Mastro Motors works to meet customers’ needs
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Travis Mastro, who co-owns Mastro Motors with his father, Tom, said you can’t beat Main Street exposure.
“There’s thousands and thousands of cars that travel by here during the day,” he said. “It’s a little close to the road; we’re going to have a little issue this winter with the plowing, but you trade that for the exposure.”
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
MASTRO MOTORS, a family-owned and -operated, pre-owned car dealership, opened at 641 Main St. in Presque Isle earlier this summer. According to Travis Mastro, who co-owns the business with his father, Tom, they “try to keep our inventory in a budget range of under $20,000 just so we can keep more inventory on the lot.” Pictured are, from left: Travis’ wife, Tanya, who serves as the controller, Travis and Tom Mastro.
Located at 641 Main St. in Presque Isle, Mastro Motors opened in mid-June.
“We were here in April getting all the dealers’ licenses in place and getting everything ready,” said Mastro. “It takes time; you don’t just open up a store. You have to have a lot of patience.”
Mastro Motors isn’t affiliated with any particular make or model.
“We want to bring a different selection of vehicles to the area. We don’t just want to have the same thing as they do down the road. We may have some, but we also want to be competitive or better in pricing,” Mastro said. “We want to keep our inventory in a budget range of under $20,000 just so we can keep more inventory on the lot. We’re going to try to keep 20 vehicles on the lot at all times.
“I’ve found that most of your vehicles that are over $20,000-$25,000, people are looking for more newer models. All of our vehicles are used,” he said. “They all have clean titles; we’re not a rebuilt title organization. We take local trades, we buy off the street, and buy from auctions, as well. We’re looking for clean, one-owner vehicles. You’ll see the Carfax stickers in our windows. It’s a good tool. We use it for trades and when we’re buying vehicles from auction. We’re able to participate in auctions online, which is nice because we don’t have to travel. I can watch a different auction every day on the computer. Typically the auctions are in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and southern Maine. After we make a successful bid, we have transport trucks that bring the vehicles to us.”
The Mastros used to work for an independent auto company before going into business for themselves.
“Dad was the general manager and I was the sales manager. With the economic times that we were in, the company was downsizing so we decided to branch out on our own,” he said. “My Dad’s been in the business since 1977 and has done every aspect from mechanic work to general manager, and I’ve done everything from detailing to sales.”
Joining the Mastros at the dealership is Travis’ wife, Tanya, who serves as the controller.
“Being a smaller dealership, customers deal with myself or my father from start to finish,” said Mastro, noting that with only three employees, overhead is low. “They’re not going out back to ask managers questions; they deal with us throughout the entire process. You don’t get that runaround with us.”
Mastro said business has been going well thus far.
“June was good, July was awesome and August and September were OK,” he said. “We all know in the car business that once October, November and December hit, buckle down and watch your expenses. That’s the trend of the business now.
“We’re very happy with the location and everything that we’ve put together, and we’re excited for 2012,” said Mastro. “February through May are really good months for used car dealers, so we’re looking forward to that.”
Mastro Motors is open from 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. For more information, call 769-2201 or visit www.mastromotors.net.
