Tolliver opened right after the July 4 holiday. The Miami Twp. resident finds himself in a unique position for at least two reasons.
First, Centerville Automart is the only independent dealer on a street lined with established dealers. Second, he’s not far from Voss Chevrolet and Suzuki, operated by the company for which he once worked as general manager, Voss Village Cadillac.
Perhaps Tolliver is unusual for a third reason: Opening a dealership in the midst of the “Great Recession.”
After leaving Voss, Tolliver worked for a friend, Mike Garrett, at Waynesville Auto Mart off Ohio 73 for several months, getting a feel for what those in his profession call the “pre-owned vehicle” business.
“I ventured out on my own,” Tolliver said. “I’m probably the only guy in the country who started a car business in the middle of this mess.”
No regrets, so far. As of Wednesday, Aug. 26, Tolliver had sold 16 vehicles for the month. If he could raise his sales count to 20 to 30 vehicles a month, he would like to hire another sales employee and a title clerk. Today, he has two employees.
Tolliver’s contention: If dealers sell cars that are clean, mechanically sound and priced fairly, they will move.
“Affordable is the word,” Tolliver said.
A recent visit to his lot found a Lexus sedan, a Mini Cooper and a Jaguar XK8, among a selection of domestic models, including an Oldsmobile Alero. Six-month, 7,500-mile powertrain warranties are available, Tolliver said.
John Higgins, Lexus of Dayton owner, operated as an independent dealer for 17 years when he ran Foreign Exchange imports off Ohio 741. It’s not easy being an independent dealer, Higgins said. Finding vehicles can be challenging, particularly because independents may not be able to directly buy off-lease vehicles from automakers, Higgins said.
Higgins said his used vehicle lot on Lyons Road this year actually has sold one-to-one compared to his new vehicle sales, thanks in part to the Internet. His is the first certified pre-owned Lexus store in the United States not connected to a new vehicle store, he said.
“Anything you can do to lower the risk factor for a prospective buyer of course makes them more comfortable,” Higgins said.
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