The gang from Buffalo Motor Works has struck a deal with MCR Automotive, to lease a garage and lot at 324 Elmwood Avenue, near the corner of Summer Street. Buffalo Motor Works owners, Andre Sadoff and Dan Sciolino, have been looking for some serious street exposure, away from their West Side Greenhaus complex for three years. It took them that long to find a high profile spot in the city that was zoned for automotive use. Now the car sales and repair company that specializes in alternative energy vehicles is sitting pretty on Elmwood, hoping to attract the eyes of all passersby.
I spoke to Andre, who I found chilling in the sales office listening to classical music, about the new location. He told me that the plan was to create further awareness of these oft-misunderstood vehicles. “It seems that most people don’t understand that they can be purchased so affordably,” explained Andre, who sells the cars between $6K and $10K. “On top of that, think about all of the money saved on gas. Then there’s the low maintenance costs.”
I asked Andre why these types of vehicles have lower maintenance costs, and he told me to picture an old fan… a really old fan. “They still work great because there are fewer moving parts that break. Same with an electric car, over a gas operated vehicle. There are no oil changes, the breaks last a lot longer, there are no emissions… plus, we service the cars, so there’s a place right around the corner to get it fixed at the Greenhaus complex.”
Andre and Dan have high hopes for their new satellite location. Their intention is to keep it clean and looking good. Instead of all the goofy flags, they are placing solar marine boat lights inside the vehicles so that they illuminate at night. Not only will it look cool, people passing by can read all about the cars. “We’re also going to be hanging art prints in the office and showroom, so that people can browse art while they are browsing the cars,” Andre told me. “At this point, we are allowing prospective buyers to test out the cars, to see how neat they are to drive. If you’ve never driven a completely silent car, now is your chance. The electrics run on a 120 volt trickle charge. The battery can be plugged into a regular outlet, which will charge the vehicle overnight. As for the hybrids, when the driver breaks, the action charges the batter. Then the battery acts as a power assist when accelerating. We’re here to teach people how this all works, and to show them that it’s not scary to purchase an alternative energy car. We’re not here for the hard sale. Rather, we just provide the info… the cars sell themselves.”
According to Andre, the alternative car industry just keeps getting better and better, while people are becoming more aware of what’s out there. He’s excited to get more of these vehicles out on the road in Buffalo, and he welcomes anyone to come in and browse the selections, or if they want to check out the cars online, they can do that too.
Buffalo Motor Works | 324 Elmwood Avenue | Buffalo NY | 716-249-0525
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