This story appears in the
June 2000 issue of
Entrepreneur.
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Thrifty Car
Rental Inc., one of the world's largest car rental
franchises, hit it big in January 1999, when it announced its
newest affiliate, Thrifty Car Sales Inc. The franchised retail used
car sales network currently has 15 dealers, each in a different
U.S. city, with plans for 60 more stores in the next year.
At last year's National Automobile Dealers Association
convention, more than 500 dealer prospects expressed interest in
Thrifty Car Sales franchises. Jay Betz, president of Thrifty Car
Sales, says Thrifty is an ideal franchise for local dealers.
"Thrifty is a viable franchise alternative for local
entrepreneurs looking for the leverage of a national brand in used
car sales," he says.
With projected sales figures of $348 million by 2001, Thrifty
Car Sales hopes to sell 29,000 cars annually. To achieve this goal,
the company has added automotive and financial partners, such as
PRIMUS Financial Services, Banc One Credit Co. and Automotive
Finance Corp., to provide additional products and services to new
dealers.