You know, when you tie the knot with your spouse you’re not marrying them, you’re signing on for years of interaction with their family. That means Thanksgiving with their creepy drunkard uncle, and a constant garage of passive aggressive reminders of how you’re not good enough, while at the same time, questions about when the knocking-up takes place. Buying a car is a similar process. When you sign on the line to buy a certain make, you are pretty much locked into a relationship with the closest member of that marque’s affiliate dealer, and some of those can be like your perfect spouse’s flatulent frat boy of a brother. It’s just how such things go. Right now consumers are required to buy cars through secondary retailers, not ‘factory-direct.’ Tesla is attempting to change that, but is having legal challenges in many states. The operating margin on those intermediary dealerships is pretty slim so for many a low volume dealer, money must be eked out whenever possible. That results  in some brands being – how shall I say this – not well represented in the market. That means that interacting with them, whether during the sale, or when attempting to obtain warrantied repairs, the experience can be akin to sparring with the most avid follower of whatever political affiliation is diametrically opposed to your own. Have you ever had – or experienced tales of – a dealer, and hence a brand, that is so heinous that you would actively avoid the consideration of the marque, just because of the dealer reputation? Image: AdAge