About Us

3rd Coast Motors was established in 2023 as a small, boutique classic and used car dealer in Norton Shores, Michigan. We are not car salesmen. We are car guys!  We work with our "clients" to help them acquire the vehicles that they want/need at competitive prices. We will make your vehicle acqusition process as easy and pleasant as possible.

We specialize in selling sports cars, Jeep Wranglers and trucks with manual transmissions and interesting, affordable classic vehicles.  We also sell reliable everyday transportation, primarily SUV’s and trucks (Hey, if it is good enough for Ford Motor Company, it is good enough for us.)

Our dealership was established with three Guiding Principles:  

Quality, Value and No Hassles

Our goals are 100% customer satisfaction, high ratings, repeat business and positive referrals.

Quality

• We only sell cars that we would personally want to own – make, model and condition.
• We leverage our extensive knowledge and expert industry sources like Consumer Reports, JD Powers and others to ensure that we are only offering for sale the most reliable vehicles in every category.
• All of our cars have free CarFax Reports.
• All of our cars are inspected and test driven.
• We will always be upfront with anything we know about our cars. If there has been body or paint work done, and we know about it, we will tell you.
• Third party inspections are welcome and encouraged.

Value

• Competitive, Market-based Pricing. We try to keep our pricing in the “Fair/Good Deal” categories on web sites like Car Gurus, Cars.com and others.
• We are a low overhead /lean operation. We are located in an industrial park. We have no commissioned salespeople. And we haven't invested in silly ideas like “Car Vending Machines” that customers end up paying for.
• Our prices are firm - we do our research to make sure everything is priced as aggressively as we can afford, considering make, model, year, condition, mileage, and options. Pricing is constantly adjusted according to the market. 

No Hassles

• We are by appointment only. Every car will be prepped before you come in and will be waiting for you to inspect and test drive. You won’t waste any time.
• We have designed our sales process to be straightforward, easy and transparent. 
• We have no outdoor lot. All of our cars are kept in our climate-controlled facility.  
• We have no commissioned salespeople (Yeah, I know we already said this. but we felt it was important to emphasize. It means that nobody will be trying to force you into buying a car). We only show the vehicle, answer your questions and educate as necessary.
• We have no hidden, surprise, add on fees! What you pay is the advertised price plus sales tax.

What are the benefits of buying a vehicle from us:

1. Simplicity of the process and lack of pressure and NO TIME WASTED.
2. Market competitive pricing. Our customers will always get a good deal buying from us.
3. All customers will have the option to have a car inspected before they buy it. We will deliver the car to any mechanic or body shop within a 7-mile radius to be inspected.
4. We provide excellent financing options through local credit unions.
5. We also sell warranty contracts. 

What is a "Next Generation" Vehicle Dealer?

There have been tremendous changes in the Used Car industry in the past fifteen years. CarMax erased much of the stigma associated with standalone used car lots in the 1990’s when it created a national network of professionally managed used car stores. The COVID 19 Pandemic completely changed the used car business model with the creation of many online only, no touch used car dealers, most notably Carvana and vroom.

Information Technology has also played a significant role in the recent Used Car Industry transformation. The Information Technology (software and cloud services) required to operate a digital Used Car Dealership is available today from dozens of technology companies at a nominal cost. As a result, there are now thousands of digitally enabled, Next Generation Used Car Dealerships in business today that buy used cars from individuals and any auction in the country and sell them anywhere in the world, often sight unseen.

Where is the "3rd Coast"?

East Coast. West Coast. Third Coast? According to Wikipedia, the Third Coast typically refers to the Great Lakes Region. Michigan has more coastline that any of the lower 48 states. It also has more coastline (3,288 miles) than Florida (1,350 miles) and California (840 miles) combined. Michigan also has the longest fresh water coastline in the world.