Manhattan, Here We Are

May 19, 2008

My vAuto travels have taken me to a lot of dealerships across the country. Frequent are the times when I get out of the car and laugh in wonderment about how my quirky brain got me to this out-of-the-way destination. Yesterday, while creeping thru the streets of downtown Manhattan, I wondered how much of my used car knowledge and experience applied to this urban jungle environment. I contemplated whether anyone would put themselves thru the abuse that I was experiencing to see a used car, much less buy it.

When Blair Creed, the General Manager of Mercedes Benz of Manhattan, introduced himself to me in the showroom, I quickly confessed that I may not have the right answers for his used car operation. He thanked me for my humility and ushered me thru a catacomb of hallways to his inner-sanctum office.

After a couple of hours I came to the realization, with the help of Blair, that while there were some peculiarities associated with selling used cars at Mercedes Benz of Manhattan, the business was basically the same as it was everywhere else in the country. Specifically, it’s much about the internet and good old-fashioned used car market knowledge. I was truly impressed with Blair and his team in terms of their openness to learn and their commitment to solid operational execution. My ride out of Manhattan was much more comforting than it was on the way in. This experience reinforced my basic belief that the principles of sound used car practices apply fairly equally from downtown Manhattan to Manhattan Beach, California.