It's just another corporation
Pros
High turnover means that promotion opportunities are plentiful. Minis are a little better than the area average ($200 vs. $100-$150). Benefits are on par with other dealerships but don't let them give you the impression that they are any better than any other major car dealership. If you're a car salesman interested in a Career rather than jumping from dealership to dealership then Lithia may be a good fit if you are smart and can create demand for your skills. Corporate has evolved and is giving a lot more control to the local management and that is a good thing.
Cons
Lower pay than comparable jobs in the area. Lithia was the 1st Dealership company that I worked for. I sold for 2 years and then worked F&I for 5 more and Sales Manager for another year and a half. I discovered after the fact that my Pay Plans for F&I and Sales Manager were about 65-75% of what I would be making at a comparable job at another dealership. Can't really blame Lithia, shame on me for not looking into other options. Just keep your eyes open and go in expecting to be badly low-balled. This is not the same company it was 6 years ago. 6 years ago they did have comprehensive training for Sales and Managers (1 or 2 weeks of nothing but training, usually in Medford) but that all stopped with the economy crash and it became too expensive and then they discovered that they weren't getting as much return on this training as they thought and now they do it like everyone else. They still maintain a few corporate trainers that will come in and train the new sales staff for a couple of days on site within the first few months (when they have enough new salespeople to justify sending someone in). Less transparent than other dealerships and corporate is more focused on doing it "The Lithia Way" than getting a car deal done. They have evolved as the internet has kind of crushed the whole idea of Dealership loyalty and it is easier to shop prices. Management on the local dealership seems to be embracing this but the message hasn't trickled up, yet. Just like any other car dealership, you will be expected to pretty much live there. You'll get lip service that you are encouraged to take vacation days and have a life outside of the dealership but it's just words and not the reality. They are no different than most other dealerships in this regard. Once you are ready to move beyond F&I, you need to have a membership card to the Ol' Boys Club.