European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 29, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wars amps Jim Dorheim these travel and insurance offices arc feeling empty these Days in Stuttgart Germany. From the cover some it Iii i imps Nive Gray a have gone under. Others arc swimming madly for survival As i heir customer base drains away a few owners arc diversifying. Others say they Are largely unaffected but look warily to the future. A Ravel Agency and insurance company near Gray Are empty. Autumn leaves collect on the sidewalk outside the once Busy shops. Just up the Street business is off 50 percent at cars International a Dealership that Sells bows Saab and vol is. Ninety five percent of its customers Are . Jln card holders. Owner manager Larry Miller who started out at the company in 1969 As a Junior Salesman said he has reduced his Auto outlets in Germany from nine to two. Meanwhile he has watched the number of installations in the Stuttgart area dwindle from 46 to 17. A for the last year and a half its the draw Down been happening but we done to believe it a he said. Business he said is still Good but nowhere near its cold War highs. A we had Days in january february and March last year when nobody came into the office. It was like the end of the world a he said. Miller said he now Sells seven or eight cars a month to americans at the Dealership in Zug Fenhaus sen and from 10 to 15 cars monthly at an office outside Patch Barracks. To combat lost customers Miller has slashed his advertising. As Well As Selling German and swedish cars he a importing american cars and Selling them to germans through eur oar another firm he created. Miller is trying to make the draw Down work to his advantage. He buys and Sells Large quantities of army surplus As Well As surplus items from the army and air Force Exchange service. Recently he purchased 1,800 washers dryers refrigerators and electric stoves from the government for resale. In jest his employees wrote a Sanford and son Quot. A amps Jim do churn l Arry Miller has the cars hut not As Many customers As he did before the draw Down in Stuttgart. Above his office door. People who know Miller Call him a survivor. They mean it As a compliment. A the future looks Bleak a Miller said a it Only exists for those who can find other things to  Bob Cooney of Cooney a car Center in Wurzburg said his business has been affected  a the draw Down and Low Dollar together have killed us a he said. In August Cooney was forced to dose both his Saab Dealership and a vhf video rental shop in Heilbronn. A a in be had major financial problems. Its something i had no control Over Quot said Cooney 45, "1 invested in the troops being there and when this happened i lost  Cooney said that after the persian Gulf War word was out that the troops would remain in Heilbronn a we had a two month notice that they were pulling out a lie said. Cooney noted he had a total of 14 employees in both businesses. Five were germans. Cooney said he obtained the Saab Dealership in Wurzburg in september 1990. A i was fortunate to have that or id be bankrupt Quot he said. Then there a financing which Cooney said is becoming More difficult for soldiers. Quot credit unions arc not anxious to finance someone who does no to know what his future will be a he said. Cooney said his Auto and video businesses did Well in Heilbronn but 99 percent of his customers were americans. A a in a counting the Days probably until i have logo Back to the states a he said. �?�1 thought i had a future Over Here and id be Able to retire and now i done to see a future  Mike Erwin works at Jim Erwin a car sales in Augsburg the company his father started three decades ago. Erwin said he expects the firm will close in the next two to four years. A a we re taking a wait see approach Quot he said. Erwin said he has begun importing american cars to sell to germans but said the Competition is fierce. A it seems like everybody s doing it since the Dollar is so Low Quot he said. Ron Flatt of car world whose Kaiserslautern office is Headquarters for .-spec Toyias throughout Germany said the draw Down has had a drastic effect on his business. We can say our business got Cut by 300 percent a a he said. Flatt who came to Germany As a private in 1%2, said the number of car world dealerships has fallen from 42 to 17. He figures car world s inventory which sometimes topped $12 million will be reduced. As a businessman Flatt sounds philosophical about the changes in the military. A what could have happened did gradually happen but we re going to Page 4 a sunday november 29. 1992