Who We Are
Founded in 1956 in Clearwater, Florida, Carlisle Lincoln-Mercury became one of the most successful dealerships in Ford Motor Company history. When Carlisle later bought a troubled Ford dealership in St. Petersburg, FL, they turned it around and won Ford's prestigious Chairman's Award for Quality the very first year under Carlisle operation. Carlisle added Acura, Hyundai & Dodge dealerships to become one of Florida's largest Mega-dealers in the '90s. Carlisle sold more than $20 Million of new and pre-owned cars and trucks - each month! In 1995, AutoNation acquired the Carlisle dealerships in the Tampa Bay area.
Today, Carlisle Motor Cars has rekindled the Carlisle Spirit and is once-again serving Tampa Bay customers, as well as the new international audience of Internet shoppers. Building on its loyal customer base and its reputation for quality vehicle selection and service, Carlisle's Mission is for you to "Drive the Best for Less."
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H.H. Carlisle was the Ford dealer in Princeton, Missouri from the 1920s through the 1950s. He served as Princeton Mayor for 23 years. |
Built in 1957 Carlisle Lincoln-Mercury became Clearwater, Florida's most beautiful dealership. |
Steve Carlisle, the third generation of Carlisle auto dealers, tells the story: "My grandfather, H.H. Carlisle, began selling vehicles in the early 1920's. He lived in rural Missouri and represented Chevrolet, John Deere and Ford. By the time he and my father were thinking about moving to Florida, they had 3 small dealerships."
"In 1956 H.H. and Dan Carlisle opened Carlisle Lincoln-Mercury in Clearwater, Florida. They chose Clearwater because of its sparkling white sandy beaches, the favorable climate (compared to Missouri) and its potential for growth. The architect selected to design our dealership was from the Frank Lloyd Wright school. The dealership's futuristic building was very striking," Steve continues, "A picture of the store taken when I was only 4 years old was recently included in a book commemorating Ford Motor Company's 100th anniversary."
"The foundation for our extraordinary customer satisfaction was built by the hard work of my dad and grandfather, who both were well known for community volunteerism and honest business practices," Steve recalls proudly. 'Word of mouth' and referrals became commonplace and the Carlisle name became a strong brand people knew they could trust without reservation.
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Carlisle Motor Cars sells and services a wide variety of cars. You can depend on each car to be hand-picked and carefully inspected. |
While we specialize in luxury cars, you'll find cars for each and every member of the family at Carlisle Motor Cars. |
Carlisle began to see customers coming back for second and third cars. Satisfied owners, often close to retirement age, referred their sons and daughters, who had families of their own. It wasn't long before Carlisle Lincoln-Mercury became the top Lincoln-Mercury dealer in the world. Carlisle was number one in volume, units sold, customer loyalty (returning customers), and number one in customer satisfaction. The Carlisle dealerships had grown to sales of $300 Million annually in 1995, when they were purchased by The AutoNation Group. Carlisle was a pioneer in car leasing and "one-price" no-hassle sales practices.
Carlisle Motor Cars builds on this half-century of experience and customer satisfaction to bring you "the car of your dreams at the best possible price".
