Despite consumer concerns about General Motors Co., Gainesville dealerships have felt little to no impact after recent recalls.
GM recalled a total of about 2.7 million vehicles Thursday, the largest recalls being Chevy Malibus with numerous issues spanning over models from 2004 to 2012 and 2014, according to its website.
Don Close, owner of Don Close Auto Direct located at 2629 N. Main St. next to Northside Shopping Center, said he has not seen any change in sales of GM vehicles due to the recalls.
“I’ve been to auctions all around the area and people still buy GM just as much,” Close said. “I think today’s generation of drivers is more willing to forget the past and look forward.”
Close also said within his business, GM outsold Ford Motor Co. vehicles in the past week.
Mike Brewster, sales manager at Tomlinson Motor Company, said he, too, has not seen any decline in GM sales.
“It has not affected the (used) market whatsoever,” Brewster said.
Brewster believes GM’s reputation was already not as good as other major car companies — and the recalls have not helped its image — but the impact will be negligible.
“The American public has a very short memory,” he said.
While there has been little immediate effect on GM sales around Gainesville, consumers have expressed concerns.
As a 2008 Chevy Malibu owner, Brennan Mace said he has reservations about buying from GM again.
“It’s extremely worrying,” Mace said, a 16-year-old high school student at Cornerstone Academy. “If I had to choose right now, I’d buy Ford.”
Frankie Bellows, a 76-year-old retiree in Gainesville, has similar concerns. Bellows said he was a former GM enthusiast, but now owns two Fords. He believes GM’s products have been going downhill for several years.
“If you have a bad cup of hot chocolate and you buy another and it’s bad, then you buy a third and it’s bad, it’s time to stop buying,” Bellows said. “That’s how I feel about GM.”
Bellows said he does not believe that Gainesville dealers or GM as a whole will feel any significant repercussions.
The reason? People are accustomed to subpar products.
“This generation doesn’t expect a quality car,” Bellows said. “Today’s America is used to mediocrity.”
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 5/20/2014 under the headline "General Motors Co. recalls may have no effect in Gainesville"]
