Exotic car acquisition buyer

Tampa Auto Gallery is looking for an experienced exotic automotive professional to join our team and help build the next stage of our acquisitions and wholesale operation.

Please take the time to actually read this entire ad before applying.

We are looking for the best of the best in the exotic car business. This is not an entry-level position, and simply being passionate about exotic cars is not enough. We are looking for someone who understands the business, knows the cars, knows the market, and can bring real value to our organization.

Professional exotic/high-line automotive experience is strongly preferred and, for most applicants, expected.

That said, we also believe exceptional people don't always fit perfectly on paper. If you don't have every qualification listed below but believe you have the knowledge, drive, talent, and ability to impress us — find a way to wow us. We're open to being proven wrong.

The Opportunity

Tampa Auto Gallery has an established and growing retail operation serving clients nationwide.

Today, our small team manages approximately $10–$15 million in vehicle inventory, and our goal over the next 2–3 years is to double that while continuing to grow responsibly.

A major part of that next stage is building a stronger acquisitions department and wholesale divisionalongside our already growing retail operation.

We are currently a small, close-knit team of five, and we take hiring seriously. When we bring someone into our organization, we are looking to invest in that person for the long term.

Because of the size of our team, we're not looking for someone who only wants to stay inside the boundaries of a job description. We want someone who can perform their primary role at a high level while also creating value throughout the entire organization.

That could mean identifying an opportunity we overlooked, solving a problem before it becomes a bigger one, improving a process, developing an industry relationship, helping another member of the team, or simply finding a better way to do something.

We value people who create solutions, create opportunities, and make the organization better.

You'll work directly with ownership and management and have real input on inventory, acquisitions, market opportunities, and the direction of the department.

This is an opportunity to join a growing company while the team is still small enough for one great person to make a major impact.

We are not in a rush to hire.

We would rather wait for the right person than hire the wrong person simply to fill a position. We're looking for someone who sees the bigger picture, wants to build a career here, and wants their responsibilities and opportunities to grow as the company grows.

Acquisitions Comes First

This position is primarily an acquisitions role.

Your ability to understand exotic cars, appraise them correctly, recognize good and bad inventory, understand specifications and builds, negotiate intelligently, and know the market is the foundation of this position.

We need someone who can look at a car and understand what it really is and what it's really worth — not simply pull up a few listings online and give us an average asking price.

However, the ideal person brings more than one skill to the table.

If you're also well-rounded in sales, highly organized, strong at communication, and understand how to build genuine long-term relationships, that's even better.

The exotic car business is a relationship business. We don't want someone who views every interaction as a one-time transaction.

Whether you're dealing with a private seller, another dealer, a collector, or one of our retail clients, we want someone who understands how to build trust, maintain relationships, follow up, stay organized, and create opportunities that can last for years.

Being able to buy a car correctly is important.

Being able to buy the car correctly and turn that interaction into a long-term relationship is significantly more valuable to us.

What We're Looking For

• Real experience and knowledge in the exotic and luxury automotive business
• Strong ability to  appraise exotic vehicles accurately and confidently
• Deep understanding of Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and other high-line brands
• Ability to understand  specs and builds — not simply year, mileage, and book value
• Understanding of how options, colors, equipment, mileage, ownership history, service history, condition, and overall configuration affect value
• Strong knowledge of the current exotic market —  what's hot, what's soft, what sells, what sits, and why
• Ability to determine both the  real retail and wholesale position of a vehicle
• Ability to recognize a great car, a bad buy, or an opportunity quickly
• Ability to identify problems before we own a vehicle — paintwork, accident history, questionable history, title issues, missing equipment, deferred maintenance, poor specifications, or other concerns
• Strong negotiation and communication skills
• Excellent organization and follow-up
• Ability to build and maintain genuine relationships rather than treating people as transactions
• Sales experience and the ability to work with clients at a high level is a major plus
• Industry relationships and an established network are a major plus
• Someone who can  create value, find opportunities, and solve problems
• Someone who takes initiative rather than waiting to be told what to do
• Someone willing to contribute outside of their immediate responsibilities when the business needs it
• Strong work ethic, accountability, and attention to detail
• Someone who wants to grow into a larger role as the organization expands

What You'll Do

Your primary responsibility will be helping Tampa Auto Gallery make intelligent acquisition decisions and grow our acquisition pipeline.

You'll evaluate exotic and high-line vehicles, appraise them, understand their specifications and builds, analyze their history and condition, determine their real market position, and negotiate opportunities that make financial sense.

But we're looking for more than someone who can put a number on a car.

We want someone who can create measurable value for the company — find opportunities others miss, solve problems, build relationships, bring ideas to the table, improve the way we operate, and make the people around them better.

We also want someone who understands that today's seller can become tomorrow's buyer, repeat seller, referral source, wholesale relationship, or long-term client.

We're interested in building relationships, not simply completing transactions.

With a team of five, every person matters. We want someone who understands that mentality and wants the opportunity to have a real impact on the organization rather than simply being another employee at a large dealership.

Long term, the goal is to help us build and grow our acquisitions department and wholesale division into a major part of Tampa Auto Gallery, while helping scale an organization currently managing $10–$15 million in inventory toward the next level.

Who Should NOT Apply

This probably isn't the right position if you simply love exotic cars but have no understanding of their values, specifications, marketability, or the business behind them.

We're also not looking for someone chasing a quick paycheck, a temporary position, or an opportunity to learn the exotic car business from scratch.

If your mentality is simply buy the car, make the deal, collect the commission, and move on to the next person, this probably isn't the right environment for you.

We're looking for someone who wants to build something, contribute, grow, create relationships, and create value.

However, if you're reading this thinking, “I may not check every box, but I know I can do this,” then show us.

Get our attention. Tell us what you know. Show us what you've done. Show us how you think. Find a way to impress us.

We respect people who take initiative.

Before You Apply

Please make sure you've actually read this entire posting and understand what we're looking for.

We're being selective because we're looking for the right person, not just another employee.

If you have the experience, knowledge, organization, relationship-building ability, hunger, and drive to help us build something bigger — we want to hear from you.

And if your résumé doesn't tell the whole story, give us a reason to take the meeting.