New to Dealer’s Row: Subaru

By Erica Jackson

The family-owned Competition Automotive Group has just added Subaru to its fleet of dealerships,  Located at 463 Middle Country Road in St. James, the new Subaru dealership is expected to drive up the 47-year-old company’s sales, despite the state of the economy.

 

The new dealership, which has been open for three months, will officially open tomorrow with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.  Its opening will be celebrated throughout the weekend, offering “great deals,” said Vincent Moscardino, general manager of the new Subaru dealership.  “WALK FM will be here and so will the SPCA mobile so you can shop for a car and a pet,” said Moscardino.

 

So far, the brand has already exceeded expectations and while the economy remains stagnant, Moscardino said, people are still shopping with Competition Automotive Group.  Subaru is a great product,” said Moscardino.  “It is becoming the car of choice among outdoor enthusiasts and educated consumers.”

 

Part of the allure, said Moscardino, is the brand’s competitive pricing and aggressive leasing opportunities.  The brand is also, said Moscardino, known for its 5-star crash-test rating and its symmetrical all-wheel drive, which is great for North East winter weather.

 

Among the Subaru featured models are the Forester, Tribeca, Legacy and Outback. They range in price from $17,995 to $35,000. “This is the only brand that grew last year,” said Nancy Buzzetta, vice president of Competition Automotive Group. “Subaru has done a fantastic job, releasing the right product at the right time.” In fact, Buzzetta said Subaru sales increased 35 percent last year alone.  “It is a top rated car,” said Buzzetta.  “and it is the only top rated car for safety by the Insurance Institute for Safety.”

 

The brand, said Buzzetta is a “great complement” to the company’s other brands in Smithtown.  Competition will now not only offer high-end brands, such as Mercedes and BMW, but now “a practical vehicle for an economically sound buyer,” said Buzzetta.

Buzzetta does not anticipate competition among the companies dealerships, but instead expects cross-shopping.  For example, Mercedes customers will look to purchase Subarus as second family cars.  Just recently Buzzetta said she had a customer who purchased a Mercedes for himself, but a Subaru for his daughter, who is heading off to college in the fall.

 

Aside from the Subaru product virtually selling itself, customers are extremely loyal to Competition Automotive Group, said John Cornwell, special programs manager for Competition Automotive Group. This, he said, will also help rev up sales.  He said, “Competition is reputable and known for its integrity. It is not a real hit and run dealership.  It has a great following.”

 

Cornwell went on to say that the company’s staff has extreme longevity.  “That is a good sign of any company. It shows stability. It is a real tribute to the company’s owners. Everything comes down from the top.”

 

“We always say our first sale is the start of a relationship,” said Buzzetta.  “We want our customers to be our customers forever.  This has helped us build deep roots that keep us anchored in a story economy.”

 

The company also, said Cornwell, participates in numerous community charities. In fact, this summer alone, Cornwell said Competition will be donating some 23 cars.

According to Cornwell, Competition acquired the Subaru dealership from the former Subaru dealership of Port Jefferson and moved it back to Jericho Turnpike where Moscardino says it will “have better exposure.”

 

“There is a real advantage to having the dealership on car row where people are out shopping for cars,” said Cornwell. Presently, according to Frank DeRubies, planning director for the Town of Smithtown, there are between 26 and 34 dealerships operating in the area with only three lots vacant.

 

The small area, known to locals as dealer’s row, holds, said DeRubies, “the largest concentration of dealerships on Long Island.”

 

Talking history of the area, DeRubies, said the area became attractive to dealerships in 1980s because of the price of the lots and their shape.  “They are bowling ally lots, one hundred to two hundred feet wide, and depths from a thousand feet to five thousand feet, perfect for storing cars,” said DeRubies.

 

DeRubies says the lots were originally carved out between the 1890s and 1940s when when lots could be subdivided simply by filing a map with the county.  “There were no laws regarding subdivisions at the time,” said DeRubies.

For more information, visit Competition Automotive Group at http://www.competition-auto.com/