Car Sales Spike In Clarksville

Justin Sanders takes a break from his duties at Fort Campbell to buy himself a truck. Sanders says, "I got a car but i wanted a truck. now, i got a truck."

Army Specialist, Justin Houser wants something a little more family-friendly. Houser says, "I was looking into getting a vehicle for my wife."

These days, Fort Campbell soldiers are a common sight at clarksville area car dealerships. Despite the "national" slump in auto sales... one that has Washington scrambling to put together a bailout for the auto industry... Montgomery county auto dealers are moving cars left and right.

O.B. Garland with Mathew's Nissan and Suzuki says, "About the last 30 days have been a little bit tougher than normal. "We got a good little shot in the arm with the military coming back to town."

Garland says business is, once again, booming thanks to the 12-thousand Fort Campbell soldiers returning home from overseas between now and the end of the year. Houser says soldiers buy cars because most of them get rid of their vehicles before deployment; either for quick cash or to avoid making payment son something they can't use.

Houser says, "Buy, buy, buy this.. buy that but after you get back and you spend all that money, when you get back and it does go away and you're like I don't know where that extra money went now I've got to go pay my bills."

Garland says the boost has helped put his sales nine percent higher than they were this time last year. Car Sales Spike In Clarksville