page 4 perspectives friday, September 26, 1S30
Dealers say big cars, not mopeds, still selling
By Bill Graf
Rising energy costs and the recession, of
course, nave changed the way people get
around, but only to a point. Big cars arc
still selling and mopeds aren't.
Mopeds don't sell. People aren't buy
ing the big bikes or the small ones. It's that
way industry-wide. 1 just returned from the
national Yamaha meeting and it's that way
everywhere," said Tom Dormer, owner and
operator of Dormer's Suzuki Center, 1750
West O St.
Dormer added that the 250 and 650cc
motorcycles are in the highest demand.
"Guys have always wanted motorcycles.
The gas shortage is just a good excuse, a
way to get it past the wife," he said.
He estimated that the mid-sized motor
cycles get about 65 miles per gallon.
Mopeds average 100 miles per gallon.
However, even if motorcycles are the
stingiest on gas of all motor vehicles, Dor
mer said people aren't beating a path to his
door any more than usual.
In the auto industry, big car sales are
still alive, especially since gas supplies have
become constant and the price has leveled
off in the last few months, according to
John Dean, assistant sales manager at Dean
Brothers Lincoln-Mercury, Inc.
"The trend is toward the small cars,
definitely. But the Lincoln is still selling,"
he said.
Dean said the new automobiles are 1000
pounds lighter and have a wheel base 10
inches shorter than the older Lincolns.
Also, he said, the largest engine available
in the Lincoln next year will be a 302
cubic inch V8 engine, while a few years ago
the car could be ordered with a 460 cubic
inch engine.
One of Dean's duties is ordering cars for
general stock. At this point, he said, they
don't have any full-sized cars on the lot be
cause of a sudden surge of big car sales at
their lot.
This was a hard year to predict. Sales
will be going fine, then drop off suddenly
he said.
As long as gas is available people will
buy big cars. But if there's a shortage or
the media comes out and says a shortage is
coming or prices are going up, sales will
drop. Media has a lot to do with it," he
said.
Despite the fluctuating new car market,
Dean said used cars are selling like hot
cakes.
"Used cars are selling real well, especial
ly the 77 or newer models. I can't show
you a 78 or newer used car because 1 just
don't have one. Well take one in on trade
and sell it right away. People are just trying
to get out from under the first year de
predation," he said.
Dean added that midwestern car dealers
did far better than dealers in the large cit
ies, probably because the wealth of this
area is agricultural rather than industrial.
TWO FORMS of transportation in
Lincoln that have experienced dramatic
expansion in the last tew years are buses
and bicycles.
"People are buying more and better bi
cycles," said John Wayne, manager of the
downtown Freewheelin' Bike Shop.
It used to be, he said, that the $69
department store bikes were big sellers. But
now the bicycling public wants better,
more expensive bikes because they're more
fun and people axe becoming more careful
with their money, Wayne said.
"The bike-in-a-box days arent over yet,
but just about "he said.
The average bike buyer that comes into
his shop, he said, is looking in the $200
and $300 range.
When a customer comes in to purchase a
bike, the salesman asks how he plans to use
the bike. About 40 percent will say they
plan to use it for regular transportation
during the warmer months, Wayne said.
Bicycle touring also is becoming more
popular, he said.
Bike packs and racks are selling better
than ever.
AS FOR the bus business, the Lincoln
Transportation System has experienced an
increase in rideiship of more than 20 per
cent during the last year and an increase of
27 to 30 percent during the last six
months, according to LTS General Manager
Jerry Olson.
Olson said he expects the trend to con
tinue. However he added that LTS must
continue to upgrade and modernize the
operation to keep Lincolnites on the buses.
In the short term, Olson said, LTS con
stantly checks ridership on the routes at
certain times of the day to see if the route
may need reinforcement during the peak
hours.
They also keep track of where riders
come from, so routes can be adjusted and
the placement of shelters and benches will
be most effective, he said.
For the long range, Olson said, street
lanes exclusively for buses may become
necessary, park-and-ride routes may be set
up when Lincoln grows, and the number of
street cutouts for bus stops will have to be
increased as traffic increases.
Photo by Mark Billingriey
An energy-conscious student speeds across the UNL campus on a gas-stingy moped.
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