Best Used Car Dealer: Plaza Auto Center

Whatever vehicle you want to buy, Tony Plaza Sr. has it — or he'll get it.

If the make or model you want doesn't happen to be on his lot at the moment, he'll go looking for it.

“I will find it — whatever (customers) want,” said Plaza, owner of Plaza Auto Center in Yuma. “Just tell me how many miles and the color, and I'll get it for you.”

And the pre-owned car or pickup he finds will be a vehicle of good quality, one his dealership will back once the sale is done, he promises.

Plaza Auto Center was picked by respondents in Yuma's Best, the Yuma Sun's poll of readers' favorite businesses, as Best Used Car Dealer in the area for 2010.

“I'm really excited to be voted No. 1,” Plaza said, “and it's certainly appreciated.”

The dealership tries to keep between 80 and 120 pre-owned vehicles on its lot at 2450 W. 32nd St. to satisfy the varied needs or desires of customers, he said.

“We sell all makes and models. We sell everything, foreign and domestic.”

Plaza says he often leaves the task of running the day-to-day task of running Plaza Auto Center to his manager and other employees so he can be free to travel out of town, primarily to the Phoenix area, to find the cars his customers want.

“I go buy cars every week,” he said.

The dealership performs servicing and safety inspections on all vehicles before putting them out on the lot.

“Our philosophy from day one, since I opened 17 years ago, has been to have the best quality car, no matter the make or the model ... and to stand behind our product,” said Plaza. “We sell quality products.

“I really work hard along with my employees to provide good customer service,” he added. “That's the only way to be consistent.”

Plaza Auto Center can arrange financing for customers who choose not to seek it on their own, he added. “We'll handle everything, from the sale to the financing.”

The dealership opened up in October 1994 and “is going strong,” Plaza said. “We're here to stay.”

To serve customers, Plaza has a staff of 14, divided up among the tasks of sales, service and bookkeeping.

Hours of operation at the dealership are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays. During the winter months, it is also open on Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The dealership can be reached at 726-7288. Its website is http://www.plazaautoyuma.com/.

Plaza Auto Center

Best Used Car Dealer