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Marion Burnside Chrysler Plymouth, 7201 On The Sumter Highway / Jim Hudson Cadillac Sabb 7201 Garners Ferry Road: January 2012 (moved)   17 comments

Posted at 12:42 am in closing

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Marion Burnside Chrysler Plymouth was a constant breakfast-table presence while I was growing up due to their memorable commercials on WIS Radio. At this remove, it a little cloudy what the exact lyrics to their jingle were, but clearly they spelled out the word "Marion" and drove home the fact that they were at "Seventy Two Oh One on the Sumter Highway!". Here's the way several people recall it (as first seen on the Ads & Jingles page:

Mar-i-on is the name to remember,
7201 on the Sumter High-Way!
M-- "More Service"
A-- "Able to Serve You"
R-- "Real Value"
I-- "something something!"
O--"something something!"
N--"something something!"
Today!

(me)

M A R, I O N,
Marion Burnside Plymouth in Columbia
M for Marion Burnside Plymouth in Columbia
A at 7201 the Sumter Highway
R ready to serve you
I integrity
O opportunity
N now go!

(commenter Dennis)

M- Marion Brunside Chrysler Plymouth in Columbia
A- address 7201 Sumter Highway
R- ready to serve you
I- Integrity
O- Opportunity
N- Now Come

(commenter GB)

It's a bit hard to conceptualize now, but before I-77 and the growth of the metro area, this lot was way out in the boonies, or at least that's how I considered it. It was something we would pass on the way to the beach, and not something I considered as being "in town" at all. In the event, we were a Ford/Mecury family in those days (something 1970s' Mecurys cured us of), so I never actually paid a visit to Marion Burnside, and am a bit hazy as to when it closed. I'm thinking the late 1970s, but I could be wrong.

Jim Hudson moved into the Marion building sometime later, and had been there quite a while by the time they got caught up earlier this month in the general flight to Blythewood that has already taken Dick Dyer Toyota, Lexus of Columbia and a surprising number of other dealerships.

After a long series of days when I could only take pictures as the sun went down, or when the day was completely overcast, I had some hopes for these pictures. In particular, the sidelot with all the little plastic flags strung up was quite photogenic as they glittered in the early afternoon sun. Of course, the instant I got out of the car, the sun went behind the clouds, and I got yet another gray set of pix. The only partial benefit was that shooting against the sun as I had to do for most of these was a little less bad (Less bad, but still *bad*).

(Hat tip to commenter Frank)

UPDATE 2 May 2016 -- It appears that Dick Smith Ford is about ready to open:

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Written by ted on January 15th, 2013

Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

17 Responses to 'Marion Burnside Chrysler Plymouth, 7201 On The Sumter Highway / Jim Hudson Cadillac Sabb 7201 Garners Ferry Road: January 2012 (moved)'

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  1. I remember tryimng to convince my dad when I was five or so, what a good deal one of those cool cars with the pointy nose and big wings would be.

    Superbirds sat on the lot for a looong time.

    tonkatoy

    15 Jan 13 at 7:32 am

  2. It's possibly worth noting that before this was "Jim Hudson Oldsmobile," it was "Moore-Hudson" Oldsmobile. I don't recall exactly when Jim Moore left the operation, but I'd guess late 80s/early 90s.

    In the early to mid-80s, Moore-Hudson (and possibly other dealers in the Carolina Olds Network) used a certain announcer whose name I don't recall, but locally he would intone "We come your way this Monday morning from Moore HUDSON! Oldsmobile." I think his shtick was the 'phone-in' ad--like JJ at the Lite House--although I do recall seeing him in a TV spot a couple of times.

    badger

    15 Jan 13 at 3:23 pm

  3. I believe Jim Hudson was at this location as early as 1982. I remember doing some work for him in 1983. As I mentioned in another post, Marion T Burnside Jr. is listed as the current owner of this property per the Richland County tax records. I also remember the commercials, it was a catchy jingle. Marion opened about the same time his brother Dick opened Burnside Dodge at Harden and Gervais.

    Rick

    18 Jan 13 at 9:31 am

  4. You are right about Moore HUDSON automobile! My mom and uncle both served stints as service writers there and I spent many afternoons as a kid waiting in the TV lobby with the salesmen for Mom to get off work sitting on those plastic burgundy chairs. I used to sort R.O's for them on the weekends and get parts, I was about 10 at the time. This was around 1981-1982. It was a great place to work until mom and my uncle both got laid off the same week when the recession hit, it was around Christmas. Remember it like it was yesterday...

    Autumn-Skye

    8 Feb 13 at 12:29 am

  5. It's my understanding that Jim Hudson moved here in 1980. The building was old then and now the new Killian Road site is a major upgrade for them.

    There have been rumors from a used car lot to even Cracker Barrel moving in.

    Andrew

    8 Feb 13 at 1:58 am

  6. Hey, Autumn, if you check back in. I remember you from when your mom and uncle worked downtown. I think for a while they called you by a nickname that started with "F". (And if anyone's wondering, no, it wasn't anything dirty.)

    badger

    8 Feb 13 at 9:22 am

  7. Hi Badger! My nickname was Fawn back then, for little deer! Did you know them from Capitol Newsstand? I used to straighten the magazines and put away the inventory there, I read hundreds of books from that place. I meta lot of folks from USC during my childhood there back when the Wade Hampton was still a dorm. Good times :) did you work at Capitol or know Dennis or any of the folks there? Im curious to find the old pieces of my life now that I can with the internet

    Autumn-Skye

    11 Feb 13 at 8:07 am

  8. Hey, Autumn. Rather than catch up in public, feel free to email (mavdrew at gmail dot com). But I was a regular customer at Capitol News Stand.

    badger

    11 Feb 13 at 11:00 am

  9. (Full disclosure: I work for Jim Hudson)

    The commenters are correct, Moore-Hudson Oldsmobile opened in 1980; it became Olds-GMC a year or two after that, and I'm not sure when it became just Jim Hudson. Then there was Pontiac-Olds-GMC before the 1990s, then Oldsmobile got dropped somewhere in there. Suzuki came and went in the early-to-mid 2000s, then Saab (by then a GM brand) was moved from the Lexus store (still on Two Notch at the time) to here (so now we're up to Pontiac-GMC-Saab), then they bought the Buick franchise from Hancock in 2007. Pontiac was basically dead at the end of 2009, then the Cadillac franchise was awarded in May 2010. Saab finally shuffled off its mortal coil in 2011; by moving day, the phones were being answered "Jim Hudson Buick GMC Cadillac". (Minor correction for you there.)

    The sign you see there was originally an LED marquee that became a static lighted sign; when I started in 2008, it had Pontiac and GMC where the Cadillac script is now. With Pontiac's demise and getting the Cadillac franchise, that obviously had to change. The big GM pylons were dismantled and reassembled at the new location with surprising speed.

    We certainly did all we could with that building, but the new one is definitely built to match the level of car we're selling. I'll also be interested in seeing what becomes of the old site.

    Billfred

    13 Apr 13 at 7:21 am

  10. I could be wrong, but I think this site is primed to become either a used car delearship, hotel or restrants (the latter two stemming from their draw off of I-77)

    As for the defunct brands Billfred mentioned:

    - GM sold Saab off in 2010 they are now under Spyker Cars N.V
    - Oldsmobile's last cars were produced in 2004.
    - Pontiac went out of production in 2010 (as did Saturn and Hummer)

    per their respective wiki pages

    Andrew

    13 Apr 13 at 8:38 pm

  11. Interesting, I looked this up because last time I was in Columbia (visiting from NY State) I happened through the Pick-a-Part where I grabbed a vanity plate off an '80s Chevy or GMC pickup that says "Moore-Hudson" with an Oldsmobile badge in the center, stamped in like older plates, on gold-anodized aluminum. If there was more detail than that, it's worn off. It was just a cheap souvenier at the time, looks like it's a fairly old item (even SC state plates appear not to have had stamped numbers in a long time).

    Sounds like I can maybe guess, given it was on a pickup, from the 1982-1988 era or so; possibly even original to the truck it was on, which was no newer than a 1987.

    Bill K.

    21 Nov 13 at 10:53 pm

  12. I google Burnside Dodge and this page popped up. Anyone have any pictures from the dealer ship from back when? I have a 73 Plymouth Road Runner I bought in the mid 80s and it has a Burnside Dodge sticker in the trunk lid. The sticker I'd pretty faded now and hard to read but I will always remember what it said. Sometime later on when I was cleaning out the trunk. I found what was left of a Burnside Dodge license plate wedged between the seat and trunk floor.

    Ken

    30 Jul 14 at 9:58 pm

  13. Ken - No pictures but I live in the house that the owner of Burnside Dodge built back in 1965, Dick Burnside, Brother of Marion Burnside. I have talked with him a couple of times and if we ever speak again I'll ask about some pictures.

    Rick

    31 Jul 14 at 8:03 am

  14. Years ago Marion Burnside had a jingle on a radio ad:
    M for Marion Burnside Chrysler in Columbia
    A at 7201 Sumter Highway
    R ready to serve you
    I integrity
    O opportunity
    N now go

    thomas

    2 Aug 18 at 1:57 pm

  15. Any one have any info on Burnside motor Co. trying to find paper work on a dodge that was sold in 1967 there.

    Tom

    7 Oct 18 at 9:26 am

  16. I have a 67 Dodge Charger bought from Burnside Motor Company on June 22, 1967.

    Rene’

    20 Jun 20 at 7:33 pm

  17. It appears to me as if Marion Burnside has passed away.

    Andrew

    18 Jan 21 at 2:34 pm

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