Snow drives car sales

Presidents Day weekend is the prime time for auto dealers, who are breaking out their newest cars. But the weekend weather didn’t cooperate, dumping up to a foot or more of snow in the latest storm to hit the area.However, while some dealers definitely felt the pinch, others saw a silver lining in all the white stuff.Jim Fauci, lease renewal manager at York Ford on Route 1 in Saugus, said the weekend wasn’t a total whiteout.”I sold a 2011 silver Ford Edge and a 2014 black leased Ford Edge Saturday,” he said. “Both were repeat referrals,” adding that he expected to sell between 15 and 20 vehicles by the time the dealership closed Monday evening.”Considering the weather, that’s very good,” he said.He was hoping for big things Monday.”People haven’t been out for a couple days due to the storm,” he said, “and they’ll probably be happy to come out later. It’s tough with the weather, but we’ll do well.”York had incentives in the works for Presidents Day.”We have zero percent financing, specific rebates just for this weekend and leasing specials,” Fauci said. “The weather today is zero. If someone is out, they’re serious about buying. They’re not out because they don’t have anything else to do.”The dealership was open over the weekend, but workers shoveled and cleared off the windshields of 225 new cars and plowed the parking lot during blizzard-like conditions Sunday.There were differing views of the storm among some of the smaller used car dealers. Edd’s Auto Sales on Route 1 didn’t feel the pinch, but Dennis Tarentino, owner of Ballard Street Auto at 119 Ballard St., Saugus, had a different perspective.”I have 35 car licenses, but 20 cars are covered with snow,” he said. “You can’t tell which car is what. We haven’t had any customers today, but we did sell four cars during the last storm.”Tarentino said the Presidents Day incentive is a percentage off and maybe he’ll be a better candidate next year.The first question Larry and Karen Guelfo asked when they walked into Kelly Honda on Monday did not involve their plans to buy a new car.”We looked at one another and said, ?How did they get the snow cleared away?'” said Karen Guelfo.Kelly General Manager Mike O’Keefe said the Lynnway dealership’s employees parked as many cars as they could indoors before Saturday’s snowfall began. On Sunday afternoon, hours after the last flake fell, Kelly’s 60 workers began brushing off cars and shuffling them around so that plow contractors could shove the snow out of the lot.Business was in full swing by 3:30 p.m.”We sold cars on Sunday,” O’Keefe said.Winter’s almost month-long assault has increased snow removal and other maintenance costs for Lynnway car dealers, but it has not kept aggressive salespeople and determined buyers from making deals.Ten-year Kelly sales veteran Julie Febonio sold three cars on Sunday, including a white CRV snapped up by Lynn resident Alexis Barrows after the transmission in her Ford broke. Like the Guelfos, Barrows was surprised to find Kelly plowed out and open for business.”All of our customers were impressed we were ready to go,” Febonio said.Atlantic Toyota’s 25 employees pitched in shortly after noon on Sunday to jockey around 350 cars on the dealership’s lot and get them brushed off and ready for Presidents Day customers to view.”The upside is we have a large inventory,” said Atlantic general sales manager William Biggio.The key to getting people to buy cars in weather that looms as an annoyance and a distraction is staying focused, said Biggio and Atlantic sales manager Anthony Nash. They want to match drivers with new vehicles that meet their needs and make them want to return to the dealership in three to five years.”You try to move forward. It won’t be snowy and cold forever,” Biggio said.Kelly sales representative Angel Isales said Presidents Day weekend kicks off an extended car buying season that O’Keefe said Kelly hopes to enhance by extending sales into next weekend and telling potential buyers about new