Siegfried Motor Co. Holds Long Family History
By EMILY RAMSEY
Managing Editor
FAMILY HERITAGE: Kerry Siegfried stands in front of his family’s business, Siegfried Motor Co., 417 W. Kenosha, in Broken Arrow. The used car dealership was started in 1936 by Siegfried’s grandfather.
EMILY RAMSEY for GTR Newspapers
Kerry Siegfried, owner of Siegfried Motor Co. in Broken Arrow, didn’t always plan to spend his life working with cars.
Siegfried, a born-and-bred Tulsan, graduated from Central High School and then Oklahoma State University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. His plan to become an accountant, however, was derailed when his father asked him to become the third-generation owner of the family’s used car business.
A German immigrant, Siegfried’s grandfather came to the U.S. in the early 1900s. He first worked as an Oklahoma wheat farmer and then became the owner of a salvage yard. In 1936, however, he transitioned into a car salesman and opened the car lot on Charles Page Boulevard.
“As a kid, I would go to the business on the weekends and after school to help out,” says Siegfried, who can’t quite define what he loves about cars so much. “It’s just in my blood,” he says. “It doesn’t come out.”
Siegfried took ownership of the used car business in 1992 from his father, and in 2001, moved the store from its previous location on 11th Street in Tulsa to 417 W. Kenosha in Broken Arrow.
While Siegfried has seen a number of competitors enter the industry since he took over the business, the company’s small size and quality vehicles create a sharp contrast with many auto dealers, Siegfried believes.
“What sets us apart is that we are a low-key, no-pressure family business,” he says. “I like to let the cars sell themselves.”
His confidence in his vehicles come from a number of factors. For one, all of Siegfried’s cars are intensely conditioned before being sold to ensure they are up to industry standards. In addition, Siegfried credits his own pickiness for the high-quality vehicles on his car lot.
“If I wouldn’t personally own or drive it, I’m not gonna have it,” he says.
Siegfried’s vehicles are not purchased from salvage yards, do not have a flood history and have only one or two previous owners.
Siegfried finds a lot of his vehicles at auctions largely due to the return option allowed if something about the car’s history was not disclosed before purchase. “This saves both me and my customer,” he says.
The used vehicles at Siegfried Motor Co. range between $5,000 and $15,000. Both imports and domestic cars are available. Siegfried often finds that imported vehicles sell quicker than domestics because “people perceive them to be better,” he says. However, he thinks that perception is changing. “While it may have used to be true, today I think domestics are as good if not better than imports.”
Siegfried has had the opportunity to grow his industry knowledge through his time as commissioner of Oklahoma Used Motor Vehicle and Parts Commission. He is in his second term as commissioner.
Siegfried’s industry education continues daily, he says, as the car business is always changing.
For instance, over the years, with the growth of the Internet, Siegfried has seen his clientele expand from local residents to global buyers.
Siegfried has sold cars to people all over the country as well as the occasional international customer. He remembers one person who had one of Siegfried’s vehicles shipped to China.
Siegfried Motor Co. is open M-F 9 a.m.-6 p.m., where customers can expect to work directly with Siegfried—another factor that he believes sets his company apart. “With most businesses, you go in, and you’re dealing with an employee,” he says. “It’s not often you deal directly with the owner.”
Visit www.siegfriedmotorco.com, or call 918-258-5285 to learn more.
Updated 09-30-2013
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