Welcome to our second episode of a weekly podcast that we are doing here at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram! In this episode, we talk with General Sales Manager of both Miracle CDJR and Miracle Ford (Miracle Auto Group). Mark talks a little bit about his history in the car business, the benefits and details of leasing instead of purchasing a vehicle, and also shares what he enjoys doing in his spare time. This is a great episode that you do not what to miss! Enjoy!

Transcript

John Haggard: 00:02 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast, where each week we hope you’ll be able to learn the best ways to purchase, maintain and accessorize your new or preowned vehicle and how to sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible. When you’re ready to do it. I’m your host John Haggard, and throughout each month, right here we’re going to have different team members join us from miracle to bring you tips that you can use. And by the way, we will also post a transcript of each podcast so that way you can easily refer to it for information that you would like to have right there at your fingertips. Today on the podcast we have Mark Ledford, the general sales manager at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Hey Mark, welcome to the podcast.

Mark Ledford: 00:44 Hey John, how are you doing today buddy?

John Haggard: 00:45 Good man. Glad to be here. You know, we always, when we bring somebody onto the podcast, before we start, people like to know, well, who is this guy that you’re getting ready to talk to? People just love to hear stories about how others got into a particular profession. So tell us a little bit about your background, how you started, how long you’ve been doing this, and how long you’ve been with Miracle Auto Group. Really specifically. How did you get into the car business?

Mark Ledford: 01:10 Well, you know, it’s very similar to the Galvin’s, which you guys heard obviously before, which my father was very, very inspirational in making that happen for me. It’s funny, as I watched my father, when I was growing up, my comment, it was, I’m never getting in the car business. You know, he was very inspirational, you know, as far as me getting into this industry after college. And, you know, I watched his work ethics and, the thing that stood out to me most about, I saw the joy in watching him help others accomplish their goals. And I said, you know what? I think that’s me. I think that’s something I need to give a shot sometime soon. And, a little time after that, I was able to land my feet at a dealership and I spent many summers working at the dealership, washing cars, things like that back in high school. And, so I guess it was meant to be John, you know, just one thing led to another and then at an early age, popped in the business, been in it for about 25 years, been around it for about 35 years, and absolutely love it.

John Haggard: 02:16 Alright, you’re about ready for some gray hair, aren’t you? 35 years. Ha!

Mark Ledford: 02:19 Yes sir. It has started. You know, I can’t believe I’ve been able to hold it off this long.

John Haggard: 02:25 Well there you go. There we go. Well today’s topic on the podcast is leasing versus buying a vehicle and while we won’t be able to cover every topic about leasing in just one podcast, we did ask Mark to help us understand some key components about the differences in leasing versus owning. So we’ll devote future podcasts to learning more about other aspects of leasing versus owning. So a lot of people today, Mark, you know, they’re looking for a better way to acquire a vehicle, perhaps a cheaper way. In other words, you know, save money the best way they can and folks always hear, well should I lease or should I own?