All Cars, All the Time

Menlo Park, CA car dealers?

In the past few months car dealers along El Camino have been leaving Menlo Park like it was a sinking ship. First it was Cadillac Buick Pontiac GMC and now Anderson Chevrolet. The Caddy dealer was GM owned while Anderson is owned by AutoNation. What's going on? Several things I think. First, auto dealers feed off each other. Where there is one, it is best to have many and now MP has less and less. Lot space is valuable and you need a lot of frontage--freeway frontage is best. Land lease rates are also a factor--an auto lot isn't the apple of every property owner's eye. Just look at Redwood City's squabble over the soon to be vacated Century Park Cinema. A great location for an auto mall, but the property owner wants housing. Menlo is looking into an auto mall, but that will take time. Back in Menlo Park I'm sure all eyes on University Ford and Stanford Lincoln Mercury.