About Our Dealership
The flagship of the Garber family.
Every Garber store traces its roots back to this Buick Showroom on State Street.
Garber Buick is where the Garber Automotive Group story began. As the original dealership Guy S. Garber bought from Buick Motor Company back in 1912, it became a General Motors model for salesmanship and service. For over a hundred years, Garber Buick has served the Great Lakes Bay Region with the latest new Buicks currently on the market. We also offer an expansive used car lot with vehicles to match any price point.
We believe we are only doing our jobs when we create an experience for you where you choose to return and do business with us again. That includes taking vehicle trade-ins, offering special promotions, and providing financing assistance to help you get into the vehicle you need. And once you've driven off the lot, our advanced service and collision centers can keep your vehicle in prime condition. These are just some of the reasons you'll do better at Garber!
Then and now
Family-owned since 1907 · Headquartered in Saginaw
Saginaw, 1910's
State Street, today
One Buick store grew to become over 25 dealerships across six states. But it’s still run by the same family from the same town.
Family-owned since 1907 · Headquartered in Saginaw
Recognition
Rated by customers. Ranked by the industry.
Our History
A century of automotive pioneering.
In 1907, most of Michigan still thought the horse and buggy were here to stay. Guy S. Garber, a 23-year-old farm-implement salesman, had a different vision – one where the automobile was the future of transportation. His passion caught the eye of Billy Durant, the founder of General Motors, who put him on the road to selling Buicks and opening dealerships across Michigan.
Guy Garber opened a Buick dealership in Saginaw in 1910, bought out the factory’s retail interest in 1912, and by 1913, he held the wholesale territory from Saginaw County all the way north to the Straits of Mackinac. His partnership with GM lasted nearly 60 years, and when he died in 1965, Garber Buick was the last Buick distributor in America.
Where the name first went over a door: R. J. Garber Farm Implements, 414 N. Washington Avenue, Lansing.
Guy Garber at work in the Saginaw office.
1907
Guy S. Garber goes to work for Buick
At William C. Durant's urging, the 23-year-old salesman becomes a Buick representative and opens a dealership in Battle Creek.
1912
Garber Buick is born
Buick leaves the retail business; Guy buys its Saginaw Valley interest. A year later, he is sole owner and one of the Buick Thirteen distributors.
1965
Guy Garber Passes Away at 81
After 58 years working in the auto industry, Guy Garber passes away at 81. Richard Garber Sr., his son, takes over as president and owner of Garber Buick.
1980
Richard J. Garber Jr.
Richard J. Garber Jr., Guy Garber's grandson, becomes president in the company's 73rd year, making him the youngest Buick dealer in the nation.
1986
One store becomes a group
Garber Automotive Group is born. Garber Nissan in Saginaw, Michigan and Garber Ford in Green Cove Springs, Florida are the first acquisitions.
New state · Florida
1996
RightWay Auto Sales and Gateway Financial Services
Garber Automotive Group establishes RightWay Auto Sales, a chain of used-car dealerships, and Gateway Financial Solutions, a subprime lending agency.
1997
Glendale Heights, Illinois
Garber adds Sunrise Chevrolet in Glendale Heights, Illinois. It is the group’s third state and first venture into the Chicago Metro area.
New state · Illinois
2002
The Saginaw Spirit come to the Great Lakes Bay Region
Garber brings the Saginaw Spirit, an OHL franchise, to the Dow Event Center. They eventually become the 2024 Memorial Cup champions.
2011
Rochester, New York
Acura, Honda, Porsche and Audi franchise dealerships based in Rochester, New York join Garber Automotive Group, expanding the group into four states.
New state · New York
2017
Richard J. Garber Jr. Receives Governor’s Award
Garber receives the Governor’s Lifetime Humanitarian Award, recognizing the impact of Garber and the organization’s philanthropy in the Great Lakes Bay Region of Michigan.
2018–19
Hilton Head, South Carolina and Highland, Indiana
Two new dealerships are brought under the Garber umbrella, adding two states in two years – a Buick GMC Cadillac store in Bluffton, SC, and a Chevrolet store in Highland, IN.
New state · South CarolinaNew state · Indiana
Today
Still family-owned. Still in Saginaw.
23 franchised dealerships, 16 brands, and 2,500+ employees. But still run from the same hometown and still offering the same promise – you’ll do better at Garber.
Community
Giving back has always been at the heart of our business.
Giving back to the communities that support us has been part of the Garber mission since day one. Guy Garber founded the Saginaw Society for Crippled Children, helped organize the local division of the United Way, built the Garber Tennis Courts, and served on the Saginaw County School Board. Three generations on, Richard J. Garber Jr. has led campaigns for the YMCA, the CAN Council, and the Temple Theater, and Garber team members put in thousands of volunteer hours each year.
At Garber Buick, showing up for the community means sponsoring Great Lakes Bay Region organizations, supporting events our team is passionate about, and giving to causes our customers bring to us. If it matters to Saginaw, it matters here.
Our Partners
The organizations we stand behind.
Every Garber dealership supports these partners. Many of our stores add local causes of their own — ask us how to get involved.
Have a cause our team should know about?
Request a Sponsorship
Come see what more than a century of doing the right thing looks like.
Stop by State Street, meet the team, and find out why our customers come back — generation after generation.