It’s time for John Elway to retire once again, this time from the car dealerships he sold to AutoNation Inc. in 1997.
AutoNation, based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is replacing the former Broncos quarterback with two letters, Go, at its 16 dealerships in the Denver area.
It’s almost as bad as being replaced by some guy whose name is pronounced “greasy” (Griese, Brian) or even “plumber” (Plummer, Jake). Is Denver’s favorite football star so faded he can no longer sell cars? Or did he simply want too much money to renew his promotional contract with AutoNation?
AutoNation president Mike Maroone told me the company decided to develop its own identity in the Denver market since the licensing agreement with Elway is about to expire.
So instead of Elway, it’s going to use the word “Go”?
“We wanted a name that would be energetic and fun,” Maroone explained.
So how about “Stop”? As in “Stop right here and buy a dang car?”
It takes plenty of energy to stop. And AutoNation could even put a red light in front of every dealership so people would have to stop. But I guess coming up with a simple name to replace a football legend is not that easy.
“We went through maybe 100 different ideas over a year and a half,” Maroone said.
“We used several firms,” he continued. “And once you find a name you love, you have to get clear legal rights and access to it. … Our whole team is excited about the word ‘Go’ and the things we can do with it.”
Like, maybe, “Go and buy a dang car?”
Maroone wouldn’t say. All I know is that next week, AutoNation is going to put its Denver people in green gym shoes so they can jump around their dealership lobbies and yell, “Go!” I sure hope customers do not misunderstand this new message and leave.
Elway could not be reached for comment. But in a prepared statement, he said: “I understand AutoNation’s need to establish its own personality and identity, and wish them the best of luck.”
Elway is about the biggest star Denver has ever produced.
“It would come as a surprise that someone would drop the Elway name, especially in Denver,” Robert Tuchman, president of TSE Sports and Entertainment, told Post business reporter Kristi Arellano. “Certainly, his name drove sales in the past.”
But so have other names in the Denver market. Like Shaggy, Audra and Officer Odell, the zany trio at Rocky’s Autos. Or Dealin’ Doug Moreland, the smiling middle-aged guy in the Superman tights.
Maybe it’s best for the enduring Elway legend that we forget about his days as a TV huckster. And maybe it’s better for AutoNation, the world’s largest auto dealer, too.
In an information age, people buy cars where they find the best deal. Customers can learn everything they need to know with a few clicks of a mouse before they walk into a dealer. In this environment, who needs a celebrity pitchman?
In addition to its celebrity- free name in Denver, AutoNation is nationally launching SmartChoice, a sales program that will arm its customers with information.
AutoNation first rolled out the program in South Florida and hopes to expand it to all 272 locations by 2008. But it’s coming to Denver next week.
The center of the program is one sheet of paper that compiles the sales price, discounts, rebates, taxes, fees, the trade-in allowance, the down payments and the interest rates and monthly payments on all available financing or leasing options.
Buying a car often involves a salesperson humping your leg like a Chihuahua until you find a car you like on the lot. You then make an offer and the Chihuahua takes it to a bulldog sales manager who growls new numbers at you. Then comes a finance manager who barks up a new deal.
Because you must negotiate the trade-in allowance for your old car, the price of your new car and the financing arrangements, you have to keep track of several sets of numbers. And when you get the Chihuahua or the bulldog to agree to one figure, they change another set of figures somewhere else.
“When I’ve bought a car in the past, it’s been a nightmare,” said Janel Rubin of Miami, who on Thursday said she was trading in her Mercedes for a Land Rover at an AutoNation dealership in Fort Lauderdale. “It’s a whole day-and-night affair. Nothing but headaches. But this time, it’s been pretty smooth.”
She said the SmartChoice sheet eliminates the games car dealers play.
“It shortens up the transaction time,” said Maroone. “It provides the customers with all the transparency they deserve, and we think it gives us a significant competitive advantage.”
Al Lewis’ column appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Respond to him at denverpostbloghouse.com/lewis, 303-954-1967 or alewis@ denverpost.com.
