Just don't look to GAS for a more radical lift. It's not because the company is trying to protect you from yourself. Rather, the finance and insurance companies want to make sure this investment is relatively secure. And handing over the keys for a tippy monster truck to a teenager hopped up on Rockstar doesn't exactly inspire confidence. All of which means that a GAS sport truck doesn't have to be dull, just not too risky.
Lastly, Column C consists of previous customers bringing their trucks back for an up-fit with their choice of aftermarket upgrades. As you might expect, "Galpin is built on volume [sales], along with repeat and referral business," Boeckmann points out. "Our real business comes from happy customers recommending us to friends and family," which means they often come back for more mods as their finances permit.
Whichever scenario you fall into, the layout of the GAS store, staffed by 35 employees, really has an impact as a one-stop customizers' paradise. Designed in part by Eddie Sotto, a Disney Imagineer, it has row after row of panels displaying every type of part, from brushguards to brakes, roof racks to racing rubber, and seats to superchargers. Intakes, exhausts, suspensions, upholstery, paint color chips-you want it, GAS has it.
Picking the right rims is obviously a key aspect of any sport truck, and that's why Sotto came up with the Wall of Wheels. "I'm especially proud of that display," Boeckmann says. And he should be, considering the glittering array of rims.
There's also a sound-system area, housed in an acoustic environment, allowing audiophiles to tune their ride's tunes, in addition to its performance. Enhancing the appeal of the store are general racks of apparel, DVDs, books, and other automotive accessories, so there's something for every level of enthusiast.
In sum, even though GAS is part of a huge dealership, it doesn't take a cookie-cutter approach. "I'll never forget something my cousin Steve McCloud said once," Boeckmann adds. "He told me, since opening, we haven't done the same thing twice," which is exactly what a competent customizer is all about, whether it's a small shop or a large dealership. And that also applies to financing the whole deal, which will likely require some custom touches, as well.
The Final Word
So, should you try to finance cool? Maybe. If you don't have the cash to pay for a new truck and you just have to have a set of dubs on it the day you roll off the dealer's lot, then financing the whole deal through the dealership might be for you. Just make sure the loan is something you can live with, and assume that you'll never get back what you pay for it, if you ever try to sell the truck.
Can you buy a cool sport truck from a new car dealer? Yes. But, if you want to have the baddest truck on the block, then you'll have to take ride to an independent custom shop that has no qualms about cutting into the frame to lay your truck flat on the ground, diving into the engine to build mucho horsepower, or lifting it to the sky. Remember, if it bolts on, then a dealership might be the way to go, but if your goals of automotive super-stardom are loftier than what bolt-on, smog-legal parts can achieve, then you'd better be ready to spend more coin and visit a custom shop.