Most of Manfredi Auto's Staten Island dealerships up for sale, sources say

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The majority of the Manfredi automobile empire is up for sale with a deal expected to be finalized later this year, multiple sources have told the Advance.

Joe Manfredi, who died last month at age 77, launched the Manfredi Auto Mall in 1962, and bought his first Staten Island dealership in 1985. Today, there are 10 dealerships under the Manfredi umbrella: Manfredi Chevrolet in New Dorp; Staten Island Subaru and Manfredi Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Grasmere; and Fiat of Staten Island, Manfredi Hyundai, Manfredi Kia, Manfredi Mazda, Manfredi Mitsubishi, Manfredi Scion and Staten Island Toyota, all in Dongan Hills.

Manfredi and his son, Nick, who is vice president, ran the dealerships together until the elder Manfredi's death.

The sources, who asked to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to speak about the transaction on the record, told the Advance that an automotive giant who owns dealerships in New York and New Jersey is in the process of purchasing nine of Manfredi's 10 borough operations.

Manfredi Chevrolet is the lone dealership not being sold, the sources said.

"I surmise Nick is keeping Chevrolet because he has been active in the day-to-day operations of that business. ... Nick is a very savvy guy, and I bet he sees significant growth in the product line," a source said.

Nick Manfredi didn't respond to multiple phone calls seeking comment about the potential sale of the dealerships.

A deal has been in the works since before Manfredi's death, the sources said, adding that purchasing multiple dealerships is often a long process because it requires approval from all the manufacturers before the sale can be finalized.

"[The new buyer] has to be approved by all the manufacturers. ... To get everything to close the same day when you have many different franchises is difficult," a source said.

MANFREDI'S HISTORY

Although the manufacturer names have changed over the decades, the Manfredi family has built an automobile empire in the borough.

Joe Manfredi made his Island debut in 1985 with the opening of a Suburu franchise in Dongan Hills. Two years later, Joe and Nick Manfredi bought the Island's only Toyota dealership, situated in Bulls Head, and subsequently relocated it to the former Suburu showroom on Hylan Boulevard.

Cadillac, added in 1990 to the list of Manfredi acquisitions, was eventually moved from Port Richmond to Grasmere. Since then, the firm strengthened its automotive foothold in the borough with the addition of more dealerships.

Manfredi survived Chrysler's mass dealership closures in 2009 that resulted in the demise of more than 700 dealerships nationwide.

In a 2000 Advance story, the Manfredis announced the addition of a showroom specializing in previously owned upscale vehicles, including Mercedes-Benz, Infinity, Jaguar, Lexus, BMW, Audi and more.

At the time, the Advance reported that the family owned various dealerships, a used-car enterprise and a rental business.

The operations included Safe Chrysler and Manfredi Dodge in Brooklyn as well as Manfredi Toyota, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Isuzu, Suburu, Kia and Hyundai; Manfredi-Rent-A-Car, and Manfredi Used Car Center, stretching from Grasmere to Dongan Hills.

SELF-MADE EMPIRE

A native of Mola Di Bari, in southern Italy, Joe Manfredi was 14 years old when he arrived in the United States in 1952. He began his auto-related career as a transmission mechanic, and opened his first dealership, Safe Rambler, in the East New York section of Brooklyn in 1964. That same year, he introduced Toyota into the showroom.

In 1970, he closed the inaugural site and moved his Toyota operation to Coney Island Avenue, in Brooklyn's Midwood section.

Manfredi's Brooklyn expansions resumed in 1988, three years after the firm's initial foray onto Staten Island.

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