DECATUR - Offering the Jeep brand of cars has turned into a good fit at the Bob Brady Auto Mall.
The northeast Decatur dealership has been selling new Jeeps since December after it was awarded the franchise. It already offers Dodge, Chrysler, Hyundai, Honda and Mitsubishi products.
"Now the juggling begins," General Manager Steve Gensler said. "There are a lot of good things going on out here. We've seen a significant increase in business especially with the Jeep products."
Adding the Jeep line hasn't required a lot of adjustment, as Gensler said having all the products in one place makes it easier to manage. Jeeps require having a few special tools, but training for technicians is intermixed between the vehicles, and service work has increased as previous Jeep owners bring in their vehicles for maintenance, Gensler said. The dealership has had to add a large arch in front and additional signs, owner Bob Brady said.
Jeep has had a quite a history, Brady said. The brand turns 70 years old this year, he said.
Brady began as a stand-alone Dodge dealer in 1986. The dealership started with 14 employees and now has more than 100 as it has steadily added the other brands over the past 25 years, he said.
Brady has survived the turbulent times in the car industry, especially as the future of Chrysler was in doubt as it worked through bankruptcy proceedings.
"Business is strong, in contrast to two years ago," Brady said. "Dealers thought the world was coming to an end. We weren't sure who was going to survive. You couldn't make a decision because we didn't know who was going to be here and who wasn't."
The car business is among the first to feel the effects of a recession, and if it's a sign of things to come, one of the first out of one.
"We're sure feeling it come back," Brady said. "The more products we offer, the more people come to the party. Now they're in a buying cycle."
Gas prices have been on the mind of customers as they've come looking for new vehicles. But the concern doesn't reach the level of a few years ago when prices first approached $4 a gallon.
"It's a hot topic right now," Brady said. "It's not as much as two or three years ago. People already had a shock of high gas prices."
Fiat taking over a majority stake in the Chrysler group has helped, Brady said. He thinks the sale will help Chrysler continue to offer quality products.
"We made it through all that stuff," Gensler said. "Getting through it was a good lesson."
The northeast Decatur dealership has been selling new Jeeps since December after it was awarded the franchise. It already offers Dodge, Chrysler, Hyundai, Honda and Mitsubishi products.
"Now the juggling begins," General Manager Steve Gensler said. "There are a lot of good things going on out here. We've seen a significant increase in business especially with the Jeep products."
Adding the Jeep line hasn't required a lot of adjustment, as Gensler said having all the products in one place makes it easier to manage. Jeeps require having a few special tools, but training for technicians is intermixed between the vehicles, and service work has increased as previous Jeep owners bring in their vehicles for maintenance, Gensler said. The dealership has had to add a large arch in front and additional signs, owner Bob Brady said.
Jeep has had a quite a history, Brady said. The brand turns 70 years old this year, he said.
Brady began as a stand-alone Dodge dealer in 1986. The dealership started with 14 employees and now has more than 100 as it has steadily added the other brands over the past 25 years, he said.
Brady has survived the turbulent times in the car industry, especially as the future of Chrysler was in doubt as it worked through bankruptcy proceedings.
"Business is strong, in contrast to two years ago," Brady said. "Dealers thought the world was coming to an end. We weren't sure who was going to survive. You couldn't make a decision because we didn't know who was going to be here and who wasn't."
The car business is among the first to feel the effects of a recession, and if it's a sign of things to come, one of the first out of one.
"We're sure feeling it come back," Brady said. "The more products we offer, the more people come to the party. Now they're in a buying cycle."
Gas prices have been on the mind of customers as they've come looking for new vehicles. But the concern doesn't reach the level of a few years ago when prices first approached $4 a gallon.
"It's a hot topic right now," Brady said. "It's not as much as two or three years ago. People already had a shock of high gas prices."
Fiat taking over a majority stake in the Chrysler group has helped, Brady said. He thinks the sale will help Chrysler continue to offer quality products.
"We made it through all that stuff," Gensler said. "Getting through it was a good lesson."
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