Nabers dealership mourns loss of Oldsmobile

Jennifer Kho

COSTA MESA -- Despite a national decline in Oldsmobile’s popularity

since the 1980s, Nabers Cadillac and Oldsmobile on Harbor Boulevard said

its sales have remained steady since it began selling the brand four

years ago.

General Motors Corp. announced Tuesday it will discontinue the

Oldsmobile brand. Although the Nabers dealership may experience reduced

sales because of the decision, the main loss will be the car itself,

dealership officials said.

“We’re sad to see [the Oldsmobile] go,” said Paul Schuster, general

manager for the dealership, which opened in 1967. “It’s a great car that

lost its identity in the ‘80s ‘Not Your Father’s Oldsmobile’ advertising

campaign. That [campaign] changed the demographics of the people who

bought the car, and I don’t think [General Motors] put enough time into

re-identifying it. It’s an upper middle-class vehicle that has always led

the market in engineering and quality. It’s the oldest model GM has, a

conservative-looking automobile that [historically] appealed to the owner

aged 45 to 55.”

Nabers -- the only new Oldsmobile dealer in town -- and the other car

lots that make up the Harbor Boulevard of Cars are a major source of

revenue for the city. However, the city’s overall car sales probably

won’t be hurt by the absence of Oldsmobiles, said Ed Fawcett, the head of

the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce.

“If GM is discontinuing a line that is no longer in as heavy demand as

it would like, there are more than enough selections and choices of makes

and models to make up the difference,” he said. “Ford discontinued its

Firebird line about two years ago, and it didn’t impact the city. The

difference was made up by what is selling best, which are the SUVs right

now.”

Duncan Craycroft, Nabers’ used car manager, said he expects the loss

of the Oldsmobile line to cut down on his used car sales.

“The Oldsmobile has a loyal following,” he said. “In the used car lot,

they have done very well. There has always been a demand for them, and

there still is today.

Schuster said although he expects reduced sales because of the

announcement, promotions -- including rebates for Oldsmobiles and other

General Motors cars -- could help to counter the potential decrease.

Also, he said that the dealership doesn’t expect any loss over the long

term because it plans to replace the Oldsmobile cars with another General

Motors brand.

“We’re extremely optimistically looking forward to the change,”

Schuster said. “If we’re able to pick up another type of GM franchise, it

will be beneficial to the entire area. We are going to continue to

service Oldsmobiles as long as necessary. GM has assured us that parts

will be available. . . . The change will not have any affect on the

number of people working here. I see no reason for a reduction of our

force whatsoever.”

No decision has been made about the potential replacement brand, he

said. General Motors has set up a team to work with each dealership

individually, but the team has not yet contacted the Nabers dealership,

he said.

The phasing out process will take between one to three years, Schuster

said. He added that the dealerships will continue to sell each model

until sales drop below a certain number, which has not yet been

announced.

A 2002 Bravada model -- larger, restyled and scheduled for release in

three months -- will be the last new model produced, he said.