How to Make Dealers Happy?

How does an automotive lender make dealers happy these days? Very carefully, replies Tom Wirth, president of U.S. Bancorp's Indirect Dealer Group. His answer reflects a current cautious mood of the auto-financing industry. It hasn't been hit hard like its stunned home-mortgage counterpart. But it is dealing with tighter credit, higher risks and a weakened economy all of which makes automotive lending

Steve Finlay, Senior Editor

July 1, 2008

9 Min Read
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How does an automotive lender make dealers happy these days?

“Very carefully,” replies Tom Wirth, president of U.S. Bancorp's Indirect Dealer Group.

His answer reflects a current cautious mood of the auto-financing industry. It hasn't been hit hard like its stunned home-mortgage counterpart. But it is dealing with tighter credit, higher risks and a weakened economy — all of which makes automotive lending trickier than ever

“You won't see in auto lending the excesses we've seen in the mortgage market,” says Andrew Fornarola, senior vice president, M&T Bank Corp. “But we are clearly dependent on the economy, and we're going to feel it.”

Adding to the angst is that dealers and lenders are facing many would-be car buyers with a basketful of credit challenges.

Those can include diminished credit scores, maxed-out credit and negative equity on their current vehicles. It makes getting customers into a new vehicle tough for dealers, who are feeling their own pain.

“A lot of people are under personal pressure,” Adam Goldfein, a former dealer, says. “It pushes them into risk situations. If you understand this, you understand what dealers are going through.”

Vehicle sales are off, with the seasonally adjusted annual rate “is dropping like a stone,” says Goldfein, who hosts a CBS radio automotive talk show. “There is less margin for dealers, less to walk away with.

“They are under a lot of pressure and they are going to be looking for new (finance and insurance) products for new revenue.”

Dealers also are trying to finance as many car deals as possible. In a year of fewer vehicle transactions, auto retailers are loath to lose a prospective sale because of financing problems.

That has led to greater risks and extended loan terms that are intended to make monthly payments more palatable, but instead are becoming an industry bane.

“Customers are having a tough time making ends meet,” Goldfein says. “These days, you never hear, ‘I have 10% or 20% for a down payment.’”

Now, it's: “How many years can I have to pay off this car.” It has led to code-red 7- and 8-year auto loans.

“When I started in the business, the typical loan term was 36 months,” Goldfein says. “Forty-eight months was a stretch. Sixty months was, ‘Are you crazy?’

“Today, 60 is short, 72 is the norm and 84 and 96 are not uncommon. I'm waiting for (loan application software) to be reprogrammed for three digits.”

In 2003, 72-77 month terms accounted for 21.5% of auto loans and climbed to 39.8% through March of this year, according to the Power Information Network.

Five years ago, 84-89.9 month terms were almost unheard of, accounting for just 0.8% of auto loans. Now they are at 4.1%.

Longer loan terms are becoming so common “they're not called ‘extended’ terms anymore; they're the terms,” says Fornarola.

He and other lenders discussed market trends and industry concerns as panelists at the Consumer Bankers Assn.'s auto financing conference in San Francisco.

Long-term loans take car buyers out of the market for protracted periods, as well as increase the chances of loan defaults, a nasty situation for all concerned.

“It is amazing how nice people are when you are giving them money, and how mean they can be when you are dealing with them as a loan defaulter,” says Wirth, a conference panelist.

A near-certainty for long-term loans is that they ultimately result in negative equity, with the customer owing more on the vehicle than it is worth.

The No.1 question Goldfein gets asked on his call-in radio show is, ‘How do I deal with negative equity?”

Other common questions are: “Can I return my car? Can I refinance, because something has come up? If I voluntarily repossess my vehicle, can it ruin my credit?”

Yes, it can. But some consumers don't care or are deeply ignorant of how credit worthiness works.

Goldfein tells of being at a dealership where a “regular-looking guy wearing nice clothes” got rejected for an auto loan because his credit score was abysmal.

“I asked him why,” Goldfein says. “He looked at me with a smile and said, ‘No one pays their bills.”

That cavalier attitude may be contagious.

“People call my show and say, ‘My credit sucks,’” Goldfein says. “And they aren't even embarrassed about it. That's what gets me.”

Loan-risk models now take into account such changes in mind-set, Wirth says. “Before, bankruptcy was shameful. Now, people talk about it as a personal topic, and they talk about it in the suburbs.”

It has resulted in lenders insisting more than ever that dealerships get accurate and honest customer information for loan applications.

“Our attitude is trust but verify,” Wirth says. “A statement of income is not proof of income. It can be a statement of a lie.”

Subprime lenders check out everything on vehicle loan applications, says William Jensen, a senior vice president at Chase Automotive Finance.

“Verifying everything benefits everyone,” he says. “I don't have to evaluate character because, being in subprime, all my customers are characters.”

Many of them have a 60-hour-a-week budget and a 30-hour-a-week income, he says. In other words, they spend more than they earn.

But there are loan risks today even if a dealership customer has a high score on the Fair and Issac Corp. (FICO) system that ranks creditworthiness from 300 to 900 points.

“If you believe every loan is going to do great because it has a 740 FICO score, you are kidding yourself,” says Nichaols Stanutz, senior vice president at Huntington Bancshares Inc.

A lot of prime customers are becoming stressed, Jensen says. “A lot of prime customers are becoming near-prime.”

Adds Fornarola: “Relying on FICO alone is a disaster. The anxiety is that models of today probably can't work three or four years from now because of where the economy is headed.”

But there are positives and valuable lessons that can be learned from tough times.

“This cycle we are in gives us an opportunity to cure some things,” Jensen says. “It's a reality check for everyone. A time of chaos is a chance to change.

“Cycles come and go. You learn from each and improve your business and eliminate the big mistakes.”

While sales volumes are important, it also is important not to fixate on volume, Stanutz says. “Volume is vanity and profit is sanity.”

Goldfein sees vehicle leasing as a solution to the problem of consumers entering into overextended loan agreements to obtain vehicles they really can't afford to buy.

“Is leasing resurrecting Frankenstein?” he says, referring to leasing falling out of favor earlier this decade because of abuses and big losses.

He doesn't think modern leasing is a monster. But when he suggests leasing to people as an alternative to buying a vehicle so they don't get in too deep financially, “they'll say, ‘No, no, no. I don't like leasing.’

“My response is, ‘What's wrong with leasing?’” Goldfein says. “It is beneficial if done right. Just because you tried something a long time ago, doesn't mean you shouldn't try it again.”

Rank

Dealership

Owner/Principals

City

ST

New Units

Used Units

Total Units

Total Revenue

F&I Revenue

1

Dave Smith Motors

Ken Smith

Kellogg

ID

11,003

2,298

13,301

$486,359,607

$16,038,993

2

Galpin Ford

Herbert F. Boeckmann II

North Hills

CA

6,149

3,389

9,538

$331,329,932

$15,104,812

3

Bill Heard Chevrolet, LTD

William T. Heard

Sugarland

TX

3,870

3,645

7,515

$219,131,000

$14,678,000

4

Toyota of Orange

David Wilson

Orange

CA

6,501

2,107

8,608

$207,152,636

$13,788,344

5

Hudson Toyota Scion

Penske Automotive Group (Formerly United Auto Group)

Jersey City

NJ

6,064

1,908

7,972

$195,763,748

$13,163,572

6

Landmark Chevrolet, Ltd

William T. Heard

Houston

TX

4,193

4,193

8,386

$224,877,000

$12,456,000

7

Trophy Nissan

Bill Adkins/Jim Whitesel

Mesquite

TX

3,862

2,999

6,861

$177,666,196

$12,379,647

8

Roseville Toyota

John L. Sullivan

Roseville

CA

4,539

3,226

7,765

$204,021,108

$12,194,187

9

Courtesy Chevrolet Phoenix

William Gruwell

Phoenix

AZ

3,110

2,980

6,090

$180,325,029

$11,980,235

10

Right Toyota

David Wilson

Scottsdale

AZ

5,885

1,545

7,430

$203,853,652

$11,777,506

11

Midway Chevrolet

John Cleaves

Phoenix

AZ

4,623

2,685

7,308

$221,407,047

$11,562,083

12

Lustine Toyota Scion Dodge Jeep

Burton Lustine

Woodbridge

VA

4,741

1,017

5,758

$157,835,000

$11,159,000

13

Toyota of Riverside

David Wilson

Riverside

CA

4,752

1,520

6,272

$153,178,439

$10,553,343

14

South Bay Toyota

David Wilson

Gardena

CA

4,351

1,612

5,963

$153,900,129

$10,547,554

15

Joe Myers Toyota

Jerry Rocco

Houston

TX

5,640

3,062

8,702

$205,874,600

$10,354,852

16

Appleway Chevrolet

AutoNation Inc.

Spokane

WA

3,117

1,997

5,114

$142,392,247

$9,897,841

17

Bill Heard Chevrolet, Inc.-Union City

William T. Heard

Union City

GA

3,004

2,059

5,063

$127,244,000

$9,746,000

18

Camelback Toyota

John O'Malley

Phoenix

AZ

4,938

2,368

7,306

$195,188,754

$9,596,673

19

Bill Heard Chevrolet, Inc.-Scottsdale

William T. Heard

Scottsdale

AZ

2,695

1,572

4,267

$114,872,000

$9,456,000

20

Fletcher Jones Motorcars

Fletcher Jones Jr.

Newport Beach

CA

6,223

2,109

8,332

$571,082,030

$9,434,567

21

Crevier BMW

Donald Crevier

Santa Ana

CA

4,217

1,328

5,545

$287,227,084

$9,308,459

22

Larry Miller Toyota

Larry H. Miller

Peoria

AZ

4,206

1,927

6,133

$161,255,288

$9,286,167

23

Bill Heard Chevrolet, Inc.-Plant City

William T. Heard

Plant City

FL

2,559

1,766

4,325

$116,944,000

$9,277,000

24

Classic Chevrolet, Ltd

Tom Durant

Grapevine

TX

5,698

2,463

8,161

$281,404,736

$9,105,769

25

Capitol Toyota

AutoFocus, Inc.

San Jose

CA

5,071

1,511

6,582

$169,295,163

$9,027,542

26

David Maus Toyota

David Maus

Longwood

FL

5,726

1,800

7,526

$190,101,934

$8,997,360

27

Puente Hills Toyota/Scion

Frederick E. Hitchcock

City of Industry

CA

4,952

1,240

6,192

$160,273,981

$8,991,497

28

ABC Nissan

Jay Carley

Phoenix

AZ

2,685

2,062

4,747

$136,828,984

$8,834,823

29

Vandergriff Honda

Charlie Evans

Arlington

TX

2,925

2,412

5,337

$128,253,797

$8,831,005

30

Showcase Honda

Tom Buis

Phoenix

AZ

3,330

2,184

5,514

$147,643,269

$8,622,419

31

Toyota of Huntington Beach

David Wilson

Huntington Beach

CA

4,052

1,268

5,320

$128,780,251

$8,498,892

32

Towbin Dodge

Daniel Towbin & Carolynn Towbin

Henderson

NV

2,303

2,975

5,278

$128,971,375

$8,215,015

33

McCombs Ford West

Marsha Shields

San Antonio

TX

2,239

2,588

4,827

$98,166,324

$8,205,900

34

Bell Honda

John Cleaves

Phoenix

AZ

2,789

1,808

4,597

$114,898,722

$8,174,530

35

Red McCombs Toyota & Scion

Marsha Shields

San Antonio

TX

4,541

2,233

6,774

$179,992,557

$8,128,800

36

Braman Motorcars

Norman Braman

West Palm Beach

FL

4,850

1,599

6,449

$430,388,387

$8,030,407

37

Fred Haas Toyota World

Fred Haas

Spring

TX

8,022

3,034

11,056

$286,789,507

$7,928,777

38

Midway Nissan

John Cleaves

Phoenix

AZ

2,392

1,805

4,197

$110,577,691

$7,892,664

39

Gwinnett Place Honda

Hendrick Automotive Group

Duluth

GA

4,686

1,764

6,450

$183,257,527

$7,847,844

40

AutoWay Chevrolet - Clearwater

AutoNation Inc.

Clearwater

FL

1,044

3,141

4,185

$97,534,962

$7,844,311

41

AutoWest Chrysler Jeep Dodge Roseville

AutoNation Inc.

Roseville

CA

1,421

2,813

4,234

$121,923,808

$7,830,852

42

Chapman Chevrolet, LLC

John H. Chapman

Tempe

AZ

2,075

3,456

5,531

$132,166,412

$7,647,765

43

Mark Christopher Auto Center

Mark/Christopher Leggio

Ontario

CA

3,487

1,144

4,631

$205,906,077

$7,640,466

44

DMT Automotive Enterprises

Donald Toresco

Springfield

NJ

6,626

1,195

7,821

$135,467,805

$7,605,366

45

Elmore Toyota

Judith Elmore

Westminster

CA

3,822

1,118

4,940

$125,117,436

$7,466,078

46

John L. Sullivan Chevrolet

John L. Sullivan

Roseville

CA

1,381

2,493

3,874

$131,120,367

$7,387,904

47

Cerritos Nissan

Peter Fice

Cerritos

CA

2,994

1,329

4,323

$124,798,743

$7,222,378

48

Toyota of Dallas

Bill Adkins/David Kelly

Dallas

TX

3,517

1,589

5,106

$141,755,752

$7,207,022

49

South Coast Toyota

David Wilson

Costa Mesa

CA

3,773

1,115

4,888

$125,413,400

$7,197,860

50

Earnhardt Ford Sales Company

Hal J. Earnhardt III

Tempe

AZ

3,115

2,752

5,867

$170,072,631

$7,152,479

51

Braman Honda

Norman Braman

Miami

FL

5,018

2,570

7,588

$206,772,487

$7,102,854

52

Millennium Toyota

John Staluppi Sr.

Hempstead

NY

4,350

1,266

5,616

$150,743,230

$7,085,000

53

Atlantic Toyota

John Staluppi Sr.

Amityville

NY

3,532

1,825

5,357

$148,105,211

$7,023,000

54

Sam Galloway Ford Lincoln Mercury

Sam M. Galloway

Fort Myers

FL

3,210

1,679

4,889

$165,059,380

$7,004,893

55

Bill Heard Chevrolet Corp.-NW Las Vegas

William T. Heard

Las Vegas

NV

1,705

1,655

3,360

$103,584,000

$7,004,000

56

Michael Cadillac, Inc.

Michael L. Rosvold

Fresno

CA

4,165

1,764

5,929

$202,055,918

$6,984,607

57

Northside Ford

Gary Woods

San Antonio

TX

3,130

2,205

5,335

$128,766,311

$6,935,500

58

Bill Heard Chevrolet Corporation-Orlando

William T. Heard

Sanford

FL

3,350

1,713

5,063

$144,701,000

$6,916,000

59

Honda Cars of McKinney

Hendrick Automotive Group

McKinney

TX

3,019

1,577

4,596

$118,720,744

$6,809,099

60

Van Chevrolet

Chuck Mullins

Scottsdale

AZ

2,723

2,082

4,805

$163,001,901

$6,794,980

61

AutoWay Chevrolet - Tampa

AutoNation Inc.

Tampa

FL

597

2,269

2,866

$73,312,229

$6,779,426

62

Vandergriff Toyota

Ronnie Whitlock

Arlington

TX

3,823

2,241

6,064

$148,358,141

$6,656,938

63

Joe Myers Ford

Bill Tennant

Houston

TX

2,448

2,203

4,651

$141,462,765

$6,622,472

64

Red McCombs Ford

Marsha Shields

San Antonio

TX

2,443

2,270

4,713

$114,590,731

$6,598,200

65

Universal Toyota & Scion

Gary Woods

San Antonio

TX

3,757

1,978

5,735

$147,731,991

$6,595,250

66

AutoWay Dodge

AutoNation Inc.

Clearwater

FL

1,106

1,718

2,824

$76,893,532

$6,540,912

67

Ancira Winton Chevrolet Inc.

Ernesto Ancira, Jr.

San Antonio

TX

2,573

1,996

4,569

$123,038,311

$6,499,805

68

Bill Heard Chevrolet at Town Center, LLC

William T. Heard

Kennesaw

GA

2,916

2,038

4,954

$131,886,000

$6,478,000

69

Pinnacle Nissan/Infiniti

John Cleaves

Scottsdale

AZ

2,958

1,948

4,906

$152,101,456

$6,477,516

70

AutoWay Honda

AutoNation Inc.

Clearwater

FL

1,423

1,757

3,180

$85,717,152

$6,468,075

71

Ed Morse Sawgrass Auto Mall

Edward J. Morse, Jr.

Sunrise

FL

2,273

831

3,104

$111,631,936

$6,436,428

72

Northridge Toyota/Scion

Frederick E. Hitchcock

Northridge

CA

2,698

658

3,356

$90,030,168

$6,431,003

73

Westbury Toyota Scion

Penske Automotive Group (Formerly United Auto Group)

Westbury

NJ

4,137

1,107

5,244

$136,186,439

$6,425,293

74

Carr Chevrolet, Inc.

Wallace Preble/Gene Bradshaw

Beaverton

OR

2,433

3,986

6,419

$181,277,032

$6,403,626

75

Desert Volkswagen

AutoNation Inc.

Las Vegas

NV

1,372

1,208

2,580

$110,498,692

$6,302,197

76

Bill Heard Chevrolet, Inc.-Collierville

William T. Heard

Collierville

TN

2,243

2,088

4,331

$126,729,000

$6,299,000

77

Hendrick Honda NC

Hendrick Automotive Group

Charlotte

NC

3,961

2,156

6,117

$157,177,311

$6,281,367

78

AutoWay Lincoln-Mercury

AutoNation Inc.

Clearwater

FL

958

2,133

3,091

$90,892,647

$6,277,458

79

Gaudin Motor Co

Gary/Dan Ackerman

Las Vegas

NV

2,889

2,369

5,258

$207,571,279

$6,195,183

80

Chapman Scottsdale Autoplex, LLC

J. Baxter Chapman

Scottsdale

AZ

3,221

2,603

5,824

$205,016,536

$6,164,382

81

Reliable Chevrolet

Mike Reynolds

Springfield

MO

2,189

2,672

4,861

$129,695,998

$6,129,749

82

AutoWay Ford - St. Petersburg

AutoNation Inc.

St. Petersburg

FL

1,204

1,617

2,821

$78,541,798

$6,111,664

83

Charlie Hillard Ford

AutoNation Inc.

Ft. Worth

TX

1,315

2,599

3,914

$96,842,084

$6,103,695

84

Rosenthal Fairfax Honda

Robert Rosenthal

Fairfax

VA

3,531

1,167

4,698

$125,637,925

$6,067,274

85

Bill Heard Chevrolet Corp.-Las Vegas

William T. Heard

Las Vegas

NV

2,138

1,522

3,660

$123,554,000

$6,051,000

86

Bill Heard Chevrolet, Inc.-Huntsville

William T. Heard

Huntsville

AL

2,349

1,469

3,818

$115,679,000

$6,032,000

87

South Bay BMW/Mini

Frederick E. Hitchcock

Torrance

CA

3,593

1,054

4,647

$240,915,461

$6,016,908

88

Reliable Chevrolet/Nissan

Kurt Jones

Albuquerque

NM

2,102

1,245

3,347

$96,137,474

$5,979,789

89

Central Florida Toyota/Scion

Penske Automotive Group (Formerly United Auto Group)

Orlando

FL

4,148

1,096

5,244

$132,154,176

$5,968,013

90

Toyota of Richardson

Steve Grogean

Richardson

TX

3,398

1,429

4,827

$136,783,109

$5,950,811

91

Bill Heard Chevrolet Company

William T. Heard

Columbus

GA

3,739

1,914

5,653

$177,812,000

$5,949,000

92

Piercey Toyota

William R. Piercey/Art Wicker

Milpitas

CA

3,947

648

4,595

$122,188,197

$5,932,110

93

Atlanta Toyota/Scion

Penske Automotive Group (Formerly United Auto Group)

Duluth

GA

4,404

1,669

6,073

$152,777,658

$5,902,519

94

AutoWay Nissan Brandon

AutoNation Inc.

Tampa

FL

2,513

1,839

4,352

$123,128,968

$5,895,104

95

Chapman Chevrolet Chandler dba Freeway Chevrolet

John H. Chapman

Chandler

AZ

1,302

1,762

3,064

$78,450,987

$5,879,961

96

Hendrick Lexus

Hendrick Automotive Group

Charlotte

NC

2,362

1,339

3,701

$183,355,615

$5,853,560

97

Peoria Nissan

Teresa DaCosta

Peoria

AZ

2,240

1,377

3,617

$96,479,349

$5,798,807

98

J M Lexus

JM Family Enterprises, inc.

Margate

FL

7,537

2,065

9,602

$422,227,848

$5,794,005

99

Chapman's Las Vegas Dodge, LLC

John H. Chapman

Las Vegas

NV

1,221

1,948

3,169

$80,056,471

$5,715,127

100

Honda Cars of Concord

Hendrick Automotive Group

Concord

NC

2,747

1,228

3,975

$106,950,072

$5,667,331

101

Downtown LA Motors Mercedes-Benz

Jeanette Shammas

Los Angeles

CA

2,762

479

3,241

$207,049,094

$5,643,944

102

Bankston Ford of Frisco

AutoNation Inc.

Frisco

TX

1,119

1,582

2,701

$124,032,958

$5,500,653

103

Bankston Honda

AutoNation Inc.

Lewisville

TX

2,869

2,315

5,184

$181,003,228

$5,489,198

104

Champion Chrysler Jeep Isuzu Hyundai Gulf Freeway

AutoNation Inc.

Houston

TX

1,206

2,080

3,286

$85,108,690

$5,468,109

105

Kenny Kent Toyota/Lexus/Mitsubishi

Butch Hancock

Evansville

IN

2,763

1,813

4,576

$128,073,822

$5,408,880

106

Gwinnett Place Ford

Casey Coffey

Duluth

GA

1,586

1,607

3,193

$105,105,191

$5,301,074

107

Burt Toyota

Lloyd G. Chavez

Englewood

CO

3,190

1,642

4,832

$139,669,036

$5,237,162

108

Autowest Honda Roseville

AutoNation Inc.

Roseville

CA

2,891

2,655

5,546

$143,246,369

$5,203,269

109

Lone Star Chevrolet

Sonic Automotive

Houston

TX

3,894

2,058

5,952

$178,598,044

$5,178,480

110

Toyota Scion of Wilmington

Hendrick Automotive Group

Wilmington

NC

2,479

1,187

3,666

$99,209,719

$5,129,731

111

Rock Honda

William R. Piercey

Fontana

CA

3,240

937

4,177

$104,270,098

$5,097,808

112

Earnhardt's Gilbert Dodge, Inc.

Hal J. Earnhardt III

Gilbert

AZ

2,916

2,511

5,427

$145,275,256

$5,084,212

113

Crest Auto Group

Van Tuyl Group

Plano

TX

2,089

1,505

3,594

$164,565,871

$5,080,223

114

Palm Beach Toyota Scion

Penske Automotive Group (Formerly United Auto Group)

West Palm Beach

FL

3,722

1,044

4,766

$118,540,728

$5,069,575

115

Lute Riley Honda

Sonic Automotive

Richardson

TX

4,630

2,142

6,772

$173,228,826

$5,057,269

116

Sam Swope Honda World

S.G. Swope

Louisville

KY

3,222

1,993

5,215

$122,749,988

$5,054,851

117

Cable-Dahmer Chevrolet Inc.

Carlos Ledezma

Independence

MO

1,878

1,479

3,357

$105,937,733

$5,054,227

118

Maroone Chevrolet of Greenacres

AutoNation Inc.

Greenacres

FL

2,210

1,759

3,969

$111,961,825

$5,028,080

119

Wilde Toyota Scion

Mark Wilde

West Allis

WI

3,596

4,087

7,683

$157,133,247

$5,017,137

120

Champion Autoplex

AutoNation Inc.

Austin

TX

1,246

930

2,176

$63,881,762

$5,001,054

121

Crystal Auto Mall

Donald Toresco

Greenbrook

NJ

3,526

825

4,351

$113,244,375

$4,987,520

122

Newport Lexus

David Wilson

Newport Beach

CA

2,945

535

3,480

$165,863,415

$4,978,041

123

Champion Chevrolet Gulf Freeway

AutoNation Inc.

Houston

TX

1,982

1,728

3,710

$105,675,055

$4,973,638

124

Al Serra Auto Plaza

Joseph O. Serra

Grand Blanc

MI

1,224

480

1,704

$221,353,722

$4,947,687

125

Billy Navarre Chevrolet and Honda

Billy Navarre

Lake Charles

LA

2,846

1,723

4,569

$117,013,138

$4,938,290

126

Autowest Honda Fremont

AutoNation Inc.

Fremont

CA

2,190

1,309

3,499

$113,212,090

$4,913,936

127

Gillman Honda (South)

Ramsay Gillman

Houston

TX

4,092

1,377

5,469

$137,113,408

$4,900,967

128

Braman Motors

Norman Braman

Miami

FL

4,530

1,292

5,822

$336,315,879

$4,893,686

129

Hendrick Honda of Woodbridge

Hendrick Automotive Group

Woodbridge

VA

2,592

1,099

3,691

$95,868,735

$4,890,176

130

Rick Case Honda

Rick Case

Davie

FL

8,209

1,896

10,105

$206,573,027

$4,887,873

131

AutoWay Nissan

AutoNation Inc.

Clearwater

FL

1,156

1,302

2,458

$66,003,598

$4,849,584

132

Texas Toyota

Bert King

Grapevine

TX

2,493

1,415

3,908

$105,331,066

$4,795,148

133

Toyota of Fort Worth

Sonic Automotive

Fort Worth

TX

5,528

1,867

7,395

$184,507,181

$4,650,017

134

Honda World Westminster

William R. Piercey/Jim Kitzmiller

Westminster

CA

3,407

1,170

4,577

$117,971,559

$4,647,594

135

Galpin Jaguar Lincoln Mercury, Inc.

Herbert F. Boeckmann II

Van Nuys

CA

4,487

396

4,883

$193,994,376

$4,639,623

136

Brunswick Auto Mart, LLC

Gary Panteck

Brunswick

OH

6,325

1,608

7,933

$195,472,069

$4,637,516

137

City Chevrolet

Hendrick Automotive Group

Charlotte

NC

1,885

1,322

3,207

$114,038,266

$4,635,391

138

Bankston Nissan of Lewisville

AutoNation Inc.

Lewisville

TX

1,676

926

2,602

$88,401,695

$4,623,947

139

Earnhardt Nissan, Inc.

Hal J. Earnhardt III

Mesa

AZ

2,360

1,299

3,659

$91,900,975

$4,558,885

140

Gene Evans Team Ford

AutoNation Inc.

Union City

GA

1,781

1,012

2,793

$79,969,633

$4,543,084

141

Gwinnett Place Nissan

Casey Coffey/Rick Williams

Duluth

GA

2,646

1,410

4,056

$107,710,227

$4,523,358

142

Courtesy Ford (FL)

AutoNation Inc.

Sanford

FL

1,137

1,011

2,148

$63,288,135

$4,490,944

143

Toyota of Concord

Hendrick Automotive Group

Concord

NC

2,447

1,318

3,765

$98,621,196

$4,433,746

144

Fletcher Jones Toyota

Fletcher Jones Jr.

Las Vegas

NV

2,984

1,196

4,180

$121,236,829

$4,431,762

145

Westway Ford

Van Tuyl Group

Irving

TX

1,742

1,063

2,805

$88,853,901

$4,428,430

146

Big Two Toyota Scion of Chandler

Chris Hoeye

Chandler

AZ

4,432

1,262

5,694

$153,279,684

$4,376,082

147

Magnussen's Lexus of Freemont

Bernard L. Magnussen

Fremont

CA

2,180

668

2,848

$138,105,581

$4,372,008

148

AutoWay Ford - Bradenton

AutoNation Inc.

Bradenton

FL

1,240

1,323

2,563

$69,378,518

$4,371,229

149

Larry H. Miller Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge

Larry H. Miller

Sandy

UT

2,168

1,924

4,092

$140,349,196

$4,366,725

150

Rick Hendrick Toyota Scion

Hendrick Automotive Group

Fayetteville

NC

2,311

1,007

3,318

$90,383,239

$4,364,600

About the Author(s)

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