More Trouble For Shaky Auto Dealerships

In the San Francisco Bay Area, The Oakland Tribune reports:

• Four GMC Pontiac Buick dealerships, located in Dublin, Newark, Colma and San Jose, have abruptly closed their doors, as a fresh wave of shutdowns and consolidations roils the ranks of Bay Area auto dealers in the new year. About 100 employees lost their jobs because of the closure of Dublin Buick Pontiac GMC in Dublin and the shutdown of Fremont Pontiac GMC in Newark. Those East Bay operations closed Jan. 29.

For more, see More Bay Area auto dealerships closing.

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In Central New York, The Syracuse Post Standard reports:

• Since 2007, 11 car dealerships eight in Onondaga County have closed in Central New York.
  The 2007 Verizon Yellow Pages listed 46 new-car sales operations, handling 92 franchises. One veteran dealer estimated that the eight lost dealerships in Onondaga County sold about 15 percent of the cars there during an average year.

For more, see Area has lost 11 car dealerships.

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In Gilroy, California, The Gilroy Dispatch reports:

• After 60 years in business, Gilroy Pontiac Buick GMC has run out of gas, leaving 26 people without a job and causing other auto dealers and city officials to wonder who's next.(1)

For more, see Car dealership giant falls.

(1) These stories serve as a reminder for those either trading in, or buying, a used car to exercise extreme caution when selecting a dealership with which to do business. For a description of the kind of trouble awaiting an unwitting consumer who does business with the wrong dealership, see Folding dealers shock car buyers with unpaid liens ("It's becoming a serious problem because the consumer, through no fault of their own, may be facing financial ruin just because they purchased a car," [California state Senator Ellen] Corbett said.).