Family-run dealership focuses on help
José Fuentes had a company that did utility construction work, until a work injury forced him to find another way to make a living. As a family man with four daughters, he wanted to make sure the next business would be something in which all of his family could participate.
So founded Fuentes Auto Sales in the South Valley and coaxed one daughter, Janet Fuentes, away from her administrative position with the District Attorney’s Office and another daughter, Cynthia Fuentes, away from her position as a cosmetologist.
The family business immediately set itself up as being different by offering terms without interest, Janet Fuentes said.
“There are other dealers down here,” she said. “But we didn’t want to be like everybody else.”
They draw a certain satisfaction from being able to help those with no credit or poor credit to get a vehicle.
“Everybody needs a car to get to work or to get to school,” Janet Fuentes said. “It feels good to be able to help people. We get people who’ve just gotten out of prison and are trying to turn their life around and others who have been in drugs. But we’re trying to help people.”
There was something of a learning curve when they all started, but they quickly learned some tricks of the trade.
For instance, José Fuentes had bought Janet Fuentes a Chrysler 300 as a graduation present and when she parked it at the dealership, so many people wanted to know if it was for sale, the family decided to invest in a number of Chryslers.
Not only did this turn into a number of sales, it turned into a lucrative little side deal that gained the dealership a measure of notoriety.
“One day a guy came in here and said he was with the movie ‘Logan’ that was being shot in New Mexico and wanted to rent our black Chryslers,” Janet Fuentes said. “He didn’t really have any ID, but we thought we’d take a chance and sure enough, they used our cars in the movie. We got to go on the set and watch them film.”