Think it’s hard selling cars today?

Recall back in 1982, when the VanderMeer family took complete ownership of VanderMeer Sales & Service in Tomah. It was the bottom of the worst recession since the Great Depression, and interest rates were near historic highs.

“Interest rates back then were really high -- almost double what they are today,” owner/CEO Nancy VanderMeer said. “You were getting less for your money because of the interest payments.”

The VanderMeers got through the recession and built a business that thrives more than a quarter century later. General Motors recently honored the dealership with a plaque recognizing its 25 years of selling and servicing GM products. The dealership sells Chevrolet cars and trucks, Buicks and Oldsmobiles.

Nancy VanderMeer’s father, George VanderMeer, began the business with his partner George Cusser, in 1976. Six years later, the VanderMeer family assumed sole ownership. George VanderMeer died in 1999, and Nancy VanderMeer and her mother, Millie VanderMeer, have operated the business ever since.

In 1982, VanderMeer said the most popular cars were the Chevy Citation and Buick Skylark. It was in the early 1980s when features like frontwheel drive and onboard computerization were incorporated into autos.

As the economy improved and gas prices declined in the 1980s, larger vehicles became popular again. In 1988, the new generation of Chevy pickup trucks was introduced, and drivers flocked to trucks and SUVs for nearly two decades.

Even with the high cost of fuel, VanderMeer salesman Dave Wisnaski said customers still prefer trucks and SUVs, at least in Tomah.

“When they’re in the lot and they’re looking at the SUVs and trucks, you see it in their faces -- the ‘wow’ factor,” Wisnaski said. “I don’t think the luster has gone away. People are downsizing some, but I don’t think you see it as much here as in the metro areas.”

VanderMeer said auto buyers have become more and more knowledgeable over the past 25 years. She said the Internet has given consumers significantly more access to information about cars.

Another major change is multiple dealerships under a single ownership umbrella. While competing with such dealerships is a challenge, VanderMeer believes a single-point dealership has advantages. She recalled being contacted at home to rescue a dog who was locked in a hot truck.

“You can call me at 9 o’clock a night, and I don’t get upset,” she said. “I don’t see it as a customer calling me, it’s a friend.”

VanderMeer is one of the relatively few women to head a GM dealership. Of GM’s 8,500 dealerships nationwide, only 260 are headed by women.

More changes are coming to the auto industry. Although nearly all VanderMeer’s vehicles have conventional internal-combustion engines, the service department already services hybrid and flex-fuel vehicles. The Chevy Volt, extended-range electric vehicle, will likely make its first appearance on the VanderMeer lot in 2010.

“I still love coming to work every day,” she said. “I think it will continue to be an exciting business to be involved in.”