5 months ago
AUBURN, CA - It's been a fixture in Auburn for 23 years. But Gold Rush Chevrolet will be forced to close if General Motors has its way.
Dealership owner Steve Snyder received the bad news after GM filed for bankruptcy. "I got a letter called a wind-down letter," he said. "It said they would not renew my sales and service agreement as of October 2010."
Snyder has decided to fight back. "I filed an appeal letter. It took me three or four days to write it," he said.
If his dealership closes, it will leave a major void for Sierra foothill car owners. Grass Valley no longer has any car dealers and only five of eight dealerships remain in Auburn.
"With all the dealers closing up, I have customers who drive 30 miles from around Grass Valley to come here," Snyder said.
Robert Boisa stopped by Gold Rush to buy a part for his daughter's car. "I come here because it's a courteous place and they're always friendly," he said. "If they close we're going to lose a valuable part of our community. GM is having its problems. They should buck up and take care of it themselves."
Snyder said if he shuts down, Auburn will lose one of the largest generators of tax revenue. He also employs 35 people. "I have a Subaru dealership and a lube shop. I'll try to transfer as many of them there as possible," he said.
But if workers are laid off, Snyder wondered, "What's going to happen to them? With the economy like it is, where are they going to go? "
Snyder pointed out he's still awaiting word on his appeal from Detroit. "Being with Chevrolet my whole life, you would think they would answer me but they haven't," he said.
"Our sales are probably off 50 percent and so is everybody else's," Snyder said. "But our service department has picked up customers from the dealers that went out of business. And GM knows we're ranked in the 95th percentile in customer satisfaction. That means only five percent of the GM dealerships in the nation are doing better than us."
He hopes it's enough to get GM officials let him keep his doors open.
News10/KXTV
