Car Dealer to Open with Mindset for Tough Times

Cars will once again be driving off the lot below San Rafael's freeway-flanking clock tower as a dealership with an eye toward tough economic times prepares for its unveiling.

Showroom and office equipment and other last minute details are being sorted at the still-empty lot of Pre-Owned Luxury Car & Truck, but business managers are confident leading up to next month's opening.

"We just decided in this market, new car dealers weren't doing well, so we'd offer the option to buy pre-owned vehicles," said Deanna Cross, general manager of the dealership.

Cross, a Marin native whose father, Wayne Cross, owns the 619 E. Francisco Blvd. site, is likely familiar with such travails.

The lot has been dormant since Ford of Marin abruptly shut its doors in the fall of 2008 along with several other county car dealers forced to close up shop amid the souring economy.

The space has been home to a variety of Ford dealerships over the years. Cross said her father, who retired from the business 13 years ago, was 32 when he first joined the San Rafael dealership in 1975.

The latest incarnation of the dealership, she said, will offer a wide selection of vehicles from BMW to Audi, Honda, Mustang, work trucks and others when it opens Oct. 1.

Asked to define a luxury vehicle, Cross said, "pretty much anything is a luxury these days."

She said her family's long history of countywide ties within the industry will help provide inventory through other dealers' trade-ins and other options.

Rick Wells, President and CEO of the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce, was looking forward to the "definite shot in the arm" the new business could bring to the local economy.

"This addition would most likely mean the influx of sizable sales tax revenue and more local jobs," he said.

Similar sentiments came from San Rafael City Hall.

"We are delighted to see this property reopen, bringing jobs and economic vitality to this area," said Nancy Mackle, the city's economic development director.