David Oakley's family has been in the car business in Bartlesville for 50 years. He owns Oakley Pontiac-Buick which also sells Jeeps, a Chrysler product. As of Thursday morning he had not received word from Chrysler. However, while 2news was there he received a package. David Oakley says, "As part of the bankruptcy filing, they are not going to renew me." Chrysler sent him a letter stating they want to sever ties with his dealership. He is already moving his dealership and will continue to sell Pontiac and Buick while adding another brand, Chevrolet. Oakley adds, "I hate to see it go as part of the Oakley family, but picking up Chevy is good for us."
Just down the road, Mike, Pat, and Terry Quinn had a stormy night waiting for word. Mike Quinn says, "A lot of antacids and heartburn for about the past 2 months for us...We received a UPS overnight today and it welcomed us to the new company." Quinn Chrysler Dodge will continue to sell the Chrysler line. Quinn adds, "It is bitter sweet. I never want something bad to happen to other dealers." Despite the challenges, Quinn expects the Chrysler brand to become stronger. He says, "We are building some of the best cars we have in the 25 years I've been a dealer."
Oakley wishes he had known sooner saying, "Hopefully we will hear from Chrysler."
The other Chrysler dealerships in Oklahoma that are affected are in Clinton, Lawton, Fairview, Atoka, Cordell, Enid, and Stillwater.
They have until May 26th to appeal before the bankruptcy court hearing on June 3rd.
The 12 Oklahoma dealerships affected are the following:
Ballards of Clinton (Clinton)
Eddie Cordes Inc. (Lawton)
Jensens Inc. (Fairview)
JHS Business Associates Inc. (Atoka)
John Thomas Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep. Inc. (Cordell)
Milo Gordon Chrysler Inc. (Lawton)
Oakley Pontiac Buick (Bartlesville)The dealership will remain open but will no longer sell Chrysler vehicles
Reynolds Auto Group Inc (Durant)
Williams Chevrolet Pontiac Inc. (Stigler)
Wilson Chevrolet Inc. (Stillwater)
Fenton Motors (Stillwater)
Janzen Inc. (Enid)
Closing information attributed to: http://www.autonews.com
A complete list of dealerships affected can also be found at the website listed above.
