Panama City- This time last year, if you wanted to buy a new vehicle, you pretty much knew your choices. But with this spring's upheaval in the automotive industry, the choices have changed, especially when it comes to Chrysler products. But the changes do not mean anyone is going out of business.

For Buzz Leonard Motors, Subarus are the future. When Chrysler dropped 789 of it's dealers in May, Buzz Leonard was on the list. Last month the dealership sold it's last Chrysler and Jeep vehicles, but that isn't going to put Buzz Leonard out of the new car business.

"We got really lucky and we were able to get a hot new car, Subaru. It's five star crash tested and gets 30 miles to the gallon," says Jerry Spitler. He is hoping those kind of numbers will draw buyers.
He believes that, plus a new parts agreement with Napa, will allow Buzz Leonard to attract new buyers while fulfilling old customers' service needs, no matter what they're driving.

The transition hasn't been easy, but Spitler says they've done the best they could with the hand Chrysler dealt them. "It was very unfair the way they handled things. There was no reason to make us unwind all those assets in 3 weeks, it caused alot of hardship. I am not bitter about it because I got this great car so we are going to go forward. And because we have the new franchise I am able to keep the team together.

Spitler and his team say there is a silver lining in the transition from Jeep to Subaru, especially for those off-road vehicle fans. "You know it's the American way. If we can bear down and work hard and keep focused on what we do and keep the customer, if the customer likes the deal he has gotten, he will come back, it is all about the customer."

As for the Chrysler products, they've moved across the street to the home of George Gainer and Chrysler's other line, Dodge. While Gainer's pleased he picked up the new lines, he wasn't necessarily pleased with the way things were handled. "Alot of these things I don't agree with, I don't think anybody should be bailing out anybody else. If I had my way about I would have let Buzz Leonard stay intact," says Gainer.

With Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler all under one roof, Gainer is now the sole Chrysler dealer in this area. "With that comes a lot of responsibilty, as do our other franchises, Lincoln, Dodge, Mercury, and Suzuki. We have Hyundai and we just bought Mitzubishi and we sell an electric car."

Gainer has been in the car business since his early 20's and is looking forward to what the future holds. "We have a lot at stake in Bay County and even though it's been a down year for a lot of folks we have been able to come through it just fine."