It's illegal to buy cars and RVs in Iowa on Sunday. A new law could change that.

Don Strolo owns RV lots in several states across the country. But Iowa is the only one that forces him to keep the doors closed on Sundays.

The state has long banned retail automobile sales on Sunday. And that law includes the motorhomes Strolo sells at Des Moines RV on Southeast 14th Street.

"It's not alcohol, it's not firearm sales," he said. "It's not something that's a more restrictive product."

He's backing a change in state law that would open up Sunday RV sales. He said the business is seasonal, with most sales occurring in warmer months. That makes every day count for his sales staff.

And he said camper and motorhome customers will drive great lengths to shop, putting his Iowa lot at a competitive disadvantage.

"Because they’re families, they're often working Monday to Friday, so they have two days to go shopping for RVs," he said. "It really damages the Iowa business owner because customers will shop and they’ll go farther away to buy something."

Senate Study Bill 3139 would allow Sunday RV sales, but maintain the state's ban on automobile sales. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Jake Chapman, R-Adel, did not respond to requests for comment.

The bill will be discussed in a Senate subcommittee Thursday afternoon.

In addition to Iowa, 17 other states — including Missouri, Minnesota and Illinois — ban or restrict Sunday vehicle sales, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Though it proposes no changes for car dealerships, the Iowa Automobile Dealers Association has registered in opposition to the bill.

Bruce Anderson, president of the association, said the law banning Sunday sales is not among so-called "blue laws" that ban certain commercial activities based on religious beliefs about the Sabbath.

"The rationale behind it is that it's kind of like a real estate closing: it’s a very complicated transaction that involves a bank and typically an insurance company and a titling office," he said. "Those folks just typically aren’t open on Sunday. Very often they’re not open on Saturday, but they’re never open on Sunday."

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He said Sunday sales could pose a consumer protection issue: if car lots were open on Sundays, they might agree to a deal, only to find out on Monday that a customer didn't qualify for the agreed-upon terms, Anderson said.

The association represents the state's 300 new car dealerships. And Anderson said they don't want to see a change in the law for car or RV dealers.

"I think dealers are satisfied not being open on Sunday. It’s a good thing for their business model and, frankly, for their customers," he said. "I just literally have never heard complaints about it. I don’t sense any great demand from consumers or dealers to change that."

'That's not a consumer protection issue'

Deputy Attorney General Nathan Blake said Sunday sales would not pose any additional risks for consumers.

"Realistically, with 24/7 banking and financing how it is now, there's not really a much greater risk on a Sunday than there is on a Monday or a Wednesday," he said.

The Iowa Attorney General's office investigates consumer complaints about car lots changing interest rates or terms of a deal after an agreement is reached. The office will continue to pursue them "regardless of the day of the week," Blake said.

The attorney general's office is remaining neutral on the bill. But Blake said the law banning Sunday vehicle sales is a "vestige of a different era."

"You can buy and sell all kinds of other things on Sundays," he said. "That’s not a consumer protection issue, but it is a consumer issue. Why not have the ability to buy cars, or buy motorhomes in this case, on a day of the week you have off?"

Jim Usgaard, general manager at Willis Auto Campus in Des Moines, said the current law "works very well the way it is today." And many customers enjoy poking around empty lots on Sundays, when they can survey the inventory without interacting with sales staff.

"They spend a lot of time on Sundays when they're in the market for a car looking at lots," Usgaard said. "We hear from people that they like to come in on Sundays because they can feel free to roam around and do their thing."

While he sees no reason for a change in the law for car dealers, he said an exception for RVs lots should not affect his business.

"If a change is made like that for RVs, it wouldn’t impact us at all," he said. "The only way it would is if the change was made for RVs and there was more pressure for all motorized vehicles."

Iowa law: 'It kind of astonishes them'

Brad Lindgren, sales manager at Sioux City Ford, said many lifelong residents of the area are still surprised when they learn that Iowa law bans retail car and RV sales on Sunday.

"They don’t know. It kind of astonishes them," he said. "It’s kind of overlooked because it’s not like we’re closed but our competitors in town are open."

Lindgren said many of the car dealerships in nearby Nebraska and South Dakota still stay closed on Sunday, even though those states don't require it. His company's sister dealership, Sioux Falls Ford, for instance, is closed on Sundays.

"I don’t really see it interfering with us," he said. "There are no laws in those states prohibiting them from being open on Sundays. I think they’re just choosing to close on Sundays."

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Lindgren thinks the RV lots have a point in that business is heavily seasonal and every day they're open can likely help the bottom line during warm months. But he doesn't think car lots want to see such a change.

"Working Saturdays and working late at night, me and all my employees can attest that it's just nice to have Sunday off. Today’s my day off, but here I am working," he said on Wednesday. "Retail hours are kind of hard."

'Sunday is Sunday'

Not all RV lots want to see a change.

Gary Ketelsen, owner of Ketelsen RV in Hiawatha, said he opposes any change to the current law.

"Sunday is Sunday. Businesses like ours need to abide by the blue law," he said. "I’ve always considered it family time."

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Ketelsen said customers don't have trouble finding the time to shop during the six days his lot is open. And employees value having the day off to spend with their families.

If the law were to change, he said he would not open the doors on Sundays.

"Everybody needs a day off," he said. "By staying open seven days a week, what are we creating there? I still really value the family time."

Would Sunday sales boost business?

Brett Edwards says employees value Iowa's Sunday ceasefire on car and RV sales. And he's never had a customer complain.

"Go to church. Be with the family. Do something else," he said. "I'm surprised this is even coming up."

He, along with his brother and father, own Edwards Auto Group. The company operates car dealerships in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska, as well as an RV dealership in Council Bluffs.

Edwards sees no business case to be made about opening up Sunday sales.

"I don't feel that having Sundays open would help us sell more cars," he said. "We don’t see that with our counterparts across the river. They don’t sell more cars because they’re open on Sunday."

He points to his company's Bellevue, Nebraska, store. It sells more Mitsubishi models than any store in Iowa or Nebraska — and it's closed on Sundays.

"Our hours are really long throughout the week to accommodate customers. We'll stay open after hours," he said. "They know that and they’re grateful for it. There’s no reason to be open on Sunday."

If other RV dealers are struggling to meet customers' needs, he recommends they take their inventory on the road: his lots regularly drive cars or RVs to customers' homes for convenience.

"It's not like they have to come to the store to do business," Edwards said. "Drive the RV out to them and show it to them where they are if they’ve just got a narrow window. That seems to be more of the trend that customers want anyway."