Hanna Cars opens Bradenton dealership, breathing new life into Off Lease Only property
Less than six months after Off Lease Only filed for bankruptcy and abruptly shut down its used car business in Bradenton and four other Florida cities, Hanna Cars of Bradenton opens for business Thursday.
New owner Elie Hanna said he personally visited Off Lease Only locations in West Palm Beach, North Fort Lauderdale, Opa-locka and Orlando, before settling on the Bradenton location at 3230 14th St. W., Bradenton.
“I liked this facility best,” he said Tuesday.
Hanna, who has used car dealerships in Raleigh and Sanford, North Carolina, has already purchased a home in Bradenton and intends to make the dealership as successful as his other dealerships.
The Raleigh store sells between 4,000 and 5,000 cars a year, he said.
“You have to commit all the way,” Hanna said.
Hanna Cars opens Bradenton dealership
John Burke, director of operations for Hanna Cars, said opening the Bradenton dealership is a homecoming for him and his wife. He is a graduate of Manatee High School and she is a graduate of Bradenton Christian School.
The dealership now has about 450 cars on its lot, which are being cleaned, reconditioned and extensively photographed by a camera that sweeps 360 degrees around the vehicle.
Hanna has hired a staff of about 70 and is looking to eventually have about 100.
“We were truly blessed and able to bring back a lot of the Off Lease Only staff,” Burke said.
Hanna also has a goal of opening for business with about 500 cars and quickly increasing that number to about 700.
Competitive used car pricing
When customers visit the dealership, they use a computer to pick out vehicles they want to look at in person and perhaps test drive.
Dealership staff drive the car to the front office, where the customer can look it over in a shaded area.
The no-haggling price is what is listed on the computer.
“We specialize in cars that are low mileage, maybe a couple of years old. Everything from Maseratis, Porsches and BMWs to Corollas and Civics,” Burke said.
“We call it the ‘perfect’ price,” Burke said of Hanna’s aggressive pricing. “We go for the volume.”
Hanna also buys a lot of cars from customers, including those for which the owner still has a loan.
Off Lease Only opened in early 2021 on a 15-acre parcel once occupied by AutoWay Ford and Panda Garden Restaurant. Panda Garden closed in 2020 after more than 30 years in business.
In addition to his dealership on the property, Hanna is also interested in finding a restaurant operator for a vacant building on the site. It could be a franchise or possibly something homegrown, he said.
He is also looking to have a quick-change oil service on the property.
What to know Hanna Cars dealership
Name: Hanna Cars of Bradenton
Address: 3230 14th St. W., Bradenton
Hours: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Phone: (866) 947-7438
Online: www.HannaCars.com
