Omnigeek

I think a lot depends on the dealership itself and a bunch of the changes are societal. My local dealership still has a very personal and friendly style, treating everyone coming through the door as a member of the family. They've dealt with me that way before asking anything about my finances (when I first visited the dealership, I was driving a 16-year-old Chrysler) and even after I specifically said I wasn't sure I was going to buy one but if I did, it probably wouldn't be for months and months. After I DID buy 997 (from someone else), the maintenance department has treated me as if I'd been a 25-year customer.

Meanwhile, our society (particularly American but even in Europe or Asia) has steadily moved away from service culture and more and more into a "what have you done for me lately" culture over the past few decades. Yes, there are exceptions (like my local Porsche dealership) but I have run into a basic lack of courtesy, protocol, etc. in restaurants, stores, etc. It's hardly just Porsche dealerships -- I think it's just more noticeable with the dealerships due to higher expectations. You see the same kind of disgruntlement among frequent flyers on FlyerTalk but how many people dress up to fly in economy (much less Business / First Class) these days, as opposed to 30-40 years ago? We are in a weird place these days where people want to be able to dress like slobs and bums for their own personal comfort but expect everyone to treat them as if they were a dolled up movie star attending the Academy Awards.