Maybe I should have mentioned the BMW/Fiat dealer (am I dating myself?) who I exclusively patronized even though they were 100 miles from me. Why? Because when I bought my BMW from them they offered to swap the interior from another car when I just briefly mentioned that I liked that other interior better. Everything they did showed great respect for me as a customer. They gave me great discounts off of already reasonable prices. The service manager made himself available to me 24/7. They never released the car to me after a service until the service manager checked the work. I showed loyalty to them -- They showed me that they appreciated my business.

And there was the Jeep dealer who made arrangements to meet me at 3:30 in the morning at a truck stop 60 miles away to replace my entire automatic transmission that developed problems while I was driving a Jeep Cherokee in the 1987 One Lap of America rally. I swear, it was like a NASCAR pit stop. Several guys from the service department were waiting for me and the entire job was done in twenty minutes and I was on my way. They went soooo out of their way to keep me competitive in that rally. Why? Because I bought three Cherokees from them and I faithfully used that dealership for years for all of my service work--even after the warranties had expired. Along with the owner of the dealership, I shed more than one tear when Chrysler gave them the boot. We had worked so well together since the days when they were AMC/Jeep/Renault, and through all the various permutations over the years. What a shame to see a 3-generation family business close their doors.