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By Tami Jo Nix

Vintage Motors sales manager John Wright, with one of many new Cadillacs the dealership has in stock. Vintage also sells Pontiacs and GMC trucks.

Photo by: Wendy Alexander

Vintage Buick Pontiac Cadillac GMC is celebrating 22 years of service to Madera.

As owner of the local General Motors dealership, Don Bonander has many years of experience in the automotive industry.

He also currently owns Bonander Pontiac in Turlock, which has served the community of Turlock for more than 55 years. His dad also own Bonander Truck Sales which specializes in medium and heavy duty trucks. Featherlight trailers are also part of the Bonander line of vehicles.

Sales manager John Wright and his sales staff at Vintage will go to great lengths to find their customers the make and model of vehicle they want, in the color and with the options desired, with their auto locating system. This service is available for both new and used vehicles. They have more than 100 new and used cars currently in stock.

"We strive to be a friendly small town dealership with the type of atmosphere people can enjoy. We want our customers to enjoy their car buying experience. Buying a car can be a terrifying ordeal. We provide personal service to our customers that makes buying a new or used car as painless as possible," Wright said.

They have two dozen full time employees, who together represent more than 400 years experience in the automotive industry. The business manager is Patti Noblett.

They have five full time service technicians. Under the supervision of Service Manager Froylan Pulido they make the warranty, repair and service work on all GM products as hassle free as possible. In many cases GM provides a rental car for use when a car is in the shop for warranty work.

Parts manager Terry Gallager leads the four-person staff in the parts department. They have an inventory of more than 9,000 GM parts in stock. On the outside chance that they don't have the part needed in stock they will order it through their parts network and have it, usually the next day.

They also have two specialist in their detail department to ensure all new or used cars from Vintage are delivered sparkling clean. They accept appointments for their vehicle detailing service.

Convenient financing is always available at Vintage. They work with many different lending institutions with a wide variety of programs available.

They also offer a wide range of second-chance financing. They can arrange financing for people who have experienced bankruptcy or repossession.

One of the most exciting innovations in the auto industry in recent years is the GM OnStar System and Vintage has it. This system, a standard feature on many GM models, has literally saved lives. Through satellite technology the OnStar system can send emergency vehicles in case of an accident. If an OnStar subscriber is in a collision and the air bag is deployed the OnStar system automatically calls the driver to see if they're OK. If the system does not get an answer to the call they can immediately dispatch emergency services to the location.

They can also help with direction if a driver is lost. With the touch of a button on the steering wheel the driver can voice activate the OnStar system. Customer service will then locate the vehicle on the map and give detailed instructions on how to reach their destination. They can also help find the nearest hotel, restaurant, gas station or auto repair shop.

If a driver locks their keys in the car the OnStar customer service center can unlock it by remote control. If a driver forgets where the car is parked at the mall the OnStar system can activate a program that will flash the lights and honk the horn on the car until the driver finds it. Anti-theft devices provides an electronic beacon so law enforcement can find the car and arrest the thief.

The annual basic subscription fee for the OnStar system is $199 per year with the first year included at no charge.

New models now available from Vintage include the 2005 Buick LaCrosse. This sedan became an instant success when released. New for 2006 is the Lucerne, a sedan to replace the Park Avenue and LeSabre. The Pontiac line has the Solstice, a two seat convertible sports car and the Torrent is their new SUV.

Cadillac recently released its new DTS.

"Preliminary sales of these vehicles are quite good," Wright said.

The DTS replaces the line of Sedan DeVilles previously offered by Cadillac.

GMC has entered the hybrid market with the technology offered on a half-ton truck.

"These are getting a 15 percent better gas mileage than its all gas powered contemporaries," Wright said.

"Responding to consumer's requests XM Satellite radio is available on many models as is MP3 and DVD players," Wright said.

Some models have remote starting capabilities working from a radius of up to 300 feet. The adaptive cruise control allows drivers to select the distance between their car and the one in front of it, slowing down and accelerating as necessary.

Models with panoramic sunroofs for rear seat passengers are available and hardtop convertibles with retractable tops are available on the Pontiac G6 and the Cadillac XLR.

Tami Jo Nix Tami Jo Nix is a senior staff writer, photographer and community / features writer for the Madera Tribune. You can contact Tami Jo at 674.8134 ext. 231 or e-mail at tamijo (at) maderatribune.net Tami Jo also handles community calendar items and wedding announcements. The Madera Tribune online subscription To subscribe or log on, CLICK HERE. For more information first, CLICK HERE.