I just heard a commercial on the radio for Family Ford in Marion.  The announcer spent the entire 30 seconds explaining that buying a car form a dealer in Roanoke or Bristol hurts the economy in Marion.  He went on to mention how they are financially supporting the community and the little league, and the sports teams on and on.  While he is correct in the assertion that buying out of town does nothing to help the local economy, let us remember that this is the very same company who drove every single automobile off of thier lot and out of the county on Dec. 31 a few years ago so that they would not have to pay the county inventory tax.  That act alone deprived this community of much more revenue than a few people driving to Bristol or Roanoke to buy a new car.
Go Figure