As a kid growing up in Cleveland, Lou Milone always knew what he wanted to do.
His fascination with cars coupled with a penchant for tinkering led him to his first job as a mechanic. In 1976 he came to San Diego to run a Porsche dealership with race car driver Alan Johnson.
Today, that same dealership, AJ USA, has grown from a space of about 1,000 square feet to 40,000 square feet at its current home in Sorrento Mesa. The staff has kept up, going from two to 55 employees.
And as Milone is quick to tell you, it’s much more than a great place to find that Porsche you’ve always dreamed about.
Besides retail sales, AJ USA offers a collision repair and a parts department that uses the Internet to connect with its customers. “We just went through the third edition of our Web site,” says Milone, 52. “We’ve been selling the parts over the Internet since 1995.”
The collision repair unit offers its service on all makes and models, not just European cars.
As for the Porsches on the lot, there are some real winners. His most expensive model, a 993 Turbo S, is one of only about 150 ever made. That, plus a whole shebang of extras create a sticker price of $149,000.
“I only have about 10 to 15 on the lot at any one time, but every one of those cars are real special,” he said.
Milone, who bought out Johnson about 15 years ago, is doing well these days, but when he applied for his first loan, all he could get was a $6,000 line of credit.
“At that time (1976), that was a lot of money.”
He’s still doing business with Rancho Santa Fe National Bank, which provided the line back then.
What is it about the Porsche that makes them so desirable and held in such high regard by car aficionados?
“First of all, the cars are very fuel-efficient, and they’re also very safe,” he said. “The quality of craftsmanship throughout the vehicle is superb, and they last a long time. Many cars that we service have more than 250,000 miles on the engine.”
