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Dealers breathed a sigh of relief after last month's big power blackout, escaping serious damage and losses in metro markets most affected - Cleveland, Detroit and New York City.
In New York, where many dealerships were looted and vandalized during a power outage in 1977 (Ace Pontiac in the Bronx had more than 30 cars stolen off its lot), many dealers posted guards to prevent a reoccurrence.
"Civility prevailed this time," said Mark Schienberg, executive vice president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Assn. "New Yorkers are a tough lot, even more so after Sept. 11.
"But one of our directors, a Bronx GM-Mitsubishi dealer who remembers the Jerome Avenue looting and thefts, said, "It doesn't hurt to be prepared." Fences can be smashed down, so guards were needed."
Sales and service inconveniences...