Pflueger Honda now Downtown

[tutusue]

Re: Pflueger Honda now Downtown

[...]
Speaking of zoning and cars, you may be able to buy a car there, but try find a gas station on or near Ala Moana Blvd. or Kapiolani Blvd? Nada. The nearest is a Shell on Ward, or McKinley Car Wash (the only one on Kapiolani until you reach the end where Waialae avenue begins), but their gas is totally overpriced. You have to drive up to King Street to find all the self-serve gas stations with competitive market prices.

Actually, Lex Brodie on Queen and Coral is a coupla blocks closer to downtown than the Ward Ave. Shell station and, last I checked, Brodie's gas is cheaper than Shell's. The majority of stations are cheaper than McKinley!

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Pflueger Honda now Downtown

Speaking of zoning and cars, you may be able to buy a car there, but try find a gas station on or near Ala Moana Blvd. or Kapiolani Blvd? Nada. The nearest is a Shell on Ward, or McKinley Car Wash (the only one on Kapiolani until you reach the end where Waialae avenue begins), but their gas is totally overpriced. You have to drive up to King Street to find all the self-serve gas stations with competitive market prices.

It's just the economic reality of the times. Motorists complain about the gas stations leaving Kakaako. Tourists complain about all the movie theaters closing down in Waikiki. But that's just how it is,.... unless someone can magically wave a wand and dramatically alter the lease rates in those areas and/or the profit margins of those disappearing businesses.

But forget about finding affordable gas stations for a moment. Remember honest-to-God service stations in town? Up until about 20 years ago, you had 76 stations at Bishop/Beratania intersection, on Vineyard next to Safeway, and on Punchbowl (where Jiffy Lube is now). There was a Chevron on Beretania/Nuuanu. Also a Shell on Vineyard, one block away from Central Middle School. All of those stations that actually offered repair service in the downtown area started vanishing in the late 1980s/early '90s time period as their leases expired and the station owners could see the writing on the wall.

[oceanpacific]

Re: Pflueger Honda now Downtown

Jimmy Pflueger of Kauaʻi is the guy who founded Pflueger Auto Group. (His family has ties to the Hackfeld family, as in H. Hackfeld, later renamed to Amfac.) The current president of Pflueger Auto Group is Jimmy Pflueger's son Alan Pflueger, who is the racing guy.

Another of Jimmy Pflueger's sons, Michael Pflueger, raced motorcycles. Jimmy's daughter, Tracy Pflueger Bryan, is a noted realtor in town.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Pflueger Honda now Downtown

But forget about finding affordable gas stations for a moment. Remember honest-to-God service stations in town? Up until about 20 years ago, you had 76 stations at Bishop/Beratania intersection, on Vineyard next to Safeway, and on Punchbowl (where Jiffy Lube is now). There was a Chevron on Beretania/Nuuanu. Also a Shell on Vineyard, one block away from Central Middle School. All of those stations that actually offered repair service in the downtown area started vanishing in the late 1980s/early '90s time period as their leases expired and the station owners could see the writing on the wall.

We talked about full service gas stations a while ago in the thread on Gas Station Car-Washes, too.

[LikaNui]

Re: Pflueger Honda now Downtown

Another of Jimmy Pflueger's sons, Michael Pflueger, raced motorcycles. Jimmy's daughter, Tracy Pflueger Bryan, is a noted realtor in town.

I'm a little surprised that nobody has mentioned Jimmy Pflueger's cousin... Governor Linda Lingle.

[tutusue]

Re: Pflueger Honda now Downtown

Are the Pfluegers and the Cutters related?

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Pflueger Honda now Downtown

I'm a little surprised that nobody has mentioned Jimmy Pflueger's cousin... Governor Linda Lingle.

I think you're getting car families mixed up. Linda Lingle (maiden name Cutter) is related to Gerald and Nick Cutter of the Cutter Group -- they are her uncle and first cousin respectively. But as far I know, there is no family tie between Lingle and Pflueger.

[LikaNui]

Re: Pflueger Honda now Downtown

I think you're getting car families mixed up. Linda Lingle (maiden name Cutter) is related to Gerald and Nick Cutter of the Cutter Group -- they are her uncle and first cousin respectively. But as far I know, there is no family tie between Lingle and Pflueger.

You and TutuSue are right... I think. It was Mike Lowery who wrote a post a while back saying he'd heard that Lingle was a first-cousin of Pflueger. In my own reply to that back then I wrote:

"Lingle, formerly Linda Cutter, was born in St. Louis in 1953 and is the second of three children of Richard and Mildred Cutter. She and her family moved to Los Angeles shortly before her parents divorced.
(...)
"Lingle received a journalism degree from California State University-Northridge in 1975 and came to Hawai'i that year to be with her father and uncle, who had moved to the state to establish the Cutter car dealerships."

I dunno if it ever get resolved if there's a Pflueger/Cutter bloodline or not, though.

[oceanpacific]

Re: Pflueger Honda now Downtown

I don't believe there is a blood connection between the Pfluegers and the Cutters, but Lingle did show up at a Pflueger Acura party in 2002 to do some campaigning. As were a number of other politicians.

[Pomai]

Re: Pflueger Honda now Downtown

Here's a couple pics of the vacated Ala Moana blvd. location, taken the other day while driving past there (stopped at the light, of course!)...






Look at how "bolla-head" da' front grass lawn is from constantly moving cars around on there.

[joshuatree]

Re: Pflueger Honda now Downtown

Anyone know what is planned for the vacant lot on Ala Moana Blvd now?

[AbsolutChaos]

Re: Pflueger Honda now Downtown

Pfueger Acura is moving from its cramped quarters on Beretania to 777 Ala Moana Blvd. That's the former location of Pflueger Honda.

Wish they'd stay on Beretania...it was so convenient for me!

[zff]

Re: Pflueger Honda now Downtown

Pfueger Acura is moving from its cramped quarters on Beretania to 777 Ala Moana Blvd. That's the former location of Pflueger Honda.

Wish they'd stay on Beretania...it was so convenient for me!

Odd. It would have made far more sense for Acura to move to the new, upscale, smallish downtown facility and for Honda to stay in the larger, more, uh, working-class digs.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Pflueger Honda now Downtown

Odd. It would have made far more sense for Acura to move to the new, upscale, smallish downtown facility and for Honda to stay in the larger, more, uh, working-class digs.

But when you figgah in all the homeless bums sleeping all ovah da place in Downtown, it balanced out the average income and demographics in the area.

[cabanalane]

Re: Pflueger Honda now Downtown

^^^ I bought my first new car there when the location was new. Shortly after they moved from the location next to Foodland.