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Brandon Auto Mall closing

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By RICHARD MULLINS rmullins@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 1, 2009

BRANDON - Add the Brandon Auto Mall to the list of car dealers closing in the Bay area.

On Wednesday afternoon, employees were cleaning up the inside showroom and taking inventory of vehicles on the lot. They said they were told Tuesday night the dealership would close.

It ranks as one of the larger used car dealerships in the area, with a 44,000-square-foot showroom, and is owned by the Ernie Haire collection of dealerships. Officials with Ernie Haire declined to comment.

The Brandon location will not be part of a bankruptcy deal that will transfer ownership of the Ernie Haire Ford properties to the Elder Automotive Group, Rob Elder said.

Used car dealers in particular have been hard hit in this economy, compounded by the recent Car Allowance Rebate System, also known as Cash for Clunkers. That program drew the ire of several used car dealers in the Bay area because it offered thousands of dollars to buyers in exchange for buying new cars with better gas mileage. The used cars could not be resold.

Dealers say it removed thousands of used cars from the market - thus helping drive the market price of used cars higher than many buyers could tolerate.

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