KissMySilvSS Posted March 9, 2010 Report Share Posted March 9, 2010 (edited) I'm not usually one to vent on public forums or discuss my personal life, but most of you guys are a good group and I enjoy talking to you guys. After months of keeping this inside, I just need to vent and get this off of my chest, I'm not whining! Some of you may or may not know that I worked in sales at my father's GM dealership, I have worked there since I was a little dude. Well after 20 years in the business, we were forced to close the dealership. We were a Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, GMC dealership. My family has been selling brand new GM's since my Grandfather returned from the war in 1945. I liked to believe we were pretty honest businessmen both to our customers and to our financial lenders. We were selling vehicles to 4th and 5th generation families, repeat business was our business. I'll try to keep this as brief as possible, but to start we did make the "cut" last summer when GM was sending out the termination letters. In fact, 2008 was our best year across the board in the 20 years that we were in business. We have always had our floorplan with GMAC, as did my Grandfather since 1945 in his old store. On Jan 1st 2009, GMAC started doing things that made us wonder what the hell was going on, cutting wholesale lines, raising floorplan interest, wanting curtailment payments on overaged units, etc...things that they have never done before. Mind you my father has always been straight with GMAC, never an issue with payment, never and issue with audits, nothing, nothing, nothing. The last thing he would do is screw GMAC, I mean our family has been with them since 1945! In 2007 and 2008 we maybe had 2 audits combined, 2009 they were coming every two weeks. Again never an issue, they told us it was their "new policy". About June 1st, they started charging dealers $600 per audit (where before they did not)..."new policy". So my father called around to his other friends that are small GM dealers such as us, and boom same thing across the board. Guys that have been in business for 30-40 years. All the while GMAC was getting their share of the bailout, and starting Ally bank. They've now gotten two bailouts and they still don't have any money. Remember Ditech.Com, GMAC lost their ass when they got into the junk mortgage business, and have made poorer and poorer investments since. But they chose to take it out on their auto financing arm, because they can during this economy. So on my fathers birthday (I'm sure intentionally), GMAC sent my father a certified letter saying that we have until the first of the year (2010) to go find a floorplan somewhere else, because they are re-evaluating their small dealer floorplan network. Basically saying, that they do not make enough money off of small rural dealers such as us, blah, blah, blah. They are blaming the economy, car sales and every other fricken thing they can but their lack of intelligence. This was pretty much a death sentence, because unless you have been living under a rock, you know the shape of the car business right now. No bank even wants to give you an application, much less talk to you. But of course we tried, nationally & locally the answer was the same. So on December 23rd, the last of the vehicles were sold/wholesaled, etc and we closed up shop (because our floorplan ended at Dec 23rd 12AM...nice kick in the nuts). I'd also like to point out, as my father did to GMAC and GM, that we were leading the district in the month of December with 20+ new car deliveries, beating dealerships 3X our size. What a horrible Christmas that was, I would have liked to have ruined a few of the people at GMAC/GM's X-Masses. I'm not trying to sound like a conspiracy theorist or whatever, but it seems as though GM/GMAC must have worked together to cut the small dealerships they could by terminating their floorplan, as GM couldn't due to performance. Both parties knew dealerships like ours didn't have a prayer of getting a floorplan with another financial institution. This is what other small friendly dealers have said too. As they say, I guess it'll all come around someday and bite GM/GMAC in the ass, but that doesn't due much to improve my situation. If you buy from your local rural dealership, support them. Because they are likely going through the same mess that we did, they might not make it. So, its been real real rough on me for the past few months. We were a couple of years away of working into the transition phase of me taking the dealership over from my father. That I could really care less about that now, the toll this has taken on my whole family is heartbreaking. I don't think I have to say that I'll never give GM .$2C of my money ever again. I'll cherish my SSS, but thats about all I'll say about that. Thanks for listening, Teddy Edited March 9, 2010 by KissMySilvSS (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcmahan Posted March 9, 2010 Report Share Posted March 9, 2010 (edited) Wow Teddy sry to hear brother. My dad dealership is going through the same thing right now. He is so stredded out about it plus my parents are getting a divorce after 30+ years so needless to say my dad is goiin insane. He calls me every night to vent to me about it. I use to be his finance manager along time ago before the Army in the mid 90's its was good back then. he hasnt mentioned getting a new floorplan with another financial institution yet but I know he is gonna have to to or let it go. Again sry you had to go through this and I hope every thing works out for you and your family I am here if you need anything just give me a shout Justin Edited March 9, 2010 by McMahan (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketaylor4 Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 thats bullsh*t Fu*K them, they dont care about loyalty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KissMySilvSS Posted March 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 Wow Teddy sry to hear brother. My dad dealership is going through the same thing right now. He is so stredded out about it plus my parents are getting a divorce after 30+ years so needless to say my dad is goiin insane. He calls me every night to vent to me about it. I use to be his finance manager along time ago before the Army in the mid 90's its was good back then. he hasnt mentioned getting a new floorplan with another financial institution yet but I know he is gonna have to to or let it go. Again sry you had to go through this and I hope every thing works out for you and your family I am here if you need anything just give me a shout Justin Justin, I don't know much about your dad's situation, but if it is anything like ours the only advice I would give to him is to try and get a floorplan somewhere else. GM/GMAC just do not care about the little guy anymore, which is sad because we are the dealers that made GM what they are today. I appreciate your words, and I am thinking of your family as well. I know what you are going through. Teddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChevyMan23 Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 I, my fiance, my dad, and my mom all bought their recent vehicles from a rural GM dealer. The service there was so much better than the bigger guys. I hope theyre around the next time Im in the market. Im sorry about your situation, but GM has really shit their own bed this time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsws6 Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 i know 2 family dealerships that have closed down in my area. it sucks they employed local people and spent money locally. i will never buy a gm product again becuase of this. i heard it was very political the republican owners got notices that they were going to get shut down and a lot of the democrats were able to stay open any truth to this ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman31 Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 I am sorry Teddy, the same thing has happened down here, most of the smaller dealerships have closed. The dealer by my office was given an ultimatum by GM last summer, they were ordered to find a new mainstream location on the area's main drag where all the other dealers are located within a 6 week period. Needless to say, they couldn't pull it off and got closed. Hell, Ramp Chevrolet in Port Jefferson which was one of the Island's larger dealerships closed up shop, including Ramp Corvette. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbeast ss Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 dam that sucks sorry to hear that,fu** em keep your head up and move foward Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hankg42 Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 Wow, don't quite know what to say, other than keep your chin up. I've seen a number of Chevy dealers near me shut down, including ones that I would have thought were large enough to survive. It's a tough way to treat people who have served the company for so many years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2006SilverSS Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 Sorry to hear that man, it more than sucks to read about something like that. I can't say I can relate, but I do hope that all works out for you and your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcmahan Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 Justin, I don't know much about your dad's situation, but if it is anything like ours the only advice I would give to him is to try and get a floorplan somewhere else. GM/GMAC just do not care about the little guy anymore, which is sad because we are the dealers that made GM what they are today. I appreciate your words, and I am thinking of your family as well. I know what you are going through. Teddy His is simular to yours Mr Teddy to be honest I think he is feed up with it and is ready to retire the dealership was passed on to him also. He had mentioned about a bigger group wanting to buy the place and I think thats the rout he is leaning towards I just hope all this mess gets sorted out soon its a big PITA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1ss Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 I bought my Sss from a dealership that is small and not "franchised" across MA that my grandfather had been going to for 30+ years, that is how I got such a good deal on the truck. When gas starting climbing a few years back, that dealer sold their shop to a big "chain" dealership, and moved down the road. The much bigger "chain" dealership will not be touching my truck for certain reasons. I have been loyal to the smaller dealership and always will be. Their treatment of me, and my truck is 2nd to none. They even let me in the service area to watch my truck be worked on. I am sorry to hear of your situation Teddy, it sucks how honest people get screwed but in the end karma will bite GMAC hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sierra ss Posted March 11, 2010 Report Share Posted March 11, 2010 Hate to here that man. Hope everything works out for all of you. On a side note I dont see why in the hell GM did not shut the dealership here in town down. It is the worst to deal with and charge 3X more for there parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlack Posted March 11, 2010 Report Share Posted March 11, 2010 That really friggin sucks. I wish you and your family the best of luck...I have bought all my gm trucks from a small town dealers.. But saddly the one i used Robertsons Chevy in Wareham Ma just closed up.. I got a leter in the mail saying hey were not a certified chevy dealer anymore, I was like WTF.. They were a very nice company to deal with not like the big dealers where its like talking to Joey bag a doughnuts.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badazzchevy327 Posted March 11, 2010 Report Share Posted March 11, 2010 man thats shitty. everything you guys have is just gone now. so how much do you guys actually mark the price up on average. i know you gotta make money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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