WIESNER OF HUNTSVILLE

Anybody can sell a car, but at Wiesner of Huntsville, you are treated like family. And as General Manager Clint McLaren adds, “Nothing else goes above that in my book!” Clint has been general manager at Wiesner for almost thirteen years, and during this time has helped to build it into a strong and robust business of which they are proud. And over this period, he has come to know that even though vehicles and pricing can be the same across the board, it’s the people that make a difference. 

“Wiesner of Huntsville is not a transactional-based business as in a larger city where only the bottom-line counts. With Huntsville being a smaller community, I’m going to see our customers at church, the hardware store, and at local events. I want to be able to look our customers in the eye and know that we have treated them with fairness and integrity while providing excellent service and quality in all aspects of their Wiesner experience.”

Wiesner sells and services Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac in addition to all used makes and models. And to keep current with trends and new products, they will soon be offering the new EV vehicles in the Cadillac, Hummer, Buick, and GMC and Chevy truck lines. These electric vehicles are growing in popularity, so they will sell and service these as soon as they are available.

Asked about how Covid has altered the car industry, Clint gave several examples on how Wiesner has adapted to changes forced by the pandemic. Changes have centered around how a customer shops for a car as well as how supplies have been affected. In the past, Wiesner would regularly have five hundred vehicles on the ground. Because of supply problems due to plant closings and social distancing, inventory onsite today is much less. The oldest car on the lot is no more than 14-15 days old. He explained that a factory looks at the national average and if you have a vehicle over 11 days old on the lot, it hurts your inventory supply because you are considered to have over the national average. They are extremely strict on this. Clint adds, “We have all had two years of adaptation as new protocols have come into play.”

As mentioned, the way to shop for a vehicle has changed. The new questions in shopping for a vehicle are “Do you have any?” and “How long does it take to order a car?” Clint explains that seventy-five percent of cars and trucks sold right now are sold pre-delivery. With the lack of inventory and the need to make vehicles available more quickly, Wiesner has contracted with a company that provides customers the ability to see new cars and trucks online the very night production is completed. All details of the vehicle are provided, including images of the interior and exterior and all pertinent information to help the customer make an informed decision in a timely manner.

With supply and demand issues, this could really boost the profit margins way over and above the MSRP. According to Clint, many auto dealerships are charging up to $10,000 over MSRP, but Wiesner has not done any market price adjustments. “We’ve been complimented because of this and, actually, members of General Motors have sent their own customers to us because of this. So, I’ve held my own on MSRP. We are profitable, but not as profitable as other dealerships due to the fact that I will not gouge a customer. And hopefully, when considering their next vehicle, customers will come back to us.”

After a vehicle purchase, Wiesner is proud to offer quality service for the buyer as well as for any customer needing professional care for their vehicle. For the past year, they have been revamping their service department to provide new and updated methods with customer convenience and satisfaction in view. Their services have become more mobile. This means that, in many cases when a customer drives up, a service department representative can go out to their car and analyze the problem on-site. Information, photos, quotes, and updates can also be sent to the customer via text, phone, or email. The service issues are listed with options to be checked and “added to the cart” for repair and servicing according to the customers wishes.

Wiesner also maintains a selection of used cars which fall into various categories. Certified inspections are for vehicles that are brought as close to factory specs as possible. The car or truck may have a dent or scratch, but other than that, it is considered to be in topnotch condition. Other used vehicles on the lot may fall into one of two other inspection levels, but what this means for the used car shopper is that there is a price range available to fit the budget.

Wiesner prides itself in being an active member in the Huntsville Community. For a number of years, during football season, the company has provided the pre-game meal for the Huntsville Hornets. An article in Postcards Magazine entitled Do You Know? Clint McLaren, dated October 30, 2018, gives a detailed account of how Clint cooks up a hot and finger-licking meal of smoked chicken, baked beans, and all the trimmings to satisfy the voracious appetites of these Hornets on game day. This is something that Wiesner provides and Clint, being the people-person he is, is on-site to cook and deliver the goods! This is who Clint is and represents how he has led Wiesner to be an auto dealership where the customer comes first. Integrity. Honesty. Value. Wiesner of Huntsville.

Wiesner of Huntsville is located at 230 I H 45 N Huntsville, Texas 77320-3018. Hours are 8AM-8PM Monday – Friday, 8AM-7PM Saturday, closed on Sunday. Sales (936)-755-4582; Service (936) 755-4583. Website: www.wiesnerhuntsville.com.