Best New Car Dealer: Manhattan Beach Toyota
Manhattan Toyota general manager Ron Vartanian and owner Brad Sperber.
After acquiring Manhattan Beach Toyota and moving to Manhattan Beach, Darrell Sperber became so involved with the community that councilman Richard Montgomery took to calling him the “Mayor of Manhattan.” Sperber passed away two years ago from from leukemia, at age 68. But his son Bradley and daughter-in-law Andrisa have carried on his work, including a $7.5 million remodel of the 5.5 acre site. A grand re-opening was held last November. The new showroom entryway is framed by a translucent, two story cladding of backlit rice paper. Andrisa Sperber, who serves as Manhattan Toyota’s marketing manager, said her customers frequently research what they want on the internet before visiting a dealership. As a result, she said, she conducts photo shoots of her 600 car inventory three times a week to make sure the photos on the website accurately represent the cars she has available. To assure customers of competitive prices, she said, the dealership sets prices at the Minimum Allowable Advertising Price (MAAP) issued by Toyota.