Two Lincoln downtown used-car dealers have gone out of business.
MATT OLBERDING/Lincoln Journal | Posted: Sunday, November 2, 2008 6:00 pm
Two downtown used car dealers have gone out of business.
French’s Used Cars and Rhoden Used Cars, which are a block apart downtown on O Street, both closed recently.
French’s owner, William French of Bartlett, could not be reached Monday, but Dean Hillhouse, who owns the car lot property at 1742 O St. where French was operating, said the dealership closed late last week.
Hillhouse said the dealership closed because of economic reasons.
“The car business is too tough,” Hillhouse said, noting that tight credit markets have made it difficult for both car dealers and buyers to get financing.
It is unclear when Rhoden Used Cars closed, but the lot at 1649 O St. is empty and a phone number for the business is being forwarded to Kia of Lincoln.
A person who answered the phone at the Kia dealership said Rhoden’s operations have been absorbed into Kia’s used car dealership, which, along with the Kia new car dealership, is at 1145 N. 48th St. Both Rhoden Used Cars and Kia of Lincoln are owned by Rod Rhoden of Omaha.
A message left for the general manager of Kia of Lincoln was not returned Monday.
Despite the fact that net taxable sales of automobiles are up in the state through July of this year, dealerships, especially smaller ones, continue to go out of business.
Bill Jackson, executive director of the Nebraska Motor Vehicle Industry Licensing Board, said in September that figures from his office showed about 200 fewer dealers in the state compared with the same time a year ago.
Jackson was out of the office Monday and unavailable for comment.
Reach Matt Olberding at 473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com.