Want to buy a new car? Prefer to avoid a pushy car salesperson? DealerPick has an offer for you: select your favorite salesperson before even walking into a showroom. The Hawthorne-based company is using the Thousand Oaks Auto Mall as a test market for its online service. Here’s how it works: Visit www.Dealerpick.com/TO and view online salesperson profiles, feature videos, testimonials, photographs and other written information and chose who you want to buy a car from. DealerPick President Chuck Dapoz said one of the adages about car shopping is that people don’t shop for a car; they are shopping for someone to sell them a car. DealerPick begins the process before even stepping into a dealership and makes for a huge time saver, he said. “You cannot buy a car like a book or music,” Dapoz said. “There is a huge human component. If you are going to spend hours with a salesperson, you might as well spend the time with someone you like.” After doing some testing on the system with 16 dealers around the U.S., Dapoz did a full rollout at the Thousand Oaks Auto Mall. He chose the Conejo Valley dealers because they had all of the major brands that people shop. Nearly all the dealers at the auto mall signed on with more than 130 salespeople creating profiles, Dapoz said. Some salespeople got shy when asked to film the video portion of their profile. “The camera puts a little fear into all of us,” said Andrew Shaver, owner of the Shaver Automotive Group and Fiat of Thousand Oaks. Eighteen sales people from Honda of Thousand Oaks and Acura of Thousand Oaks, part of the Silver Star Automotive Group, created profiles. Once they started making their videos, the staff relaxed, said Vice President Scott Stanley. “These are genuine people, and if they can show that genuineness and caring through a video at least that is a start,” Stanley said. The Shaver Group had a few new customers come by the showroom based on the DealerPick profiles. “We are starting to find, as it spreads out in the digital world, there will be a lot more relevance in it,” Shaver said. Rare Wheels Galpin Motors in North Hills demonstrated, yet again, its importance to the Southern California market for British carmaker Aston Martin. Several hundred guests attended the elite Club Aston event on April 19, when the dealership hosted a premier viewing of a cherry red V12 Zagato road car. The limited production two-door coupe has a 510 bhp engine. It represents the fourth collaboration between Aston Martin and Italian design firm Zagato since 1961. Only 150 of the cars will be handmade by Aston Martin. Like the limited edition One-77 super car Galpin displayed at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, the Zagato will be a rare sight on U.S. roads. “All indications are that the car will sell out in Europe,” said Brian Allan, general manager of the Galpin Premier Collection. Galpin Aston Martin is the best-selling dealer for the brand in North America. And when a private viewing takes place, the dealer is able to attract the type of audience that Aston Martin wants to know — owners, aspiring owners, collectors, and people who are passionate about cars in general, said Julian Jenkins, vice president and general manager of Aston Martin The Americas. “It is a cross-section of individuals,” Jenkins said. “For us, it works on different levels of brand awareness, sales, and communication of what Aston Martin is all about.” The Zagato Road Car is made of both aluminum and composite fiber with the roofline showing off the signature Zagato double bubble. The letter Z is integrated within the design, including on the front grill. Prior to appearing in the San Fernando Valley, Aston Martin displayed the car at the Villa d’Este concours and the Geneva Salon International. Meineke Opens New Locations A pair of cousins opened a new Meineke Car Care Center in Northridge and plans to expand further expansion in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys. Chris Valle and Ryan Keller are currently in negotiations to open a Meineke center in Reseda, North Hollywood and Santa Clarita. The duo already operates a Meineke location in Costa Mesa and will open one in Oxnard in May. “They have a national warranty for the work that we give the customers, and we like that a lot,” Valle said. Getting into the car maintenance business is a good proposition right now because people are keeping their current vehicles longer, Valle said. “It is more affordable to maintain their cars instead of going into debt for a new one,” he said. Staff Reporter Mark Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or by e-mail at [email protected].