Hyundais unbeatable at auction

Veteran automobile sales consultant Chris Rooney discovered in September 2008 that his Toyota dealership was losing many sales to Planet Hyundai.

"I don't know how many deals I lost, but it had to be over 20 sales in a year's time," said Rooney, who now works at Planet Hyundai, 6200 Centennial Center Blvd., in the northwest valley. "At the time I didn't know anything about Hyundai or its models.

"Finally, the last straw was I had a woman select a Hyundai Genesis over the Toyota Avalon that I was trying to sell her, and that was enough for me. I hadn't even heard of the Genesis, and after I lost that deal I had to go see for myself."

After that, Rooney consulted with the management of Planet Hyundai at 7150 W. Sahara Ave. and was hired shortly thereafter. He recently joined the Centennial Center Boulevard location when Planet opened that dealership in March.

"I can't imagine selling anything other than a Hyundai product now," Rooney said. "With all of the new body styles along with the gas mileage ratings the Hyundai offers now, people are switching to Hyundai in record numbers. People who purchase a Hyundai are educated, and they research the vehicle long before making a purchase. They are convinced that the Hyundai is an unbeatable vehicle now."

Yet another key to the success of Hyundai is the vehicle's resale value, Rooney said.

"The Hyundais are really drawing big money at the auctions," Rooney added. "They retain their value just as well, or better than any other product on the market right now. In fact, Hyundai is now beating Toyota, Honda and Nissan in resale value."

Rooney now finds himself spearheading the Internet department for Planet Hyundai Centennial.

"People can get the entire breakdown of every possible vehicle before they ever come to the dealership," Rooney said. "Only 10 percent of the public researched vehicles through the Internet eight years ago, but I find that 80 percent of the buyers utilize the Internet today."

Vince and Cecilia Alston purchased a 2011 Sonata GLS from Rooney.

"Chris was very helpful," said Vince Alston, a local businessman. "The car was new to the lot. Chris gave us a lot of insight about Hyundai, and he was very honest and forward with us. After talking with him for a few minutes, he put my mind at ease.

"Everything was explained to us prior to our leaving."

Tom Fowler, a local musician, purchased a 2011 Sonata from Rooney.

"The Sonata is nice," Fowler said. "Everything is good and the car is really nice. It's also nice to know that car (power train) is completely covered for 10 years and 100,000 miles. I was buying Camrys and Highlanders before. It has the new style and a new body, and it was a very good buy right now. The engine is really good, too. The car has all the technology and the sound system is very good."

Fowler said he commutes to California at least once a month.

"It's very smooth and has more power than you expect," Fowler said, adding that his Sonata is powered by a strong four-cyclinder engine. "The highway mileage is 36-42 mph."

Fowler also praised Rooney.

"He didn't presure me," Fowler said. "I had already researched the Hyundai and Chris let me make up my own mind. He informed me and demonstrated all the features, and the technological features make my life that much easier."

Visit Planet Hyundai at www.planetlv.com or at either location at 6200 Centennial Center Blvd. and 7150 W. Sahara Ave., or call 938-1400 (West Sahara) or 483-2200 (Centennial Boulevard).