Editorial

Closings point out need to support local dealerships

Friday, May 15, 2009

One car company announced it would close a Southwest Nebraska car dealership, and while another company was announcing more dealership cuts today, we don't know at press time exactly how that move will affect our area.

As Lee Janssen pointed out in a letter Thursday, it's ironic that big car companies want to close dealerships, which are, in effect, their customers.

In small towns especially, the ripple effect is enormous, from the sales taxes collected to the salaries of the sales people and dealership staff to the lenders who provide car loans and numerous community charities to which car dealerships contribute.

As Janssen, a longtime car dealer pointed out, "I don't think they want to drive 75 miles, or perhaps more, to get their vehicle serviced."

The situation points out what wise car shoppers already know, the importance of supporting the local dealerships that support their customers and local communities. It's sad that it takes losing local dealerships to drive that point home.

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  • They aren't "closing the dealerships", they are just taking away the franchise. Big difference. If these dealerships didn't put all of their eggs into one basket, they should be able to expand their used market or other new market. It's actually nice to see a company such as Chrysler or GM put a step forward to making a wrong into a right. They are trying to cut back and put their product into markets that are more lucrative and rebuild. What's wrong with that? Maybe more companies should be doing that to keep afloat during this recession.

    -- Posted by FNLYHOME on Fri, May 15, 2009, at 1:25 PM
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