At one time, I used DePaula Chevrolet for all my car maintenance, going all the way back to the 1991 Pontiac 6000 that I took away from my Grandma Betty so that she wouldn’t test the theory of a 92-year-old woman driving with cataracts and a valid Massachusetts driver’s license.
And for the most part, DePaula did a reasonably good job with my cars.
That was until they ruined my Chevrolet Cruze to the point where it produced a noxious smell, a smell that could not be repaired or removed. I sadly cut that car loose (look, at the time it was the car or the girlfriend, you’d make the same decision as me), and invested in a 2017 Chevrolet Volt Premier (“Lightning’s Girl”).
At the time, I decided that DePaula would NOT touch this car. No sirree. I instead searched around all the Chevrolet dealerships in the area, and found that DeNooyer Chevrolet on Wolf Road has New York’s youngest master VOLTEC technician, which means he would treat my car like the chariot it is.
Of course, that meant that sometimes I would receive pre-printed coupons from DeNooyer Chevrolet, as well as some pre-printed coupons from DePaula Chevrolet (who at the time wanted to know if I would be interested in trading in my Chevrolet Cruze – you know, the one they borked in 2022).
Okay. That’s the recap.
I now own Lightning’s Girl flat and outright. And next month, I’m due for my annual New York State car inspection. Figured I’d go to DeNooyer, get an oil change at the same time, get the car inspected, and all would be fine.
Last Friday, however, I received coupons from BOTH dealerships on the same day.
And I’m not sure if I’m seeing dynamic pricing here … or if it’s a case of DePaula Chevrolet begging me to come back to them.
I get it. It’s General Motors trying to drum up some business when car dealerships are getting clobbered by Trump Tariffs and Trump Taxes.
But when I opened up the envelopes … I discovered that while DeNooyer is offering me some decent prices for general services … DePaula is offering better prices for the same exact services.
That’s not a misprint. Someone at GM’s headquarters must have slipped up and figured I’d be willing to pay $2 more to get an oil change at DeNooyer rather than at DePaula.
Then I looked at some more details on these little flyers.
A $70 difference for gold-branded front brake pads? A $200 difference for brake rotors? Well, at least the battery installation is the same for both dealerships – hey, wait a second, my card is a PHEV, it doesn’t even TAKE those batteries. Yeesh.
So … a quick call to DeNooyer Chevrolet, and they quickly confirmed that they will match all competing dealer prices and offers, all I have to do is bring in the advertising coupons when I get my oil change and state inspection.
Good.
Because, DePaula Chevrolet, it’s going to take a lot more than a few dollars off here and a few dollars off there to get me to come back to you in any way, shape, or form.
Unless you’re willing to put me in a jet-black ’77 Pontiac Trans Am with mag wheels, T-bar roof and four on the floor … or a cherry-apple-red ’72 Pontiac GTO “The Judge” … or maybe a cobalt-blue ’69 Chevrolet Camaro …
Then your offers will just be honored by someone else. And that’s just the way it is with me.
Because at this point in my life, I have to look out for number one.
And keep my distance from companies who treated me like number two.
Chuck The Writer 
We never forget being mistreated
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