Auto Express Opens Second Location in Dalton
DALTON, Mass. — Auto Express celebrated the opening of its second location Friday, serving up food from Ozzie's Steak and Eggs.
Elie and Melissa Hassoun have been selling cars for more than 25 years, with their East Housatonic Street location in Dalton opening in 1999. They run it together with their son, Joseph.
Elie said they care about their customers, about 90 percent of whom are repeats and recommendations.
"We thrive on our customer service," he said.
The dealership sells pre-owned vehicles that they stand behind with full guarantee and warranties.
"Making sure we stand behind what we sell, making sure we warranty and guarantee the cars we sell, and that people are happy with their purchase," said Melissa.
They opened Auto Express to bring better service to their customers, saying buying a car used to be difficult and not fun. Elie previously worked as an electronics technician before switching to the dealership. He said he wanted to be different and give customers a full warranty, and not charge hidden or document fees.
"When I opened up that place, I wanted to be different. I wanted to make this is a family-owned business. We do care about every person into that business, and we wanted to do it different. We're gonna make it a very happy experience," he said. "So when the people come to us, believe it or not, the deals a lot of times are done in 10 minutes instead of two hours."
His new location at 621 Main St. was previously an O'Connell gas and service station that closed in 2016 and has been unoccupied since. The Hassouns bought it last fall for $130,000.
"It was an eyesore in Dalton, in the middle of town. So I thought this is my opportunity here. It's like being on a stage. We thought it's going to add more sales and it's going to improve the town," Elie said. "We got way too many compliments on what a nice job we did, and people are so happy that they have a new building in the middle of the town."
With the building being vacant for a decade, the couple said it was a complete renovation inside and out, including paving around the building to eliminate all the big potholes, new paint, and more. Many of the people who attended the grand opening remarked how great the building looked now, citing lots of work must have been done. They opened the location a couple of weeks ago.
They hired two people for the Dalton dealership and plan to add more in the future. They said the new location will have more variety than the Pittsfield location. General manager Steve Boutin has been in car sales for almost 50 years and has been a friend to Elie for a long time.
Boutin said all of his sales are done with a handshake and a smile, making sure to care for every customer even if they don't walk away with a new vehicle from him.
"We have customers and not numbers," he said.
Elie said he is a great fit for Auto Express.
"What Steve liked maybe the most, and I can speak for him is this place is a very laid back, it's a family business," he said. "It's his style. He keeps saying he doesn't like games. He doesn't like gimmicks, and that's why he's happy to be here. We were good together. We're friends, and he's perfect fit for Dalton Auto Express management."
The new location has the same hours as Pittsfield: Monday through Friday 9 to 6 and Saturdays from 9 to 5.
"We are very fortunate. We never had a bad year. We are very thankful, humbled, and thankful for our customers," Elie said.
"We couldn't have done it without them," Boutin added.
Tags: dealership, used cars,
