Although we have licensed attorneys and Realtors in the firm, we do not practice law, we will not act as your attorney, we are not interested in obtaining a gaggle of "Listings" and we do not advertise current transactions in either trade publications, or on Multiple Listing Services, (MLS), or feel it nessary to so do.
We do not gossip. Unless our client's business affairs have already been publicized (such as in a court case, or as the subject of a newspaper article, or as an announcement from the dealer), people generally do not hear about our transactions until they are completed.
We consult with clients in the industry regarding: Buying and Selling - Funding and Refinancing - Arbitration and Mediation - Expert Witness Testimony (but only for existing clients and only if we believe in the claim) - Appraisals and Valuations - Divorce and Partnership Disputes - Acquiring new points and/or Facilities - Out of Trust Situations - Sourcing and Referring.
We have consulted with dealers with respect to purchasing: (1) New dealership franchises; (2) New dealership facilities; (3) Land and/or facilities abutting our client’s dealership; and (4) Land and/or facilities distant from our client’s dealership. (Each of the above entails a slightly different foundation of knowledge and experience.)
We have consulted with dealers and have created packages with respect to selling: (1) Profitable dealerships; (2) Dealerships that have never shown a profit; (3) Out of Trust dealerships; (4) Functioning dealership land and facilities; and (5) Vacant dealership land and facilities. (Each of the above entails a slightly different foundation of knowledge and experience.)
THE ART OF BUYING OR SELLING A STORE IS NOT A SIMPLE PROCESS. There are a myriad of steps that must be taken in order to realize the best value when buying or maximizing price when selling. It takes extensive preparation prior to and during the negotiating process, and even more preparation at the closing.
DEALERS AND LENDERS SHOULD CONCENTRATE ON WHAT DEALERS AND LENDERS DO BEST, which is selling cars, operating businesses, and lending money, and let Automotive Advisors do what Automotive Advisors does best. There is a reason dealers have liners and closers and do not, themselves, negotiate directly with customers. We, at Automotive Advisors, will look out for your best interest even if it doesn't personally benefit us. We will energize you and motivate you to help you make the right decisions.
Over the years, we have been involved with obtaining initial loans (such as capitalization, flooring, and real estate) or refinancing under the following circumstances: (1) To cover out of trust positions; (2) To finance an expansion of the facility; (3) To finance the expansion of business; (4) To increase working capital; (5) To finance the building or remodeling of a facility; (6) To purchase a new facility; and (7) To purchase a new franchise. (Each of the above entails a slightly different foundation of knowledge and experience.)
In Addition to Purchase and Sale Transactions, they have appraised dealerships under the following circumstances: Divorces; Estate (Taxes and Sales); Partnership Disputes; Family Buyouts; Partner Buyouts and, in one instance, when a client sold his multifranchise, multi-dealership managment corporation to a public company, the three dealerships that our client was keeping for himself were appraised in order that their values could be subtracted from the from the agreed upon, total value of the management company.
We have valued dealerships under the following circumstances: (1) For the purpose of one partner buying out the other; (2) For the purpose of a survivor buying out a deceased’s interest; (3) For the purpose of a son buying out his father; (4) For the purpose of heirs filing estate tax valuations; (5) For the purpose of doing a workout plan with a lender; (6) For the purpose of determining the value of a minority interest; (7) For the purpose of determining the value of a majority interest; and (8) For the purpose of settling litigation. (Each of the above entails a slightly different foundation of knowledge and experience.)
We have consulted with dealers with respect to: (1) Changing locations and building a new facility; (2) Getting an open point and building a new facility; (3) Factory requirements for a new facility; and (4) Government aid and incentives for a new facility. (Each of the above entails a slightly different foundation of knowledge and experience.)
OPENING A NEW POINT IS NOT ALL IT IS CRACKED-UP TO BE. Generally, regardless of the fact that the factory (or distributor) “gave” you the point, be prepared to pay bluesky in the form of early losses.
When you buy a dealership that is operating, the day after the closing of the sale there are vehicles lined-up in front of the service department, wholesalers are ordering parts, your technicians are busy, you phone number is in the book and, in general, the public knows you are there and you begin with a core of customers.
When you open a new point, you must fully capitalize the store for both sales and service volumes that will not exist for at least nine to twelve months.
People are creatures of habit and, although the demographics may warrant a new point, wooing the existing customers to your store will prove a long-term challenge.
AUTOMOTIVE ADVISORS HAS THE EXPERIENCE NECESSARY to help prepare packages soliciting new points from the factory and to help prepare the dealer and the dealer’s counsel for the experience.
Automotive Advisors’ personnel have decades of experience both in structuring realistic workouts and, if necessary, in maximizing bluesky when selling dealerships that are in distressed positions.
See too: "Tips" for Someone "Out of Trust"?, in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Section.
Over the years we have accumulated references regarding a myriad of dealership items and we provide the names of our sources to our clients free of charge and without any referral fee from the provider. Such references include such people as: (1) Architects; (2) Realtors; (3) Appraisers; (4) Construction Companies; (5) Environmental Experts; (6) Facility Inspectors; (7) Parts Inventory People; (8) Hard Asset Appraisals; (9) Auctioneers; (10) Lenders; and (11) Head Hunters.
(1) In Bankruptcy; (2) In Receivership; (3) With Bank Overdrafts up to $30 million; (4) With Upsidedown positions over $50 million; (5) That were “In Trust”; (6) That were “Out of Trust”; (7) That were Operating Dealerships; (8) That were Closed Dealerships; and (9) That were On Finance Hold.
1) We have bought and sold dealerships for and to some very "High Profile" People, as well as negotiating some in very out of the way places.
2) We negotiated and helped get government and factory approval for the first purchase in the US by a Native American Tribe. This transaction required special modifications to both the sales and service agreement and the state licensing documents because our client was a Soverign Nation.