"What SHOULD your dealership website ultimately achieve??"
...
It's so easy!
The website should MAKE MONEY.
I lease brand new cars in the UK and many people know my website, LINGsCARS. I have no other route to market and have no physical sales pitch, just an office. I don't sell over the phone, I do it all online.
This year, I will make gross profit (before overheads and tax) of well over $1m. All from my website with pictures of new cars... I stock no real new cars in the metal.
It is all about trust with the visitor, so if people trust you, they will transact.
But (in the UK) most car dealer websites are shiny advertisments, they are not bread and butter transactional websites at all. So, what on earth do dealers try and achieve from these websites?? In my view, the best that can be acheived is people searching your phone number, opening hours, directions, and possibly (if you keep it up to date - which customers disbelieve) they may flick through your stock.
It's really sad.
But the answer to the question is that a website should MAKE MONEY.
Hope that helps.
Ling.
