Porsches, Pacificas, and Car Parts: TJH Speaks with Evan Weinstein

Porsches, Pacificas, and Car Parts

TJH Speaks with Evan Weinstein, President of Car Sharks Auto Group

BY SUSAN SCHWAMM

Evan, you’ve been in the car leasing business for a while. Tell us about how you started Car Sharks.

I’ve been in the business for 15 years. I started out in Brooklyn but when I moved out here to Woodmere, around five years ago, I decided to go out on my own. And that’s how Car Sharks was born.

How has the business changed in the past few years?

Well, it’s gotten a lot more competitive. Everyone with a computer, basically, likes to say that they’re in the business. But we’re in a pandemic right now. It’s never been this. We’ve never had a situation where there are so few cars to be had. You can call up 9 out of 10 leasing companies, and they’ll all tell you the same thing for any car you ask them, “There are no cars.” And if there are available, there are only one or two available and they’re $200 more than what you were spending three years ago.

Why is there such a shortage of cars?

There’s a magnesium shortage, which many car parts are made out of. And there’s a labor shortage, so that also contributes. Most car dealerships are accustomed to having 150 to 300 cars on the lot. We deal with 10 or 20 car dealerships, so we’re used to having 500 cars to choose from. Now, the numbers to choose from are much less. How do you make sure your customers are happy in this type of environment?

That’s what we do – we’re here for our customers. We will do anything to make them happy and we’re going above and beyond to get that done. Right now, there is a huge backup with servicing cars. If you call a dealership for an appointment for service, they will tell you they won’t have an appointment for three to four weeks. But we have relationships with them, and we can call them up and get our customers earlier appointments, if need be.

Right now, we are so valuable to our customers. The average person walks into a dealership today, and the dealer is going to want to make between $5,000 and $10,000 over sticker on them. Why? Because they only have one or two cars available this month to sell. But when my customers come to me and they say, “Listen, I can’t afford an extra $300 more a month. Please help me out,” I’ll do whatever it takes. We’ll turn over every rock, we’ll call every single dealer, and we’ll work like crazy to get someone a car at a normal price or an affordable price. We have really strong relationships in this business, and that really helps in getting our customers what they need and making them happy.

Just last week, we had a car ready for the customer. The dealer told us to come pick it up. When the driver came to pick it up, the dealer called him,

“Sorry, we just sold the car to someone else for way more money.” So what was I supposed to do? I couldn’t leave my customer hanging. Other people would say, “Too bad. We’ll have to wait another month for another car.” But I said, “I am going to do what I can to get my customer the car he needs.” And I did. I found another car. It’s going to be here in a week or so, but we are making it happen for our customers.

That’s what we’re about: customer service and going above and beyond for our customers.

It sounds like you work really hard for your customers. What do you enjoy most out of your day?

I love the surprises that the day always brings to me. Every day is different. And every day I get to take care of my customers in different ways. So many of my customers are my friends now. A 15year relationship is really strong, and I know when I wake up that I’ll do whatever I can to be there for them.

Whether it’s getting a new car, giving back your car, or servicing your car, we handle everything. And that definitely separates us from other companies. We work with customers in New York and in other states, too – we ship cars to California and Florida as well.

“No” doesn’t exist in my vocabulary. I’ll do anything for my customers. Why? For a very simple reason. I grew up dirt poor with not a dollar in my pocket, and we came here and figured out a way how to make it. My customers are everything for me, so why wouldn’t I do everything for them?

Barring a shortage due to the pandemic and supply chain issues, what types of cars do you recommend for your customers to lease?

If you’re going for a minivan, always go for an Odyssey or a Sienna. The Pacifica is always breaking down and is always in the shop.

One of my customers had a Pacifica. He decided to extend his lease because he couldn’t afford a new car lease. Anyway, a week after he extended his Pacifica’s lease, the car died. And the dealer told

“We have really strong relationships in this business, and that really helps in getting our customers what they need and making them happy.”

him they don’t have any appointments for him in the near future. So now, he’s paying for a lease for a car that’s sitting in his driveway, and he had to get a new lease for a new car, anyway.

In terms of other cars that I would recommend, well, it all depends on the customer – whatever will make them happiest. Most of the time, the customer usually knows what they want, but a lot of the times, they don’t know all the details about it. Just last weekend, a guy called me up for a BMW. I told him to go onto bmwusa.com to build a car. He built a base white BMW 840 with no options. He called up dealerships from here to there for a car but no one had it. They said he had to wait six weeks, eight weeks. That was last Thursday. But by Friday, I got him a brand new car, fully loaded, gray with red interior. The most beautiful car. He said to me, “This is why I come to you.” He came to me for a car he didn’t even want, and he ended up in a car that he loved.

In terms of high-end cars, you can’t go wrong with a Lexus. You need an oil change every 10,000 miles; maybe you’ll have to change the brakes once. They never give you a problem.

But some people don’t like vanilla. Some people want “rocky road,” and they want a Range Rover V8, or they want a Mercedes AMG. Those are great, too.

What do you drive?

A Porsche. Black on black.

Nice! Evan, we spoke about your relationship with your customers, the service that you offer, and your strong work ethic. What else sets you apart from the competition?

We’re always here. No one can ever say they can’t reach me. My cellphone is given out to everyone – they can call me at any time.

I enjoy what I do. It’s not a job to me. There are times when it’s tough, I admit – when a driver cancels and I have to do a delivery at 11 PM in Manalapan, New Jersey, and I get a flat tire, and it’s 30 degrees outside. That part may not be fun, but I handle it with pride and my sense of humor. And I love what I do.