Curtis Hills, owner of Oasis Motor Co., makes sure all the cars on his lot are prequalified for a new three-month or 3,000-mile warranty offered free with each car sold. Photo by Carrie Robertson Meyer/Third Coast Photo
Oasis Motor Co. has something new and something old on its car lot these days. Actually, the something new comes in twos:
1. Each and every car on the lot now comes with a three-month or 3,000-mile warranty at no charge to the buyer.
2. A new website at corpusoasis.com offers comparison shopping complete with prices.
The something old is a sales and service philosophy that brings back customers generation after generation.
“When you’re there for your customer, you make them happy, they trust you,” owner Curtis Hills said. “When they trust you, they recommend you, and the whole family will show up eventually.”
In the business for 44 years, Hills has seen many second- and third-generation family members come back to the lot for a reliable pre-owned vehicle.
“We offer the same cars that the new car stores offer,” Hills said. “Now, we have the same vehicles with the same assurances that you’re getting a good vehicle.”
Hills explained that, by law, each pre-owned automobile must have a sticker on a window with two boxes notifying buyers whether the car comes with a warranty or is being sold as is. Every car on his lot now has the warranty box checked.
“Customers can feel more at ease with their purchases,” Hills said. “There’s no confusion. They get a paper showing they do have a warranty. A lot of other dealers just check the box that says ‘as is, no warranty.’”
GUARANTEED SERVICE
Hills’ practice of providing service after the sale could be considered an unofficial warranty that comes with the newly instigated free warranty. He likes to tell a story about a friend of his father’s who had a downtown car lot years ago. He’d sell a car and then go home and hide, afraid the buyer would come back with a complaint.
“We’re here for the customer’s needs,” Hills said. “We make sure all our salespeople understand that. We’re not going anywhere.”
Choosing just the right vehicles for the lot is a big part of Hills’ success. He researches each car’s past, including its service record, number of owners and accident history.
“Part of our buying is to recognize problems using different tools to find trouble-free cars and pass those on,” Hills said. “We check every car, test drive, find what needs to be repaired and do it.”
Oasis Motor Co. works with about 20 different lenders to get customers the best deal and the best interest rate available once they’ve found the car of their dreams.
An easy place to start looking is on the company’s new website at corpusoasis.com. You can either browse the inventory or go straight to the car finder to narrow the options to your special requirements. You can even start a loan application on the site.
Once you’ve bought the car, Oasis doesn’t forget about you, Hills said. If you think you’ve got a problem with a car you purchased from Oasis Motor Co., you can bring it in to the expert mechanics on site and get a free scan.
“If there’s a problem, we’ll tell you what you need, whether you need to take it to a mechanic or not,” he said. “Some people can’t do without their car. We understand that here.”
Oasis Motor Co. is located at 3440 South Padre Island Drive. Call (361) 853-7277 or (361) 852-6995 or go to corpusoasis.com.
