San Francisco’s Last Domestic Car Dealer Closes its Doors

When you think of San Francisco, several things come to mind, like the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and a population of politically progressive individuals. And while the residents of the city are considered to be an open-minded bunch, they’re not at all receptive to the idea of owning a domestic vehicle. Evidence of this came at the end of last month when San Francisco Ford Lincoln Mercury suddenly shut its doors. As a result, there isn’t a single domestic car dealership inside San Francisco city limits.

The dealership has been on shaky ground since 2008 when the current franchise owner left, leaving Ford to run the operation. Since then Ford has been looking for a new buyer, and recently a deal to sell to another local Ford dealer fell through.

“San Francisco is not loyal to anything domestic; its allegiance is to anything but domestic,” said Dennis Fitzpatrick, owner of Concord Chevrolet and regional vice president of the California New Car Dealers Association.

Before the San Fran Ford dealer closed its doors, one of the last domestic dealers was Ellis Brooks Chevrolet just down the street on Van Ness Avenue. Now that location is being transformed into one of Nissan’s largest dealerships in America.

[Source: San Francisco Chronicle]