"In the art of war there are no fixed rules. These can only be worked out according to the circumstances."
Li Ch’uan, Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War”

TOM DURANT, 30+ YEAR DEALER, 44 Years in the business, megadealer and owner of Classic Chevrolet, Grapevine, Texas, the number one Chevrolet dealership in America in 2006, states: "John Pico was very analytical and detailed throughout the whole process and I have no hesitation in recommending him."
"I appreciate the outstanding quality and dependability we received from Automotive Advisors and think they could make a dramatic difference to anyone that uses their services. . . . (Mr. Pico's) knowledge and negotiation skills were critical to the final process of the purchase.”

JOHN COX, 25 YEAR ATTORNEY and partner in KL Gates (one of the largest law firms in Dallas, with lawyers on three continents): "I have had the occasion to work with John Pico on several automobile deals and, in my 25 years as an attorney, I have never met anyone in the industry with a more complete understanding of the automobile business, or with better "horse sense" when it comes to negotiating or making a deal. Our firm values his input."

GIL ALCALA, General Manager, Barber Auto Group.
“Three years ago, when the dealer passed away, his widow retained Mr. Pico to help sell the automotive group. Mr. Pico’s analysis indicated the four stores would be profitable with new management and he advised the owner to hire me. She did and I have been operating the group ever since.”

BARBARA MEISTER, President and CEO, Barber Auto Group and “community activist.” Mrs. Meister serves on numerous non-profit boards, including: the Casa Pacifica Advisory Board, the Ventura County Community Foundation Women’s Legacy Fund, San Buenaventura Foundation for the Arts Advisory Board, the Ventura Education Partnership, the Community Memorial Healthcare Foundation, the Jewish Federation Women’s Division Committee as well as being a founding member of the Rubicon Theatre Company and Grandes Dames. She is the recipient of many community service awards.

With respect to our help Mrs. Meister writes: “Dear John, Thank you so very much for recommending Gil to be my General Manager of the Barber Automotive Group. I don't know how I would have survived without him! He has been a calm, organized leader throughout these challenging times in the car business. He has helped me with difficult choices and personnel dealings. I thank Gil for navigating the business through these troubled times and being capable of making the best decisions to accomplish our goals.”

ANGELO FERRO, 50 YEAR ENTREPRENEUR and dealer, major hotel owner, real estate investor, winning Indy Racing League Team Owner, Thoroughbred Race Horse Owner, and investor and majority owner of Fairfield Chevrolet – Cadillac – Isuzu and Fairfield Subaru emphatically affirms: "I have purchased four franchises and three dealership facilities with John Pico. I would never buy or sell a dealership without his advice and assistance."

> D. DOUGLAS WOODARD, Vice-President and owner of Woodard Chevrolet (established in 1929). Mr. Woodard negotiated with the seller and thought he had his best deal. Then he hired Mr. Pico to help structure it. Mr. Pico advised that the transaction be re-negotiated and it was. With respect to the re-negotiation, Mr. Woodard states: "John Pico’s handling of my transaction saved me hundreds of thousands of dollars on my purchase and I highly recommend him to the industry. In my opinion, having him on your team will make a difference."

HANK TORIAN, 30+ YEAR DEALER, is the former owner of Tasha Corporation and in the early 1970s became one of Mr. Pico’s first dealer clients. In 1999, Mr. Torian soldTasha Corporation (then the 18th largest dealer group in the U.S.), to AutoNation, while retaining Lexus of Concord, Fremont Toyota and Stevens Creek Lexus. In 2001 Hank Torian retained Mr. Pico to sell Stevens Creek Lexus (the #1 pre-owned Lexus Dealership in northern California) to the Penske Automotive Group.

--- xxxxxxxxxxxxx, Owner, Chrysler Jeep Dodge dealership. “I was out of trust and did not know what to do when I retained Mr. Pico. His experience and advice led me through the crisis and I am still in business and operating today.” [Name and contact information can be supplied upon request. Even though the dealer gave permission to use his name, we elected to leave it out.]

Advising Automobile Dealers LLC
We Could Make the Difference