Bob Moore Closing Dealerships

[okc_bel_air]

Heard today that they will be closing the Saab, Saturn and Hummer dealerships soon.

[metro]

Wow. He must not be hurting, he's still sporting courtside seats at Thunder games. I've seen the girl spokesperson for his commercials down front every game I've been too, mostly not watching the game.

[betts]

I heard Hummer and Saturn were on their way out everywhere. I can't remember the last time I saw a Saab on the streets. I thought Hummers were an atrocious idea, and cannot wait to see them as dinosaurs, but don't really have an opinion on the others. I suppose that will mean more jobs lost, though, which is a shame.

[metro]

I'd love an original Hummer, the military grade, if only I could convert it to vegetable oil or solar power..........

[bornhere]

I knew someone who had one. Said it was the most uncomfortable vehicle he'd ever driven, and unloaded it pretty quick.

[Generals64]

Wow. He must not be hurting, he's still sporting courtside seats at Thunder games. I've seen the girl spokesperson for his commercials down front every game I've been too, mostly not watching the game.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob Moore himself is not hurting at all....died a few years back....

[metro]

haha, true, i meant his company

[OKCisOK4me]

I heard Hummer and Saturn were on their way out everywhere. I can't remember the last time I saw a Saab on the streets.

I guess those new Saturn's aren't turning enough heads, like they talk about in the commercials. Funny enough, I've seen quite a few Saabs on the road & they look a lot better than they did in the '80s.

[foodiefan]

can't remember where I heard/read this. . .but Bob Moore dealerships are now owned by a mega dealer out of Houston. . . or maybe KC or SL?? They just kept the local name.

[dalelakin]

That is Bob Howard dealerships they are owned by Group One out of Houston. I am pretty sure the Bob Moore dealers are locally owned.

[BB37]

That is Bob Howard dealerships they are owned by Group One out of Houston. I am pretty sure the Bob Moore dealers are locally owned.

Wasn't Bob Howard the son in law of Bob Moore?

[dismayed]

GM is getting rid of those three makes.

[zuluwarrior0760]

Wasn't Bob Howard the son in law of Bob Moore?

Bob Howard wasn't Bob Moore's son in law, but he did work for Bob
Moore in the 70s as a general manager. Bob Moore died of cancer in 2000.
Bob Howard retired in 2002, but he still owns the Mercedes dealership downtown. his other dealerships including Smicklas Chevrolet are owned
by Group 1 Automotive, a NYSE listed company based in Houston, TX.
No other dealers around here could have bought Howard, allowing him to retire. Given the current state of things, I'm pretty sure that Bob Howard is very happy to be largely out of the car business.........I haven't been in that business for many years, but I have a lot of friends who still are and it is clear that if things don't improve quickly, we could see half the dealerships in OKC close their doors........along with everywhere else in the U.S.
As for Saturn, Saab and Hummer, GM is looking at giving all three the Axe along with Pontiac, another underperformer..........no cars equal no dealerships......

[ssandedoc]

From a source, Bob Moore has been firing a lot of people the past few months and moving administrative functions to Houston. The person I know who is higher up in the company is fearing their job will be axed too.

[Kerry]

GM needs to get rid of all of their brands. This isn't 1955 anymore. GM needs to make 7 models and that is it.

1. SUV
2. Sports Car
3. Large family sedan
4. Medium family sedan
5. Small 2dr/4dr
6. Pick-up
7. entry level small car

They have way too many brands and models (65 last time I counted).

[ssandedoc]

GM needs to get rid of all of their brands. This isn't 1955 anymore. GM needs to make 7 models and that is it.

1. SUV
2. Sports Car
3. Large family sedan
4. Medium family sedan
5. Small 2dr/4dr
6. Pick-up
7. entry level small car

They have way too many brands and models (65 last time I counted).

I agree. Just cut down the brands to Chevy and Cadillac, and limit the number of models.

[betts]

A few hybrids wouldn't hurt. Gas prices will go up again, and people who are bargain hunting for massive gas guzzlers will again find themselves spending far more than they'd like to go places. If every manufacturer has a few hybrids, they'll sell them when people start trying to unload their gas guzzlers. My husband has a Prius, and he had to wait three months to get it and paid full price. I'm sure that's not the case right now, but we will be wanting fuel efficient cars again and it's foolish to ignore that part of the market. Ignoring the market is one of the factors that got these manufacturers into the trouble they're in.

[Kerry]

betts - they could have a hybrid version of every model and multiple trim levels. Just go to the GM web site and see how many SUVs they make, or mid-size cars, or sports cars, or... They don't need to be making 11 different SUVs. Make 1 SUV model with 3 trim levels and a hybrid option and make them all in one plant. The divisions of GM compete more with themselves than they do with other manufacturers.

I just checked the GM website - they make 34 different SUVs across all brands. No way they can make money selling 34 different models. The economies of scale are just not there.

[OKCTalker]

Saab - I owned a Saab in the 1980s when Bob Moore was the dealer. Service was expensive and mediocre. I bought another Saab in 2000 when BRI was the dealer, and owned it until they were circling the drain and rumors started going around that Moore was going to take the franchise. I bailed. They're popular and well supported in other parts of the country, but not in OKC, and I think that Volvo's killing them everywhere.

[zuluwarrior0760]

Thanks for the Saab story.......

[okyeah]

didn't bob moore recently have Bob Moore Ford built on I-35 & SE 89th? thought that was weird considering Ford's current state.....

[Kerry]

didn't bob moore recently have Bob Moore Ford built on I-35 & SE 89th? thought that was weird considering Ford's current state.....

Ford's current state? Ford is the only domestic manufacturer not asking for a bailout. The Ford CEO said their restructuring plan is on track and they have enough funds to go into 2010. It is GM with there multiple brands and privately held Chrysler that are in trouble.

[bluedogok]

Yep, Ford may be the only one that survives intact.

[okyeah]

Why did the CEOs of Ford, Chrysler, and GM all go to capitol hill in November?

GM, Ford, Chrysler Want Emergency Aid : NPR


General Motors, Ford and Chrysler have asked for $25 billion in government loans to survive the economic crisis — that's in addition to the $25 billion Congress approved in September to foster fuel-efficient technology.

THAT's why I assumed Ford was in trouble. If Ford was NOT in trouble, why would they even be there asking for $? Maybe now they've gone ahead and did something else--but why ask for $ if you don't really need it? Obviously they were looking for a bailout. I'm sure Ford PR wants it to look like they planned this all along and they are doing fine, but that's probably not the case

but I don't really care/keep up with it because I'm in the healthcare field- I've got other things to worry about

[bombermwc]

You know 6 months ago I would have been pissed because I always took my Saturn to the dealership on 240 for service. They USED to provide me with better and cheaper service than any shop that I trusted. But they've jacked up their prices a LOT (oil changes went from $25 to $40) and they want to add a bunch of crap that they never used to try and sell. So I recently decided to say, screw you to them and never go back. Plus they have taken 3-4 hours for an oil change every time I've had one done....effing stupid if you ask me. So now, I won't miss them at all. The service I've had there in the last 2 years and made me decide to never buy a Saturn again. Plus even though the Aura was a car I HAD thought about buying, the gas mileage stinks like the other GM cars.