was a Cadillac color, it looked pretty radical. What a great little canyon racer that car was! I was living in San Diego at the time and had taken the RX-2 in on trade while working as a salesman at a VW dealership.

Anyways, thanks for the comment and your obviously sincere opinions... I am committed to working with the crew at CardinaleWay Mazda to better connect them with the Mazda Enthusiast Community, and what they see here at MazdaCommunity.org will go a long way towards the real people in the dealership getting a better understanding for how important the Mazda Community of enthusiasts are to their job satisfaction and customer relationships.

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Permalink Reply by ADP Social Media Marketing on January 4, 2010 at 9:36pm

Jacob - The CardinaleWay team is always looking for good people who are Mazda enthusiasts... I suggest you set up an appointment to introduce yourself to Phil Kerr who is the GM. He will be back from his vacation later this week. Call the dealershipo, ask for Phil and tell him you were referred to him by Ralph Paglia at the MazdaCommunity.org.

Jacob Bastian said:

Personally this is the first i've seen of this and i love it! Its very hard to find a good parts department that when you ask for gaskets for your Rotary Engine, they then ask "is that a 6 cylnder???" nothing lowers my confidence more, than having to explain my engine to the parts guy or especially another technician.

P.S. You guys hiring? lol i'm currently attending UTI and Graduate in June and am Pushing my way into trying to work for Mazda.

CardinaleWay Mazda said:

@Tom - I like your comment... I was an automotive enthusiast before I ever got into the business, and still am. My name is Ralph Paglia and I am working with Phil Kerr and Greg Limbeck at CardinaleWay Mazda to help develop their social networking strategy... This automotive community site was my idea and Phil and Greg agreed to it because they understand that Mazda has a huge enthusiast component to its success in America. In fact, I work with several East Coast Mazda Dealers that tell me they cannot imagine a Mazda dealer being able to do well unless they themselves are true enthusiasts of Mazda cars. Regardless of success levels for the dealership, there is no doubt that different brands of cars have different groups or types of people that become evangelists for the brand and participate in various related activities, such as car clubs and motorsports. With that said, it is exciting to see the level of passionate enthusiasm that so many Mazda owners have for the cars and what I call the "Zoom Zoom Lifestyle...". Which, is hard for me to describe, but I see so much evidence of it. That's why I uploaded those video clips with interviews, such as the Mazda Racing driver who describes how Mazda out performs other teams with more budget and more people on race day.

I have owned several Mazdas over the years, starting with an RX-2 way back in the eighties that I loved... It had a bigger twin rotary engine than the initial RX-7 did and although it looked sort of funky, by the time I got done with it and put wheels and tires, Suspension Techniques, stripped all the chrome trim off of it, then painted it "Saturn Bronze Firemist" which was a Cadillac color, it looked pretty radical. What a great little canyon racer that car was! I was living in San Diego at the time and had taken the RX-2 in on trade while working as a salesman at a VW dealership.

Anyways, thanks for the comment and your obviously sincere opinions... I am committed to working with the crew at CardinaleWay Mazda to better connect them with the Mazda Enthusiast Community, and what they see here at MazdaCommunity.org will go a long way towards the real people in the dealership getting a better understanding for how important the Mazda Community of enthusiasts are to their job satisfaction and customer relationships.

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