What’s your dream car?
Maybe it’s a Porsche 911 Carrera. Perhaps a Bentley Continental GTC V8. Or is a Ferrari 296 GTB more your speed?
Those are just three of the enviable automobiles on display at the Marshall Goldman dealership in Newport Beach.
Marshall Goldman is the leading dealer and buyer of pre-owned collectible, exotic and luxury automobiles in North America. They were founded in Cleveland in 1978 and now have locations in Newport Beach, Beverly Hills, Cleveland and Maryland with a combined inventory of around 250 vehicles.
Marshall Goldman was acquired by brothers Harley and Aaron Magden last April, although the son of the original founder, Harlan Goldman, who has been with the company since its inception, remains as part owner and an integral part of the business.
The Magden Brothers owned a luxury car dealership in Maryland, but according to Harley Magden, they had been looking to acquire exotic car dealerships so buying Marshall Goldman made sense.
“We’ve always been looking to acquire, and we’ll continue to look to acquire some exotic car dealerships to kind of grow more of a national presence,” Harley Magden told the NB Indy. “Actually, 80 percent of the cars we sell at any of our locations are sold to people outside the area. We don’t get a ton of walk-ins, and most people that walk in are kind of just looking for fun.”
You can definitely look for fun at the Newport Beach location, which is housed inside a former McLaren dealership.
There are Porsche 911 Carreras alongside Ferraris, a Mercedes Benz nestled near a BMW, and even a McLaren facing out towards Coast Highway. These are all low mileage, highly prized vehicles ready to be sold to car collectors around the country.
“You can come in here as a customer and you’re not limited to 21 cars. You go on our website and there are 241 cars listed. It’s crazy,” said Sales Manager Fernando Sustaeta. “It’s everything you can imagine, everything you can think of. Are you looking for a Corvette 06? We have it and we can have it transported. There’s no consignment, so you don’t have to worry. I can sit down and actually make a deal on a car, as opposed to most dealers in this area that do consignment. It complicates things.”
The Marshall Goodman cars are all pre-owned, but the company only buys the best example of a vehicle. Vehicles are meticulously inspected before Marshall Goldman purchases them.
“What we try and do different is not just load up with as many cars as possible. It’s about finding the best example of a car,” said Sustaeta. “We tell customers if you’re looking for the least expensive car, this is not the place. This is the place you go to for the best example of a car.”
Sustaeta said people walk into the Newport Beach dealership that have never heard of Marshall Goldman and are not necessarily collectors, but they are Porsche guys or Corvette guys or Ferrari guys.
“They come in and they hear the story of Marshall Goldman, and it instills confidence,” said Sustaeta. “I’m doing a deal right now with a customer who lives in New York who was very, very skeptical about buying car sight unseen. I said go online, look at the car, look at our reputation, look at our reviews. It gives the customer that extra level of confidence—they’re not buying from some guys that are going to be out of business tomorrow.”
According to Sustaeta, they are in the car business, but then again, they are not in the car business.
“What we offer is a want, not a need,” stated Sustaeta. “For example, you need transportation. You need something that is going to take you from point A to point B, like a Honda, a Toyota, or even a Lexus or BMW. They are all great, but it’s just a car. Ours are more wants. You know, I aspire to owning a Ferrari. I aspire to having a Turbo S or a Lamborghini or a Bugatti. That’s an emotional decision. You can’t stop and analyze it because it doesn’t make any sense. Who spends $400,000 on a car? It’s an emotional decision, and it has to be fun. Our biggest challenge is to make this enjoyable. How can we make this best possible experience for the customer.”
Ultimately, said Sustaeta, “We sell dreams.”
