Mr. Tom Hunter

Hunter Subaru / Hyundai

Please forgive me for taking so long to get this sent and allow me to take a moment to introduce myself.  My name is Rick Hays and I live in the smallest county (sq. miles) in the United States; not one traffic light in the entire county.  Rising Sun is a quiet little town in southeast Indiana and sits on the banks of the Ohio River. 

Anyway, on Thursday evening October 20, my wife and I bought a 2011 Subaru Forester from a dealer in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Saturday the 22^nd my family and myself were on our way to Gatlinburg (we were about 40 miles from our destination) when the check engine light and another warning light came on and the cruise control quit working.  We called the dealership and they were just about to close; they told us they did not believe there was anything seriously wrong but we should find a dealer in the area and have the vehicle checked.

When we arrived at our destination we checked and found that the closest Subaru dealer was in Knoxville; I did not want to waste a day of our vacation driving to Knoxville and waiting for them to check the car.  Sunday evening when we were getting in the Forester to attend a church service, I turned the key and everything was fine; the lights were out and the cruise worked perfectly.  We all thanked and praised the LORD and had a wonderful evening.

Thursday the 27^th, some friends of ours from Hilton Head, SC were staying in Hendersonville so my wife and I decided to drive down for the day to visit them; on our way the lights came on again and the cruise quit working.  We called them and asked if they could find out if there was a Subaru dealer close by; we met at their hotel and drove to your dealership.

I am a firm believer in the promise of Romans 8:28, nothing is just a coincidence.  When we arrived at your dealership, I went into the service department and explained my situation to the gentleman who was sitting there; he then called the person I needed to speak to.  I soon met Matt Hughes; he intently listened to my concerns and assured me with a smile that he would check into it.  I then followed Steven Fletcher out to our vehicle as he prepared the vehicle to be taken inside for service; he also was very friendly.  I gave our contact information and we left with our friends to spend the day.

Upon return to your dealership, I again had the pleasure to talk with Mr. Hughes; the situation had been taken care of, he gave me a few tips and said the vehicle was ready to go.  As my wife and I were outside in the parking lot talking with our friends, Mr. Fletcher came by and we had a wonderful conversation.  As Steven continued on to perform his duties we were joined by Joe Hope.  Mr. Hope came out to see if we needed anything, which led to another inspiring conversation.

Mr. Hunter, all I can say is that in the short time I actually spent at your dealership, I met some WONDERFUL people.  The professionalism, concern, sincerity and friendliness of these three employees were outstanding in every way.  Though the dealership where we purchased our Forester was pleasant and a good experience, your team is second to none; and that refers to not only all the dealerships I've been in, but also all businesses in general.  I wish to congratulate you on picking such a fantastic team of employees, it reflects on the kind of man you are.

Please tell them for my wife and myself that we truly appreciate them and thank them; not only for the service they did in helping us, but also for being the upright individuals they are.

I do not know if you do anything special for extraordinary employees, but if you do? I HIGHLY recommend these three individuals for your consideration!

Most sincerely,

Rick Hays

PS. The Romans 8 reference, the good that came out of this? I meet a lot of people and it saddens me greatly that the vast majority of them are only concerned about their own needs and making money, they will appease you as long as they get something out of it.  This was not the case with your employees, the LORD showed me a glimmer of hope in mankind; all I needed to do was drive to a Subaru dealer in Hendersonville, NC to find it and be uplifted and encouraged!!!

THANK YOU!

Congratulations to Christina Manders for winning our latest giveaway prize - an Xbox Kinect gaming system! We're sure Christina has many fun days and nights of gaming fun ahead with her family! For more ways to win, check the Hunter website's front page for the latest contest fun! You could be our next winner!

Sports and vintage racer Shaun Coleman recently contacted Hunter Auto Group with some truly remarkable news about a restoration he recently completed on a 1965 Chevy Impala SS sponsored in the 1965-67 NASCAR season by Hunter Automotive. Once manned by the late Roy Mayne and barn stored since 1967, the car was unearthed after Shaun came in contact with Wayne Smith of Royston, GA last year.

Shaun's gorgeous restoration of the Impala stays true to the original paint and sponsorship logos - even down to the "Hunter Chevrolet Co" painted on the driver side rear fender! No detail was spared, and the Impala shows it in every photo and video on Shaun's website. Believed to be long gone, this was a wonderful surprise to Hunter Auto and a treat to see such a great Chevy fully restored and roaring down the tracks once more.

The Nascar Impala website Shaun runs details the car's legendary transformation from show room display model to NASCAR racer as overseen by Tom Hunter (Grandfather of our own Tom and Randy Hunter) and Roy Mayne. This is a great piece of NASCAR history, bringing back the nostalgia of the days when smaller homegrown teams could show up and compete with the big money teams on the same tracks.

Many thanks to Shaun for sharing this piece of racing and Hunter Auto history with us - check out the website and take a trip down memory lane with Hunter Automotive Group!