Jan Einboden, Jan’s Auto

Story and photos by Kathryn R. Burke

[Montrose, Colo. April 16, 2013]  She’s almost a household word in the Montrose area. Wherever you go, you see Jan’s Auto plates on more than half the cars you pass on the road. And a whole bunch more parked in neighborhoods or slipped into a slot downtown or in any of the local big box store parking lots. Seems like everybody’s got one of Jan’s cars.

Selling cars runs in the family blood; her brother owns seven dealerships in the Phoenix, Ariz area. When I ordered my car from her, she had it shipped up here from Ariz.  When a squirrel got in the car I was driving, and basically ate it, Jan and her team  picked it up, got rid of the squirrel, parted out what was left, and provided me with a loaner until my new car arrived. When it did, they checked it over, made sure it was squirreless, and off I went, one happy camper.

Jan and her husband, Ernie, had 21 years in the automotive repair business, as E’s Automotive. When they sold it, a neighbor, Paul Dow, with a forklift business, suggested Jan go into used car sales. “I started out with just three cars,” she says, “across from Denny’s )vacant lot now) next to the Forklift guy. It was a great location. We didn’t even have to advertise till I moved to the present location. We found it in just one day!”

The lot now has 20-25 cars, with new ones arriving every day, and “it’s the perfect size for me,” Jan says. “I can work with anyone who comes in. I get a lot of women, who like working with a woman instead of a sales’man.'”  Jan’s husband checks out every car before it leaves the lot…complete with a 3000 mile warranty.

All photos by Kathryn R. Burke, except the one with author and Jan, taken by James Burke. PPT slideshow presentation, Kathryn R. Burke.

Jan’s Auto
60 S. Hillcrest Dr.
Montrose CO 81401
970-240-4165

Website: jansauto.net

 

---

This article also appears on website for the Woman’s Club of Ouray County. Designed and maintained by Kathryn R. Burke

---