WHY THE BEST DEAL IN DALLAS IS NOT IN DALLAS

What is the secret of success? A great car, of course. So I expected great things when I’d saved enough to put down on a new car – a real car. The kind of car that says, “This guy’s made it. ” I wasn’t quite sure of the exact car I wanted, so I planned to base my final decision on how many heads turned to look at me during the test drive.

My first stop was a Dallas Mercedes-Benz dealer. A 560 SL convertible would be the perfect combination of subtlety and flash. I decided to walk around the tot before going into the plush showroom. Almost immediately, I noticed that all the cars looked alike. There were several different models, but most were in the same color. Boring.

Slightly discouraged, I drove to the “other” Mercedes-Benz dealer. Same story -rows of German-made clones – the same models and colors as the first dealer had. How can a car say I’ve arrived if everyone else arrives in exactly the same car?

I headed for the Porsche dealership. I could definitely settle for a slick 911 Carrera – maybe in pearl white. When 1 arrived, I didn’t see any 911’s on the lot, so I told a salesman what I wanted. He only had one in stock, in red. of course.

The rest of the day wasn’t much better. I tried another Porsche dealer, then Alfa Romeo and Lotus. Most dealers had cars in stock, but only the most popular models and colors. I want to be popular, but not like that.

That evening as I sat staring longingly at a beautiful white Porsche in an ad, I noticed the logo: David Ryan. Before I had a chance to mentally complain about it being in Fort Worth, I noticed that the Ryan AutoGroup dealerships are all located on the same street, Alta Mere. I could park my car and walk to Ryan dealerships selling Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Lotus, Alfa Romeo, Range Rover, Audi, Mitsubishi and Oldsmobile. Since I’d already driven a lot more than 40 miles, I decided that west Fort Worth wasn’t so far after all.

Saturday, I headed west on I-30. When I pulled into Ryan’s Mercedes-Benz dealership, I saw three 560 SL’s in different colors. A salesman greeted me right away, and encouraged me to test drive several different models. When I told him I was also interested in Porsche, he led me to the Porsches, right in the same dealership. Yes, they had a pearl white Carrera.

I spent several hours at the various Ryan dealerships, asking questions and test driving cars. The salespeople were great. They were courteous, and took the time to find out exactly what I wanted and then to show me models that met my criteria. I was so engrossed in what the salespeople said that I even forgot to count turning heads during test drives.

I returned to Ryan AutoGroup later to buy my car. I’ve been looking, and so far haven’t seen a car exactly like mine. I’m sure there are a few around, but it’s nice to know that I won’t see three or four every lime I leave the house.

I understand Dallas car dealers. Overhead is high, and it makes sense to stock the cars that most people want. But if you want a car that’s as special as you are, try Ryan Auto-Group in Fort Worth.