A new automotive group has been created in Florida. The owner’s focus? Growing used vehicle sales.
Marine Automotive Group was created after its owner, who’s name is U.S. Marine, acquired North Orlando Mitsubishi in December. Now, Marine owns two dealerships, and while he is looking to acquire more stores eventually — he told WardsAuto his first focus is on growing business at his new store.
He sees a big opportunity in used-vehicle sales.
“I am a pretty good used-car dealer. That’s where I see myself making a big difference in the profitability in this dealership,” Marine told WardsAuto in a Zoom call.
Used sales as a stepping stone
While North Orlando Mitsubishi, his new store, was performing “decently,” the previous owner, the Don Mealey Sport Automotive Group, was only stocking 30 to 35 used vehicles a month and selling around 30, Marine said.
He plans to stock around 100 used vehicles a month and sell 90 to 100 monthly. He is already selling about 130 a month at the Nissan dealership he owns in Orlando, Marine said.
As for new-vehicle sales, Marine aims to sell 50 or 60 units a month at the Mitsubishi store, he said.
Used sales are generally a significant source of income for Nissan and Mitsubishi dealerships because both brands face hurdles selling new vehicles, Jen Moylan, a lead consultant at accounting firm Withum, told WardsAuto during a phone call.
“Used usually do come into play quite significantly for Nissan and Mitsu because they are harder to move as new cars,” said Moylan, whose company helped Marine complete the complex manufacturer’s application to acquire the Mitsubishi dealership.
The Nissan brand has been losing market share for years due to a poor vehicle mix and some poor strategic decisions by the manufacturer, Moylan said. Meanwhile, Mitsubishi dealers have complained about an aging lineup.
Marine’s used strategy “makes sense, and I have seen it duplicated many times before successfully,” Moylan said. “It is a stepping stone to further growth.”
Marine Auto Group doesn’t have a website yet, but Marine said he is already listing each store’s used inventory on the other store’s website.
He is sourcing his used inventory from the nearby Manheim auction as well as from trade-ins. He also has “quite a bit” of off-rental used inventory, Marine said.
Now that he owns two stores, “I have a little bit better buying power” when acquiring used inventory, Marine said.
That buying power should only improve as Marine grows his nascent automotive group.
He would love to add a Kia or Hyundai store, Marine said, but none are currently available. Subaru and Mazda are two other franchises he is interested in. His next acquisition doesn’t have to be a high-flying dealership.
“My specialty is finding under-performing stores and making them perform,” Marine said.
Marine’s path to 100% ownership
Marine previously owned several dealerships in Florida in partnership with George Sutherlin, whose son Brett took over ownership when his father passed away.
But Marine wanted to own 100% of a dealership, so he cashed out his equity in two Nissan dealerships and one Mitsubishi dealership on Florida’s East Coast that were part of the Sutherlin Automotive Group.
Marine in 2023 used proceeds from the equity sale as well as a bank loan to buy 100% of the Orlando Nissan store from Sutherlin. He kept the name Sutherlin on that store out of respect for George Sutherlin, his partner of 20 years without whom “I would not be where I am today,” Marine said in a follow-up email. “He was a great mentor and partner.”
Now, Marine is also 100% owner of a Mitsubishi dealership. He paid just under $7 million for it, using cash, Marine said in the email.
His newly acquired Mitsubishi dealership is image-compliant, having been remodeled in July of 2024, Marine said. He’s enthusiastic about Mitsubishi’s product plans.
While it only has three models right now, Mitsubishi is “teasing with some future product that is exciting,” he said. “I think there is nowhere to go but up.”
