Planet Hyundai Sahara

Free-spirited Eddie Echols has spent the past eight years in the car business working various elements ranging from road racing to drag racing and now finds himself in sales.

However, his latest employment with Planet Hyundai Sahara may be one of his favorite experiences.

“I came here because I needed a change of pace from living in Baltimore all of my life” said Echols, 32. “When I arrived in 2012, I needed a job and started my search working my way west from the I-15 freeway.”

Once Echols found Planet Hyundai, he was done looking for work. Not only is he on the sales staff, he also owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe sport utility vehicle.

“I would say that the great majority of us who work here also drive a Hyundai,” Echols said. “That’s not always the case at other dealerships, but if you add up all of the employees that drive a Hyundai here, it’s a huge number.”

Echols said the 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty combined with reliability, fuel efficiency and styles make Hyundai cars easy to want.

“Every new car on this lot really looks nice,” he said.

“It’s a no-brainer when purchasing a Hyundai. We all feel like a true team here and we exemplify that by the Hyundais we drive.”

Overall, Echols has owned eight Hyundai’s over the years. He traded in a 2013 Hyundai turbo for the Santa Fe Ultimate for several reasons including that he now has lots of room.

“My Santa Fe has a panoramic sunroof,” said Echols, a 6-foot-2 former professional football player who played quarterback. “It also has cooled seats, state-of-the-art navigation and a 3-liter V-6 with 335 horsepower. It has a ton of power and it’s also hi-rev. It’s the perfect package.

“You have plenty of room to haul people and with all-wheel drive, you can go off-roading. If you get to part of the road where the pavement ends, you just keep on going.”

Even with all of the horsepower, the Santa Fe gets excellent gas mileage, added Echols.

“With the big V-6, it gets 27 miles to the gallon on the highway,” Echols said. “Where else can you get a vehicle like this one with the same result?”

The locally owned and operated dealership includes Planet Hyundai Sahara at 7150 W. Sahara Ave, the Planet Hyundai Used Car Superstore at 7100 W. Sahara and Centennial Hyundai at 6200 Centennial Center Blvd.

For more information on the dealerships, visit call 702-938-1400 (Sahara) or 702-483-2200 (Centennial) or visit www.planetlv.com or www.centennialhyundailasvegas.com.