March 26, 2013

Most people don’t have a stash of cash to buy a vehicle.  At Autoshow Orillia, that’s not a problem.

“What we do here that is unique is we pre-qualify people who want to buy a used car,” explained Chad McIntyre, who has experience adjudicating credit and arranging financing.  “We work with the individual,

look at their credit history and help them determine what they can afford.  There’s no point looking, for example, at a Cadillac if it’s not something you can afford.”

Autoshow Orillia offers credit as low as 4.95% and can provide in-house financing through its affiliation with Auto Credit.

“I can survey nine different banks to get the best deal for the customer,” said McIntyre.  “It’s all done online and it only shows up as one credit check on a person’s credit history, which is really important.  The fewer credit checks you have the better it is.”

McIntyre has been affiliated with the Autoshow brand since it came to Orillia in 2004.  The used car dealership was originally located on Front Street before the land was sold to make way for the new Shoppers Drug Mart.

In 2011, McIntyre and his wife, Julie, bought Autoshow Orillia, which had previously purchased Classic Auto Sales.

“Classic Auto had a great name in the community and had been selling cars from this location for 25 years,” said McIntyre.  “It’s a great location and we’re hoping to build on that excellent reputation.”

McIntyre, who was born and raised in Orillia, said making the transition from employee to owner has involved a steep learning curve.  He says a business loan and advice from the Orillia Area Community Development Corporation (OACDC) was like gas for a car – absolutely critical.

“Basically, when we bought this business, it was like starting from scratch,” said McIntyre. “The OACDC was excellent in helping us through that process, in educating us about what we had to do.  We did a financial plan and a business plan… we couldn’t have done it without them.”

And even though he jumped into business during an economic downturn, business has been good, he says.  He attributes that to Autoshow Orillia’s professional approach to selling cars.

“Unfortunately, there are people in this business who are just in it for themselves,” said McIntyre.  “We take a different approach.  We believe our customers are important and, just as important, is educating customers about what they’re buying and about financing. We’re not going to pressure anyone here; we’re here to help.”

Every car sold at Autoshow Orillia has a standard warranty – seven months or 7,000 kilometres.  “We stand behind what we sell,” McIntyre said.  “We won’t sell anything that we wouldn’t drive ourselves.”

And if you are looking for something that isn’t on the lot, McIntyre can usually find what you’re looking for.  “We buy our vehicles, for example, at Chrysler or GM sales when their cars come off leases; they are typically well maintained and in excellent condition,” he said.

In addition, all vehicles sold at the Dunedin Street dealership come with ‘full disclosure.’  “All the vehicles we sell have vehicle histories so you know if they’ve been in any major accidents,” said McIntyre.  “We’re not trying to hide anything.”

Underpinning the business, he says, is a genuine interest in building long-term relationships with customers.

“We’re a small family-owned business,” McIntyre says.  “We want people who buy cars here to be happy, to tell their friends and neighbours about the great deal and great customer service they got here.  That’s our goal.”

For more information, call 705-326-1700 or visit autoshoworillia.com