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The very first car Doug Moreland sold was a Chevrolet Corvair in Reno, Nev., in 1969. It had belonged to the woman who would one day be his wife. After working long hours for little money in restaurants while in college, he made $100 selling the Corvair off her father's used-car lot and was immediately hooked on the business.
Moreland, 65, now owns all or part of 15 dealerships -- 13 in Colorado, plus one each in Las Vegas and Avondale, Ariz. He sells Hyundai, Mazda, Kia, Volkswagen, Buick, Fiat, Mitsubishi and GMC, but says his heart belongs to Chrysler and Dodge, the first franchises he held. His 15 dealerships combined sold about 1,450 new and 1,055 used vehicles per month in 2012.
Moreland's colorful "Dealin' Doug" TV commercials, with him wearing a ring on each finger of both hands, are ubiquitous across Colorado.
He spoke with Staff Reporter Larry P. Vellequette.
Q. When did you become a dealer?
A. My father-in-law let me work through the different chairs at his dealership in Reno, and I eventually rose to become general manager.
In January 1980 I came to Denver with an opportunity to buy the Cherry Creek Dodge store in Aurora, Colo. I left my wife and three kids back in Reno. The place was a basket case, bleeding money, and we cleaned house in 1980 and turned it around. It was right after Lee Iacocca won the loan guarantees in 1979. We made good money there in 1981 and sold more cars than anybody in the Denver business zone.
How did you expand your holdings?
My goal was to own...