Thursday, May 14, 2009

Chrysler Dealerships Closing List Is Here

After some searching, I found the Chrysler Dealerships Closing List posted on the Baltimore Business Journal website. Here is a link to the full list of Chrysler Dealership Closings on their site.

Just right-click the link and choose "Save Target As..." to save it to your computer. It's 41 pages long. (It's a pdf document. You will need Adobe, most computers have it, to read it.) Or you can click to open it now.

I've also downloaded a copy. If the link above doesn't work, let me know in the comments below and I'll load it to one of my servers so you can grab a copy.

After a very quick search, it looks like 21 of the 789 dealerships are located in Indiana.

There might be more. I just used the quick text-search tool... didn't have time tonight to read through the list line-by-line.

From what I understand, GM hasn't yet compiled the list of dealerships they plan to close. They are said to be closing 3,600 franchises from their 6,200 franchise network. I have a feeling the impact of the GM Dealership closings will be felt much deeper considering the numbers... but still, I imagine there are quite a few unhappy Chrysler dealership/personnel upset right now.

I don't blame them.

My hearts go out to each and every one of them.

Imagine, if you dare, that ...say... McDonald's decided to close over 50% of their franchises here in the USA. Can you imagine how many people would be impacted?

You all know my stand on the wasteful Government spending by this Administration since it took over the reigns of governing. And yet, I am shocked and appalled by what they did to Chrysler -- and how they did it.

Look for the story behind the story.

Don't take the 30-second sound-bites from mainstream media as the only story on this. Look deeper, my friends... if you can stomach the ugly truth of what really happened here.

I owned a Chrysler Newport once.

It lasted more than 10 years, was still running even after I pulled it off the road... and was still in great condition with wide front bucket seats that you could snuggle deep into and feel totally safe.

I remember the longest trip I took with it driving 2 days and 2 nights non-stop with the exception of getting gas and a burger at a few truck stops on the way. It was my all time most awesome car.

I once hit black ice on a long hill doing about 70 miles an hour (errrr, probably faster)... As it slid close to out of control, I had a choice. Choose the ditch (beyond which was a mountain side) or the lake (frozen solid beyond the highway barricade).

I chose the ditch and gunned it, because I knew that Chrysler would take me into the ditch and right back out again... it was that solid.

I was right.

Unfortunately, it pulled a 360 degree on me once back on the highway and I ended up slamming right back into that 10 foot snow-drifted-in ditch.

Even so, after being towed out, that car still ran like a dream and there wasn't even a scratch on it.

And then there is another unrelated story about the baby moose that hit my passenger mirror. That was a different place, different time... and the car fared better than the moose, considering there was just a slight dent in the backside of the mirror whereas the baby moose stood stunned for several minutes before ambling off after its mother into the forest.

Those were good times.

Good times.

The story isn't over yet. The article over at the BBJ indicated, "It's expected that the dealers will have a right to appeal Chrysler's decision." [link to full story]

Stay tuned to this one. It ties into my post the other day.

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