Mercedes Benz

TO THE EDITOR: The Aug. 6 issue prompted these thoughts: 1. Keith Crain's "Keep your eyes on used cars" is like "teaching your grandmother to suck eggs." For those unfamiliar, it means giving advice about a subject of which the audience should be well-versed. When appointing dealers some 30 years ago, in addition to appraising the candidate's finances, facilities and experience, I always insisted on knowing who the used-car sales manager would be. Furthermore, I would recommend he/she be compensated higher than the new-car sales manager because the used-car sales manager would have a far greater knowledge of all used-car values as well as mysterious selling margins vs. the relatively tight spread on new-car sales. In short, a dealer's operating expense coverage comprises service, parts and used cars — but only partially and never totally new cars. 2. "GM hires ex-Trump aide as its D.C. voice": A transparent move, methinks. The auto industry s...