Find Home Town Service in Central Illinois GMC Dealership Lighthouse Automotive

The summer of 2005 was a hot one for Central Illinois and lugging around an infant in a car seat didn't make life any easier. Being first time parents, Andrew and I decided it would be a good idea to take our month old son with us as we shopped for a larger vehicle. We new we were going to look at a GMC because the safety records were strong, they had vehicles offering 3 rows of seating, and we weren't ready to dive into the land of minivans.

We were living in Peoria, IL and made the fifteen minute drive to Morton IL. The dealership, now called Lighthouse automotive, had several options available on the lot. We held our breaths, hoping little Aiden wouldn't start screaming from his car seat. In a rare moment of silence, we entered the dealership and were greeted by Jim Hohulin.

We had spent the weeks before Aiden's birth shopping around at different dealerships as we narrowed down the make and model that we were looking for. We were expecting the same type of service from Jim that we had received in other dealerships. In other words, we were expecting him to try to push us to make a decision that very day and to leave a hefty deposit. Instead, Jim talked to us as if we were at a friend's party. He asked us about ourselves, the baby before jumping into the topic of a vehicle. We found ourselves relaxed and enjoying the experience.

We were given a thoughtful overview of all of the available options and told to take our time in making a decision about how we wanted to proceed. We spent the afternoon and the night talking about what we wanted to do and a week later returned to the dealership to make the purchase. When we bought our new GMC Envoy XL, Jim asked us to stand in front of the vehicle where he surprised us and took our picture. Later, we received a letter in the mail with a copy of that picture and it brings back fond memories.

Every year, we receive notes from Jim on our birthdays and on holidays. The notes simply say that he is wishing us the very best. There is no hint of pressure, just a message of appreciation and thoughtfulness.

We've since moved from the Peoria area, but if the opportunity arises to return, we'll certainly be heading to Lighthouse Automotive when we need a new vehicle. You just can't beat the down home service they provide.

You can check out Lighthouse Automotive on-line at www.lighthousegm.com