When David Del Dotto and Adam Van Coops opened EDH Motors in Town Center recently, they brought 40-plus years of car-sales experience with them - enough to motivate them, as the saying goes, to challenge conventions. As a concierge auto lounge, EDH Motors is a relationship-based business, fostering rapport with clients, suppliers, financiers, and the community itself.
EDH Motors provides services that include new-vehicle brokerage, pre-owned sales and consignment. The inventory of cars will feature highline, exotic, classic, specialty, energy-efficient and more, depending on customers’ needs. “From first car to dream car,” says Del Dotto, who notes that they pull from their vast network all around the state and country to find the perfect ride for each client.
Del Dotto, originally from Roseville, began his career at Stevens Creek Auto Row in San Jose, rapidly ascending the dealership hierarchy to become general manager by age 28. Van Coops, meanwhile, says he “chose the car business with complete disapproval from my parents.” At first, he volunteered his time at Luxury Motorcars in Sacramento to learn the business (while working for an actual paycheck at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center). Eventually he graduated to a paid position, then moved to The Niello Company, where in 2007 he met Del Dotto at the then-new Maserati showroom. Del Dotto was general sales manager; Van Coops was in his sales department. During the seven years they worked together, they each took proverbial notes on how they would operate their own dealership. They hung onto those dreams as they moved separately into different positions within the automotive industry and beyond.
“It has been a lifelong dream to own my own dealership,” says Van Coops. “After being in systems and corporations, you learn a lot about what to do and what not to do. You learn what clients truly value—both team members and customers. To truly value people and being dedicated to serving them and the community is where EDH Motors was born.”
The client might begin by sitting in the EDH Motors lounge (an inviting, upscale space with well-cushioned chairs) talking about needs and wants, sharing stories over a beverage and discussing options. There’s no pressure or discomfort, no tromping around a hot lot. “You’re dealing directly with the owners, no middleman,” says Del Dotto, citing time savings and a sense of "relationship versus transaction” as key benefits. For him, the human connection and community aspect of the business is his favorite part. For Van Coops, it’s “being able to provide an amazing experience to a process that most people detest.” For the majority of people, he says, a car is the second-largest purchase they’ll make (after a house). He likes that EDH Motors can make it a celebration rather than a burden.
Removing the burden includes such practical matters as assisting with financing, rebates, lease rates—even payoffs and trade-ins on previous vehicles. With new-vehicle purchases, they can locate the right car at the right price. “We have created relationships that allow us to negotiate with multiple dealerships,” says Van Coops. Meanwhile, on the consignment side of the house, they can make selling a previously loved car much more pleasant (and lucrative) than selling it privately or haggling over its value elsewhere.
The two men deeply appreciate the community of El Dorado Hills and all it brings to their lives. Del Dotto and his wife have three sons—one’s at Oak Ridge High School; the other two attend Jackson Elementary. Van Coops, who has a 6-year-old son who lives in Rocklin, enjoys the rural and suburban mix of El Dorado Hills, and “the love and ownership the community has for its town.” They plan to remain active in the community, “to till the dirt, plant the seeds and water the fields, to bear the fruit,” says Del Dotto. To which Van Coops adds, “Our innovation is our lack of innovation, going back to the simplicity of human nature to build relationships.”
EDH Motors
4364 Town Center Boulevard, Suite 120
(916) 282-5333
edhmotors.com
IG @edhmotors