Car shopping at Doug Behrens’
Legacy Motors is pressure-free fun.
Guests are invited to relax and browse
without a salesperson on their heels.
A better car-buying
by Bill Yurgen
M
y wife and I are on a mission to
fill a tall order. We’re determined
to find a family hauler with leftbrain practicality and right-brain
visceral appeal. After a visit to
the auto show, we still weren’t certain we’d
found, “The One.”
“The One” is our term for a vehicle we
will be purchasing sometime in the next
year or so. It has to have lots of luxury
goodies but still be practical. It can’t be too
expensive (under $50,000), but we would
like something prestigious. After all, this
is like the career punctuation mark for us
both.
A Decidedly Different Experience
Call it serendipity, but while heading
to the Chapel Hill area we spotted this
enormous billboard advertising a car
dealership called Legacy Motors of Akron. On
Home Avenue, Legacy Motors is housed in
a former steel warehouse. The place makes a
strong, you-can’t-miss-it statement.
“What a different approach for a car lot,”
I thought.
Expecting a dreary warehouse, the
28,000-square-foot facility has been
completely rehabbed, with every square
inch now brightly painted and well lit—the
perfect place to shop for a car in March
weather.
My next impression was, “Wow, these
cars are beautiful.”
A salesperson ambled by us, offered a
warm hello, then told us to just let him
know if we had any questions and kept
walking. We looked at each other making
the same remark, “That was different.”
We’re used to salespeople landing on us
and annoyingly following us—everywhere.
This guy was way too nonchalant to ever
make it, or so I thought.
As we darted from Mercedes to Jaguar
to BMW, we were amazed by how
impeccably clean these pre-owned gems
were. We probably looked like two kids in
a toy store. The salesperson, who was now
heading toward the front offices, stopped
and smiled. He simply remarked, “We like
to call our place the Chuck E. Cheese for
adults.” I asked if he was a manager and he
told us that no one had titles. “We all do
our part to help the customer. That’s what
really matters.”
He introduced himself, and, apparently
I was speaking with the owner, Doug
Behrens.
The Concept
Totally impressed, I asked Doug to
tell me a little bit about himself and
Legacy. Having successfully created a
pharmaceutical business and then a real
estate business, Doug obviously enjoys the
challenge of building a better business.
This is the perfect
place to shop for a car in
March weather.
For those with champagne tastes and
soda pop sensibilities, Doug Behrens’
Legacy Motors offers dozens of
affordable luxury vehicles.
“I have always been a car person. I’ve
collected all sorts of cars over the years.
My favorite was a beloved 1957 Chevy
Bel-Air with dual quads, black paint
and a red interior. The down side to my
affection for cars has been the car dealers,”
Doug explained. “I never understood
why I was so poorly treated by dealers
over the years, despite spending so much
money. Before long it became a hobby of
mine to absorb all the knowledge I could
about the business so I could better match
wits when negotiating. Eventually many
friends actually asked me to negotiate their
purchases. That’s when I decided to become
a dealer—and a much better one.”
Legacy Motors of Akron houses its complete vehicle
inventory—over XX vehicles—in an indoor warehouse, so
you don’t have to brave the elements while shopping for
your next ride.
experience
Doug opened Legacy Motors at a small
lot in South Akron as a “toe in the water”
two years ago while he laid out what is
now his dream dealership, which opened
in January. “We wanted everything indoors
to provide a comfortable experience. We
wanted an experienced team with all the
right connections that could buy and sell
cars from across the country, allowing us to
access some prime inventory. I’m proud to
say our team has an average of over 20 years
of experience. Most of our customers find
us online, at LegacyMotorsofAkron.com,”
he said.
“I decided to become a car
dealer, but a much
better one.”
“Just as important, we have assembled a
team that offers a no-pressure, informative
and fun experience. We offer relationships
and let the cars sell themselves,” he added.
Doug then explained Legacy’s market
niche.
“We sell luxury, prestige and sports
Doug Behrens, of Legacy Motors of Akron,
has created a car-shopping experience for
those who hate to shop for cars.
cars focusing on the $10,000 to $25,000
price range,” he noted. “This allows our
customers to drive a very prestigious, wellbuilt, long-lasting vehicle for a fraction
of the new car price, at a cost or payment
that makes sense. Every car we sell has a
complete Car Fax history report and can be
financed at a very competitive rate.”
Right brain cars at left brain prices.
Brilliant.
Legacy Motors of Akron is located at
1277 Home Ave., in Akron. Hours are
Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.;
and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more
information, call 330-777-0088 or visit
LegacyMotorsofAkron.com.
Is this your next car?
This 2006 iridium silver Mercedes Benz CLK 350 convertible, with
black leather, a burl walnut-trimmed interior and less than 66,000 miles,
oozes sophistication and class. Available at Legacy Motors for $13,800
and hundreds of thousands of miles to go, how long it will be before
it’s sold?