The first thing to catch your eye when you walk into the showroom of Checkered Flag Classics might be the sleek 1966 Corvette, or that yellow-with-orange-flames paint job on the 1940 Ford pickup, but the second thing is bound to be the price tag.
Yet those price tags have kept the lights on since the classic car dealership first opened in November 2006.
“Business is good because I sell quality restored cars,” said owner Bill “Rocket” Marciano. “I don’t sell junk, I don’t sell projects, I don’t sell cars that need work.”
Marciano said that his cars have doubled in value over time.
“If you came in and spent $60,000 for a 1957 T-Bird, you might say ‘Wow that’s a lot of money.’ But in five years it’s worth $120,000,” he said.
The current showroom holds a variety of classic cars, including a 1923 Dodge Hot Rod ($34,900), a 1970 Ford Ranchero GT ($19,900), a 1957 Cadillac Eldorado ($109,900), a 1965 Mustang convertible ($34,900), and the aforementioned 1966 Corvette ($69,900).
Marciano said it’s important to have a good selection because cars go in and out of fashion.
“Right when you think you’ve got it figured out, everything changes,” he said.
The most expensive car Marciano’s ever sold is a 1964 Shelby Cobra, “A real Cobra, not a kit.” It sold for $495,000.
Price is determined by the condition and rarity of the car. Generally, the fewer cars made, the higher the price tag. Marciano also takes into consideration whether or not the car has original parts.
The showroom attracts walk-in traffic. Marciano said that 10 percent of those who walk in actually buy. Serious buyers can test drive a car they’re interested in, but Marciano keeps those sessions brief.
“Say you come one day and you’re interested in [a car],” he said. “The next day you show up, and all of sudden it’s got 100 more miles on it!”
Corvettes are Marciano’s favorite, specifically the 1967 model. He purchased a black and yellow one in 2000 when he first moved to Gilroy. He had it for seven or eight years before he sold it for $125,000.
“I don’t really drive the older stuff anymore, because I get them detailed and cleaned,” Marciano said. “I don’t want to get them dirty or have something happen to them.”
Not all of the cars at Checkered Flag are his. Marciano also sells cars on consignment for various owners. He keeps a red photo album of the cars he’s sold, including his favorite ’67 Corvette.
“My favorite car is the last car we sell,” said Doug Cassetta, who’s worked with Marciano since 2008.
The two salesmen have known each other since their teenage years. They were friends, even though they went to different high schools.
Marciano said he earned the nickname “Rocket” as a teen because he would show up at school with a new car every few months. He’d buy a car, drive it for a few months, sell it, and then buy another.
The cars came from his father’s dealership, Bill’s Used Cars, which still operates on Stockton Boulevard near the Alameda in San Jose. Marciano said that’s where the auto row was before moving to Stevens Creek Boulevard.
After graduating college with a degree in business management, Marciano worked at a Saturn dealership on Stevens Creek. It was there that Marciano started filling his red photo album.
“I went directly into selling cars,” he said. “I was the youngest person on the sales force.”
Marciano worked his way from the sales floor and became a general manager. He moved to Gilroy in 2000.
“I moved to Gilroy because I liked the town,” Marciano said. “I liked the people, liked the way it was. So that’s when I decided to start my business here.”
He spent more than a year working to get his dealership license, and was finally able to open a dealership of his own in November 2006.
While Checkered Flag Classics is now on Monterey Road at Third Street, the original location was on Lewis Avenue just east of Monterey Road.
“It was a nice place, a new building,” Marciano said of the original location. “The problem was it was only about 1,800 square feet. It was great, it was just too small.”
Checkered Flag Classics is the only classic car dealer in South Santa Clara County. Marciano said all of his competitors have gone out of business, but that hasn’t stopped him from being a good salesman.
“Mostly it’s being honest and upfront with people,” he said. “My reputation is, ‘Okay, if you go down there, you’re going to pay a little more. But you’re going to get a really nice car.’ You never pay too much for a nice one, and you always pay too much for a bad one.”
