Earl Stewart

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About Earl Stewart
Earl's Story
Born in Ft. Lauderdale and raised in West Palm Beach, Fl, Earl Stewart graduated from Palm Beach High in 1958. He attended the University of Florida and received a BS in Physics in 1963. He earned a Master of Science degree in Industrial Administration from Purdue University in 1964 and worked for four years at Westinghouse Corporation as an Electronics Engineer.
Earl comes from a family that has been in the automobile business in West Palm Beach since 1937. He joined his father and older brother in business with Stewart Automotive Group in 1968. He established the first Mazda dealership in the Eastern United States in August of 1970. In 1975 the company secured a Toyota franchise, now known as Earl Stewart Toyota of North Palm Beach.
Earl Stewart has been featured in news coverage by CNN, CBS News, Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, U.S. News and World Report, Business Week and locally in The Palm Beach Post, The Sun Sentinel and the South Florida Business Journal for pro-consumer and anti-car dealer positions. Earl is well known for pioneering unorthodox customer service methods like his famous red phone hotlines and the implementation of his Earl Stewart Code that guides the conduct of all employees.
Earl currently is featured as a weekly contributor to The Hometown News and Florida Weekly, writing weekly columns on a variety of automotive and consumer-related topics. He has a blog site offering advice to consumers on buying and servicing cars, www.EarlOnCars.com. Earl also stars on a live weekly radio talk show with his wife, noted consumer and women's rights advocate Nancy Stewart, which airs Saturday mornings from 8 AM - 10 PM on 95.9 FM True Oldies Florida. Earl and Nancy's radio show can be streamed online at www.StreamEarlOnCars.com. Earl's first book, Confessions of a Recovering Car Dealer, was published in the fall of 2012 and offers unique insights into the car business and serves as a useful reference manual to anyone wary of walking into a car dealership. 100% of the sale proceeds are donated his favorite charity, Big Dog Ranch Rescue, www.BDRR.org.
Born in Ft. Lauderdale and raised in West Palm Beach, Fl, Earl Stewart graduated from Palm Beach High in 1958. He attended the University of Florida and received a BS in Physics in 1963. He earned a Master of Science degree in Industrial Administration from Purdue University in 1964 and worked for four years at Westinghouse Corporation as an Electronics Engineer.
Earl comes from a family that has been in the automobile business in West Palm Beach since 1937. He joined his father and older brother in business with Stewart Automotive Group in 1968. He established the first Mazda dealership in the Eastern United States in August of 1970. In 1975 the company secured a Toyota franchise, now known as Earl Stewart Toyota of North Palm Beach.
Earl Stewart has been featured in news coverage by CNN, CBS News, Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, U.S. News and World Report, Business Week and locally in The Palm Beach Post, The Sun Sentinel and the South Florida Business Journal for pro-consumer and anti-car dealer positions. Earl is well known for pioneering unorthodox customer service methods like his famous red phone hotlines and the implementation of his Earl Stewart Code that guides the conduct of all employees.
Earl currently is featured as a weekly contributor to The Hometown News and Florida Weekly, writing weekly columns on a variety of automotive and consumer-related topics. He has a blog site offering advice to consumers on buying and servicing cars, www.EarlOnCars.com. Earl also stars on a live weekly radio talk show with his wife, noted consumer and women's rights advocate Nancy Stewart, which airs Saturday mornings from 8 AM - 10 PM on 95.9 FM True Oldies Florida. Earl and Nancy's radio show can be streamed online at www.StreamEarlOnCars.com. Earl's first book, Confessions of a Recovering Car Dealer, was published in the fall of 2012 and offers unique insights into the car business and serves as a useful reference manual to anyone wary of walking into a car dealership. 100% of the sale proceeds are donated his favorite charity, Big Dog Ranch Rescue, www.BDRR.org.
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Author Updates
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Blog postI’m proud that my car dealership was featured last week on the NBC Today Show (View the video at www.EarlStewartCovidRescueTeam.com). Thus far, we’ve made Covid vaccination online appointment for over 200 senior citizens, unable to navigate the process themselves.
This inspired me to form a similar team of online-savvy, educated car-buyers to assist our very large elderly population in buying their next car online. If you’re a regular reader of this column, newspaper columns,2 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postCar dealers make much more money financing your car than they do selling or leasing it to you. Most buyers concentrate on the price they pay or the monthly lease payment, but you should focus and concentrate even more if you’re thinking about letting the dealer “arrange” your financing. Most people do this and they shouldn’t. First, the good news about dealer financing. If you’re buying a new vehicle, most manufacturers offer very low interest rates to induce you to buy…often as low as 0%.2 months ago Read more
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Blog postYou may have noticed that almost all new car advertising today focuses on leasing. A few years ago, leasing a car was rare…less than 10% of total sales, and usually done by businesses. Businesses lease often because of tax deduction and balance sheet considerations. Business leases virtually never required a down payment. Following are the reasons that retail auto leasing to individuals has surged to more than one-third of all car sales. Some dealers are leasing over half of all their sales.
2 months ago Read more -
Blog postA new car dealership is a franchise unlike any other. Most franchised businesses are rigidly controlled by the parent company like Marriott, McDonalds, Ace Hardware, Century 21, Midas Muffler, H&R Block, and Tire Kingdom. New car dealers are more independent and able to do business the way they want to than any other franchised business.
This is important for you to know and understand, because what a car dealer tells you and how he treats you isn’t always the way his manufactur2 months ago Read more -
Blog postYou might think you do, but you’re probably wrong. You think you paid the advertised price, or the one quoted you by your salesperson, but you paid a lot more. No, I’m not talking about added sales tax and the license plate which you expected to be added to the advertised price. I’m talking about hidden, additional profit to the dealer disguised as government fees and added accessories that you didn’t ask for or even know about. If you bought your car in Florida, you probably paid between $1,003 months ago Read more
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Blog postSalesperson Says: “I’ll give you the price only if you’ll commit to buy today.”
Your answer: I’ll ask you once more for your best price. There are 3 car dealerships that sell this same make within a half-hour drive of here. If I don’t get your best price right now, I’ll walk out of your showroom and you’ll never see me again.
Salesperson Says: “I’m sorry, but we just sold that car we advertised, but we have others just like it”.
Your answer: I know3 months ago Read more -
Blog postI turned 80 last month and I have many friends and associates that are around my age. We grew up, were educated, and worked from the 1940’s through the 1990’s. We lived in a world where we wrote letters, listened to radios, watched black and white TV, called friends on old fashioned telephones, and if we had a computer, it had a dial up modem. The Internet didn’t exist until 1983 and Google was born in 1998. We Baby Boomers entered the 21st century without a clue about the DIGITAL EXPLOSION that3 months ago Read more
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Blog postI promise you that you’ll get a lower price on your next new car if you buy it online. Many people, especially those born and raised before the “digital revolution” may feel nervous or are incapable of this technological challenge. If you do, I’ll personally walk you through the process. Because I have no idea how many people will take me up on this offer, I must limit it to the first 100 to ask. Call, email, or text me with the Year, Make, Model, and MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail p3 months ago Read more
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Blog postThis question is on the top ten list of most common questions I’m asked. The answer is “Yes”, you usually can save money when you buy new car at the end of the month. You also can save money on used cars, but not nearly as much.
The caveat is not to wait until the end of the month to begin your search and do your research. Be sure you’ve done your due diligence in choosing the right car for you and gotten competitive out-the-door bids from at least 3 dealers. You should have checked4 months ago Read more -
Blog postIn my previous column, I recommended CostcoAuto.com as the “Your Best Bet for a Low Price”. You can access that column at EarlOnCars.com. TrueCar.com is almost as good as Costco. When you use TrueCar carefully and diligently, you’ll get a fair, low price. When you use the Costco Auto Buying program, you’ll probably get a lower price, but not by much. This is because Costco contractually requires their certified dealers to give Costco members a lower price than they have sold the same car to4 months ago Read more
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Blog postThis is not the first article that I’ve written on Costco’s auto buying program, but because I receive so many questions about it, I thought it useful to write another column on the subject.
Click on Costco Auto Program and navigate through their recommended process for buying a new or used car. You must be a Costco member, but this costs only $60 for the basic membership. I promise you that you’ll same many times this cost when you follow their instructions to buy from their5 months ago Read more -
Blog postI’m not a lawyer and I don’t even play one on TV, but I’ve learned a lot from my lawyers, the plaintiff’s lawyers, and my customers in the last 52 years I’ve been a car dealer. I don’t get sued much anymore, but back before I became a “Recovering Car Dealer” I did. There’s something to be said for “The Law School of Hard Knocks”. One thing is that you tend to learn your lessons well and rarely forget. Here are five tips which, if followed by you, can make your car buying experience a lot safer.G5 months ago Read more
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Blog postSUBJECT: ELIMINATE HIDDEN FEES
Dear fellow Florida car dealer,
I started in the retail auto business in 1968, about 52 years ago, and I have seen a lot of changes in the way we dealers sell cars and the expectations of our customers. My remarks in this column are made sincerely and with a positive intent toward you and your customers. I am not trying to tell you how to run your business; I am suggesting a change that will reward both you and your customers.
5 months ago Read more -
Blog postWhat better way to find out the best and safest place to buy or service your next car than to find out what others’ experiences has been? What better way to help others, than by sharing your own experience?
Your nominations for Best Of 2021 will be accepted up until November 11. Just click on this website,www.NominateBestCarDealer.com. You can nominate candidates in these categories: Best Auto Dealer Service Department, Best New Car Dealer, and Best Used Car Dealer. Please be sure to nomin6 months ago Read more -
Blog postIt’s almost impossible for you to determine the true cost of a new car. This might sound crazy, but many dealers don’t know the true cost of their cars. The manufacturers and distributors invoice their dealers for an amount when they ship them a car that is almost always several thousands of dollars more than the true cost. It’s fair to say that in virtually every case the “invoice” for a new car is much higher than the true cost. By true cost, I am referring to cost as defined by GAAP, generall6 months ago Read more
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Blog postBack in the day when I was an evil car dealer, I had a monthly “Slam Dunk Club” for my salespeople. To join the club, you had to make at least a $4,000 profit on a customer. This is about three times the normal profit. The salesman got a $500 bonus on top of his 25% commission of $1,000. He also got a gift certificate to Ruth’s Chris steakhouse with his significant other for a free dinner. Some of my salesmen would “score” slam dunks every month and some several. Others rarely did.
6 months ago Read more -
Blog postI’m very excited to announce a major enhancement to our Earl on Cars weekly radio show andwww.EarlOnCars blog. Effective immediately, we’re forming a cadre of volunteers, an army of educated, informed listeners to Earl On Cars radio show and readers of www.EarlOnCars blog to assist car buyers who need help avoiding being taken advantage of (ripped off) by car dealers.
I’ve often said on our radio show that I know, to a great extent, “we’re preaching to the choir” by offering advice6 months ago Read more -
Blog postEvery week, for approximately the last 20 years, I’ve been writing a blog like this to help my readers buy a car without being ripped off by car dealers. I’ve also written a book on the subject (Confessions of a Recovering Car Dealer, available on Amazon) and I have a two-hour, weekly radio show on the same subject.
This morning, as I sat down, brainstorming this week’s topic, I began to think that I’m “over-complicating” things for my readers. This column will follow the KISS princ6 months ago Read more -
Blog postOne of the most frequent questions I get on my radio show [Earl Stewart on Cars, Saturdays 8-10 AM EST 95.9 FM, 106.9 FM; www.StreamEarlOnCars.com] is “How can I be sure I’m servicing my car properly when I’m afraid to drive my car into the service department for fear of Covid?”
Following are some tips to be sure that your car is getting the right care and not expose you to the Covid virus:
- If you’re concerned about maintaining your car’s warranty, call your d7 months ago Read more -
Blog post
On my radio show, “Earl on Cars”, I feature a mystery shopping report of different South Florida car dealerships. Every week (for over 17 years) we’ve visited different car dealers, pretending to buy a car, and reporting on live radio what really happened. We name the dealerships and those salespeople we dealt wit7 months ago Read more -
Blog post“Follow the money” is a very common phrase. It’s the best tactic to catch criminals and decide when a politician or car dealer/manufacturer is telling the truth. Car dealers’ profit on leased car averages at least twice the profit on a purchased car. Also, a customer is more than twice as likely to lease or buy her next car from the same dealer if she leases.
Therefore, you shouldn’t be surprised that most of the new vehicle advertising are “lease payments” and that the number of le7 months ago Read more -
Blog postBUT VERIFY
I don’t know of any other car dealer (or any retailer) who makes his personal cell phone number public like me. Mine is 561 358-1474, printed at the end of all my blogs, given to all my customers, and printed on my business card. As you might expect, I receive a lot of calls and texts and especially from car buyers victimized by other car dealers. Of course, I get complaints directly from my customers so I can resolve them, which is the main reason I give them my personal7 months ago Read more -
Blog postTake Control and Make Him Play by Your Rules!
Car dealers rely on tactics designed by them to trick and confuse the buyers. Among their favorites are hidden fees, dealer installed accessories, counterfeit window stickers, undervaluing your trade-in, and inflated interest rates and overpriced products sold in the finance department, and advertising that grossly understates the true selling price. Here’s how you can buy the car using your game plan, taking control and gettin8 months ago Read more -
Blog postMost folks can’t, or don’t want to, pay cash for their next car. I advise against paying cash in today’s economic climate because borrowing costs are at historic lows and expected to stay there for a long time. The stock market is climbing to record highs. You can borrow the money from your bank or credit union to finance the car at a lower interest rate than your rate of return on conservative investments.
With that said, there are folks who simply don’t like to borrow money, “Neit8 months ago Read more -
Blog post...because you want to buy new cars for lower prices
I receive some of my most informative and interesting information via www.YourAnonymousFeedback.com. This is a special link offered by a company named, Incogneato. If you’re interested, you can buy an anonymous inbox at https://incognea.to. The feedback I get for my radio show, “Earl on Cars”, my blog www.EarlOnCars.com and even from the employees from my dealership is refreshingly honest, whether I always agree, or not. Of course8 months ago Read more
Titles By Earl Stewart
Confessions of a Recovering Car Dealer
Aug 14, 2012
by
Earl Stewart
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