This iconic car dealership has been a fixture in St. John’s, Newfoundland for more than thirty years. A couple of months ago the dealership was pushed into bankruptcy. It is alleged that the company owed more than $12 million to Chrysler Canada and almost $7 million to Revenue Canada. Revenue Canada has filed 31 charges against Woodford and his company for breaching the tax excise act.
I bought my first car from this very dealership back in 1987. Well, not exactly my first car, but the first car that I had to get a bank loan in order to pay for it. I had several cars prior to this one, prices ranging from 2 dozen beer to 4 hundred bucks. Some of these cars are worth blog posts themselves, but we’ll save them for later. The car I bought from Tom Woodford was a 1984 Honda Accord. I paid $6600 bucks for it, taxes in. (Now I wonder if Revenue Canada ever received the tax!) They had originally wanted a co-signor for the loan, but I insisted they give it to me without one. Once they realized I was ready to walk away they somehow got the appropriate approvals. So, I put $1500 down, signed a bunch of papers, and drove away, bucking gears, in my first standard shift vehicle.
I really enjoyed that car! Thanks Mr. Woodford.
