Used-car show, sale at Police Officers' Club

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

When the gates to the fifth Jamaica Motor Show open at Police Officers' Club, Hope Road, St Andrew, today, organiser Ian Lyn expects there will be more than 200 cars on show - and available for purchase "from $500,000 to $30 million".

"We have seven of the major dealers and three of the minor dealers, who will bring out 10 to 20 cars each," Lyn, former president of the Jamaica Used Car Dealers Association (JUCDA), said. They will all be used cars, save for Kia, which is included because a used-car dealership is a part of the operation.

"It has always been used cars," Lyn said, explaining that he started off in the motor vehicle business with new cars before becoming JUCDA head.

"The new-car dealers had the Automobile Dealers Association (ADA) shows. No one had a show for the used-car dealers, and used cars are more than 73 per cent of the car sales in Jamaica," Lyn said.

There is no entry fee and Lyn described the show as "a classified sale and a flea market", where dealers will be providing discounts. "From my experience, people are also willing to come in and buy a car. Instead of them going to Half-Way Tree and Molynes Road to get a car, they can come to Police Officers' Club," Lyn said.

Still, there are those who simply come out to look.

"We are known for having successful shows. You find 60 or more per cent of people just want to come and see. Why should they have to pay to come in and 'ooh and ah'?" he asked.

Staging the fifth Jamaica Motor Show costs $1 million, and Lyn said at the end of the day, "we are hoping, if we are hoping, to be in the black and not the red".

Based on previous shows, he expects a bumper crowd.

"At our first show (in October 2009), in two days, we had over 10,000 people. Since then, our show in Kingston has not been under 6,000 persons for the day. In Montego Bay, it has not been below 3,000," he said.

Although it is a used-car show, Lyn said at each staging there is a featured vehicle. This year, the 2012 Porsche Cayenne turbo will be launched, following the Bentley GT in 2009 and Nissan Skyline GTS in 2010. Lyn emphasised that persons will be able to get the up-close experience with the vehicle, as opposed to just seeing it on the road.

Rally and classic cars will also be on display.