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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 1981)
Portland Observer, September 17.I t t i Paga g Future is bright in car business G ra u ro o l News, N . IP .— W h a t’s good fo r the Big T h ree car com panies is supposed to be good fo r the lot o f us. The bail-out o f one o f these car companies in Jimmy’s last term avoided the tu rm o il o f mass unemployment and layoffs. Accord ing to A l M c O ilb e rry , a sales and leasing representative o f C ad illac, Pontiac and O M C cars, the a u to mobile industry is directly tied into the economy. “ For some reason the Big Three took their time in produc ing the lo w -fuel consumption cars that the Japanese, French and Oer ■ man manufacturers excelled in. Be cause o f the gas-saving situ atio n people bought foreign cars and the big three had to go 360 degrees. Now we can compete with our ac- ross-the-sea competitor. W hat took so much time was the realization o f the importance o f saving money for gas.” F o r years the m a rke tin g cam paigns geared the A m erican con sumer tow ard fo u r-d o o r gas hogs but as the price o f gasoline moved over and above the Si .40 mark the u tility o f a long car soon d im in ished. “ Sometimes old habits are hard to break and just because they say they’re managers they may not do the best for their company at that time. It will take millions o f dollars to make that change-over, with the stockholders wanting more money. They didn’t do it and now they’re in a situation where the foreign market takes up »o 40 per cent o f the home market. The Big Three are playing catch-up and try in g to bring the money back to A m erica.” McGilberry started out as a teach er in New York and was introduced to car dealershipping through a summer jo b . N othing in this busi M ówto get better mileage FROM YOUR CAR.. Don’t let the engine idle m ore than 30 seconds. ness surprised him and he expected the Government to bail out one o f the Big T hree. “ In d u stry and the Government are all tied in together. I f it had been a small company they would have let them go bankrupt. But we are dealing with a national as well as an in te rn a tio n a l m a rk e t. .There were too m any people em ployed and too much money to let the company go down. Am ong the other problems that the car business has to drive out o f is one o f high interest rates. “ The Governm ent continues to borrow money and the lenders are making it higher and costlier to get m oney. That is one reason that interest rates are as high as they are. When you and I are ready to buy an autom o bile we have to pay fro m 18 to 20 per cent interest. The interest rates may go down in the next couple o f years but it w ill never go down to the 3 and 6 per cent we once knew.” M c O ilb e rry is one o f the few Blacks in management in northwest car sales and has encountered ra cism in the mostly all-w h ite indus try. “ I worked myself up from a car salesman to a general manager and gained a master’s degree in business. When I came to Portland, Pontiac wanted to put me in a store in Port land. They called M ik e Salta, who didn’t want l a hire a Black man as a salesman. They seem to find, many other businesses, that they d id n ’t want Black in those jobs that are the economic crust o f this country. The automobile business has yet to em brace Blacks in the managem ent level.” And w ith this lim it M cG ilb e rry has raced through and established him self q u alified enough to assist others in making the second biggest purchase o f their lifetime, a car. Obey the 55 mph speed lim it. 1 Keep your engine tuned. ' And when buying, don't forget the fuel economy label is part of the price tag, too. For a tree booklet with more easy energy saving tip«, w rite "Energy," Box «2. Oak Ridge. T N X7830. WE'RE HERETO HELP YOU! ALAN MOLDEN WENDELL BROWN Sales Representative Sales Representative Expert consultation on your transportation needs on both new and used cars. RON TO N K IN C H E V R O L E T -H O N D A C O Cadillac • Pontiac • GMC Truck Al McOilberry posa« with naw lina of Cadillacs at Bill Copp a in Vancouvar. (Photo: Richard J. Brown) 122 N.E. 122nd Ave. 9th C • Vancouver, Wash. 693-1481 • 286-0641 Before you buy a car, check our prlcaa BILL COPPS INC. PONTIAC • CADILLAC • GMC TRUCKS C LEA R A N C E SALE Must make room for '82's o««r iso t0 See Al McGilberry c a r check our prices) [Reforeyou buy g CARS *73 Plymouth Satellite < ■ ■ aaaw 4 door ovtom otw S p ow er «taoring. i l I <cx»d»t»orwng iow nvU» Stock « 5 1 5 5 0 GB GB I O O 7 1 Fiet X I9 CeavertIMe 4 < ylm der econom y Sporty 4 tp a a d tro n tm .w o n Chompogoe «old Stock N o 51 ÒSO *74 VW Posher 4 doa. 4 rykndw. 4 HWwt. « .« r t «on o m y Stock « 4 * 9 0 0 '77 Mexde 6LC Coupé Pretty motoUrc blue. sports striping, ovtomotK, I owner Stock » 5 0 8 0 0 GB " tfO O 5 7 l8 8 A ■ MW S^B^BGB GB J b t r GB^^ TRUCKS '74 Mercury Capri 4 cylinder economy stondord tronsmnston powder blue Stock » 5 1 0 7 0 '79 Ferd Fainaeat 4 doo. 4 (ylm dw outomato powm » M .n g av-tonenm vng. I o w n .. Stock « 3 0 3 7 0 Auto P S . Pop Top Sunroof stock rsiaso.................... 77 Datsun B210 Hatchback 4 cyl 4 apeed, 4 < r h n d » a u to m a to a » tond1l.oo.n9 tmnl Ih» uttntM t I m o ) S tori « 4 * 7 9 7 J O "O O A l Q 43 ^3 Large eneugh ta tarve yae 7 9 Fard Fiesta 4 cylinder. 4 speed. loaoi cor. •■»to low mile« Stock » 5 0 4 7 0 Automottc. power steering. tone pomt low miles Stock » 9 0 6 0 0 ............................................ tp e o o l tv k »3988 7 7 Ford Mustang low mllee. Stock «S1SS0 ...................... '77 Ferì Pietà Wagon ’3988 7 8 Hedge •/, T. Pickup $3588 $2988 »3788 7 7 Dedge T. 4x4 Special W o . lo rd p o tk o g ., toocnl ihipm g gold ip o k . ..»««I, Stock « 4 7 4 1 0 ................................................................... Dealer to retain the factory hold back. Locally added options extra. Actual factory invoice available, on request. Not all cars sell for retail price. 7 9 GMC H T. PU Diesel V I , ovtomotic. power steering, 1 owner, low m4et Stock « 9 0 7 7 0 .............................................................. 79 G M C H -ton v-S Auto P S Air Cond. Hoavy Duty equipment Stock 0 1 (0 0 . . . Open Sunday 11 -5 $6988 *AII 1981 Model: Cadillac, Grand Prix, Firebirds, * Phoenix, Lemons, Bonne villes, and! GMC Trucks. Hurry while they last.) Small eneugh te knew yeu 9th f t C • Vancouver, W ash. • Pontiac • G M C Truck • 693-1481 • 285-0541 1
