Indiana auto repair shops say business is good-WEB ONLY

Despite the recession, the owners of some Indiana auto service shops say business is pretty good – apparently because many people are too cash-strapped to buy new cars.

As the recession forces many people to hang onto older cars rather than buying new ones, it means more trips to the service center to keep those older cars running, said Kyle Hoss, manager at Hoss’s Automotive and Tire in Marion.

“People now are getting cars fixed instead of buying new ones,” Hoss said.

Dean Lochner, the owner of Integrity Automotive Service Centers in Marion, believes people are buying more used cars instead of new ones. He said that when people buy used cars, they often spend money to fix them up.

Overall, Lochner said more people are hanging on to the vehicles they already have, waiting for the nation’s financial and economic situation to improve.

“A lot of people are in hold mode now,” he said.

With the economy hurting so many people and many more worried about their financial security, people can’t or won’t purchase new cars right now, said Gale Clevenger, co-owner of Clevenger Car Clinic in Gas City.

But she said people aren’t doing as much preventative maintenance work to vehicles as they might during more typical economic times.

“Right now, we’re seeing the work necessary to get people back and forth to work,” he said.

Teresa Rodmaker of Grant County General Tire, agreed that many people are now waiting as long as possible on doing non-essential repair work.

“Most are waiting until they absolutely have to have it,” she said.

The economic situation also appears to be affecting the tire business.

Rodmaker said the sale of new tires is way down, but she added that used tires are selling so well that she can’t even keep many sizes in stock.

“They need something to get them by until they get more money,” she said of her customers.