Because of this, Mastria has spent the past month monitoring the deal Chrysler struck with Italian automaker Fiat on April 30, after the American car giant filed for bankruptcy protection. 

The company stated its intent to close 789 of its 3,200 U.S. dealerships ? 12 in the state, including a Kingston dealership ? according to filings in bankruptcy court Thursday.

The next day, GM announced it would not renew contracts next year for 20 percent of its dealerships across the country, or about 1,100 of them. The company declined to reveal which dealers were being axed.
?It?s like playing golf and standing behind the guy?s that?s putting,? Mastria said at his Raynham showroom this week. ?We?re kind of going to school with what?s going on with those guys. I don?t really know.? But even if a bankruptcy filing forces GM to empty most of Mastria?s inventory ? a move that would test his and other dealers? protections under state franchise laws ? the lifelong car salesman doesn?t see himself leaving the industry.  ?I really don?t know what else I would do,? said Mastria, who owns Nissan and Subaru franchises in addition to Pontiac, Buick, GMC Truck, Cadillac and Saturn.

?I?ll have two empty buildings,? he added. ?I will need to fill them with some other type of business.?
Though from the looks of one of Mastria?s GM dealerships, you wouldn?t know there is a storm circling overhead.

The world?s second-largest automaker just named him as their largest-volume seller of Buick-Pontiac-GMC Truck dealers for 2008 in Massachusetts.
General Motors also awarded him their ?Mark of Excellence,? which rewards customer satisfaction and sales practices, making him only one of two dealers in all of New England to take both distinctions.
They?re accolades Mastria hopes the beleaguered automaker keeps in mind while slashing franchises ? especially with the competition on Route 44. ?We?re hoping ... General Motors would want their franchises represented in that same market,? he said. Despite the focus on the plight of domestic automakers, others on the block say import models are no safer in this market. ?Everyone?s worried about American, American, American companies, but Toyota just posted a $4.5 billion loss in this last quarter,? said Adam Silverleib, manager of neighboring Silko Honda. ?We?re all suffering.?

As for GM, Silverleib predicts its failure is not only inevitable but also won?t involve a shutdown without filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. ?There?s no doubt about it. They?re going to file for bankruptcy,? he said. ?It?s the only way they can avoid paying out to their dealers.? If GM files for bankruptcy, the company is likely to purchase back inventory and parts from its dealers, Mastria said.
That is worrisome, he added, as those are ?a big part of what most dealers own as assets or have as an obligation with their banks, other than their real estate.? Mastria said he is unsure how much he could stand to lose, as state laws protecting franchisees from such a massive failure have yet to be tested. ?The question comes as whether or not bankruptcy dismisses all of those laws or not,? he said. ?There are no guidelines. They haven?t written a book about this yet.?

Even though Mastria is the competition for Silverleib, the Honda dealer said the strip?s survival depends on a thriving auto mile.
The stretch of dealerships on Route 44 lost two business last year, the Classic Chrysler Center and Jimmy?s Suzuki.
?Empty storefronts are never helpful,? Silverleib said. ?There?s always a ripple effect.?
But Timothy Bruno, general manager of Route 44 Toyota, said he believed the dealership his wife Denise owns could only benefit from GM?s downfall.
?We could only see other customers coming from there to us,? he said. ?People always need cars, and if you take care of the customer, they?ll take care of you.?

 Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. Jessica Scarpati can be reached at jscarpati@enterprisenews.com.