Ford of Northampton knows people are busy and struggle to get their cars in for repairs or
scheduled maintenance. One new Ford innovation makes life easier.
If customers can’t find the time to get their cars in for service, someone from Ford of Northampton will pick their vehicle up at their place of business, repair it, and return it before they leave their desk. Likewise, if customers drop a car off and have no ride back home, a Ford employee will drive them there and pick them up again when their car is ready.
“We provided this service in the past for people who needed it, but now Ford Motor Company has gotten behind the idea that people need help sometimes. We’re offering pick-up and drop-off as a special service in conjunction with giving rides,” says Scott Sarat, owner of the dealership since 2010. He adds, “We’re a family-owned business geared toward doing what’s best for the Valley. That’s how we like to do things.”
When Sarat bought the business with his two brothers and his father in 2010, they held three generations of knowledge and over 90 years of experience in founding and operating Ford and Lincoln dealerships across the region. “The future is promising, as a fourth generation of family will be in line to enter the business,” Sarat says, noting his daughter and five nieces and nephews will one day be old enough to get involved.
Sarat says the family owns other Ford and Lincoln dealerships, but they aren’t a mega-conglomerate. “There’s a family member in each store,” he says.
Ford of Northampton was founded in 1986 by a previous owner and was located on Damon Road in a small service repair facility. When the Sarats purchased the business, they had growth and expansion in mind. In 2012, they moved to 968 Bridge Road, and they’ve since grown their customer base, service capacity, and parts distribution.
Currently, they employ 40 full- and part-time staff members, and EVs—electric vehicles—and the availability of commercial vehicles are focus areas.
“Ford is one of the first auto manufacturers to go all-in on the all-EV platform and has invested billions and billions in factories and research and development and testing. Ford has also asked their dealers to invest at least a million dollars, if not more, per dealer in updating their facilities and establishing infrastructure to service EV charging, sales, and service,” Sarat says.
Ford of Northampton is on board and is currently planning to invest in high-level, rapid-charge stations that will be open to the public in the near future. Sarat says Ford has several electric vehicles already on the market, such as the Mustang Mach-E and the Ford F-150 Lightning pick-up.
“The demand was so high for these electrical vehicles that Ford of Northampton is currently sold out. We can assure that more are coming soon from the factory, and custom orders are always an option at Ford of Northampton,” Sarat says.
Investing and increasing the availability of commercial vehicles has also been part of the Sarat family’s business plan since the start. “In the Valley, every day, you see plumbers, electricians, builders, landscapers, and other business people on the roads. All these businesses need new vehicles to support their commercial fleet,” Sarat says. “That’s what we’re looking to provide—sales and service. We are investing in that.”
Ford of Northampton is stocking commercial medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles from pick-up trucks to cargo vans to dump trucks. “You can pull in and buy a sedan, an SUV, or a sporty convertible. You also can buy any commercial vehicle Ford offers for business and service companies,” Sarat says.
Additionally, supporting the community is important to Ford of Northampton. In past years, they were able to combine their vehicles with doing good.
As part of Ford’s Drive For Your School events, Ford of Northampton would take several of their vehicles to a local school and invite the public to come test drive them; for each test drive, Ford donated a sum of money to that school. Sarat says these fundraisers, which happened in Southampton, Northampton, Westfield, Granby, and Easthampton, raised about $7,000 each for the sponsoring school.
Sarat says the business also supports the fundraising efforts of local hospitals and nonprofit
organizations and the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life event. “It has always
been important to us to stay involved where we live and work,” he says.
Ford of Northampton, 968 Bridge Rd, Northampton
Fordnorthampton.net, 413-584-2400
Investing and increasing the availability of commercial vehicles has also been part of the Sarat family’s business plan since the start. “In the Valley, every day, you see plumbers, electricians, builders, landscapers, and other business people on the roads. All these businesses need new vehicles to support their commercial fleet,” Sarat says. “That’s what we’re looking to provide—sales and service. We are investing in that.”
Ford of Northampton is stocking commercial medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles from pick-up trucks to cargo vans to dump trucks. “You can pull in and buy a sedan, an SUV, or a sporty convertible. You also can buy any commercial vehicle Ford offers for business and service companies,” Sarat says.
“We’re a family-owned business geared toward doing what’s best for the Valley. That’s how we like to do things.”