Mossy BMW of Vista celebrating anniversary with special offers, services

By Kathy Day

Anniversaries always make for special occasions, so leave it to Mossy BMW of Vista to ramp up the celebration.

Through Labor Day, the dealership is marking down every vehicle on its lot at 1715 Hacienda Drive — including the new 3 Series Diesel, which just came out on Aug. 15.

Brian Kennedy, general manager of the Mossy dealership that opened a little more than a year ago, calls the car “revolutionary.”

“The 3 Series has been on Car and Driver’s 10 best list for 22 years,” he said recently, adding that the newest model brings a diesel engine that gets 45 miles per gallon — “equal to a Prius” — and the performance and handling BMW drivers seek.

While Kennedy can talk with great knowledge about the new model and those on the horizon, including an all-electric Bimmer in seven to eight months as well as a 5 Series diesel and new X5s and 4 Series cars, he gets quite animated talking about BMW of Vista’s customers.

“We have had a really surprising number of repeat customers,” he said. “For only being open a little more than a year, we’ve had some buy two or three cars already. It’s because of how they’re treated.”

The staff of sales and service people — which has expanded in the past year to keep up with demand — prides itself on getting to know their customers by spending a lot of time with them.

“We’ve had a good response to our complimentary car washes that we offer Monday through Saturday,” he added. “It gives us a chance to stay in contact with customers, some of whom we see one, two or three times a week. They can come in and hang out, have cookies and coffee while they wait.”

They can also take part in regular customer appreciation events that give them a chance to share stories with other BMW drivers and get to know the staff.

And now that Mossy customers around the county are learning that the company has BMW in its family, they are drawing prior Mossy buyers to the North County location.

This week, as the anniversary celebration continues, customers can enjoy food from San Diego’s best food trucks and enter drawings that include a grand prize trip to BMW Performance Driving School in Spartanburg, S.C., which is also home to the carmaker’s SUV manufacturing facility. Other prizes include golf goodies and “all sorts of fun stuff,” Kennedy said.

While Kennedy loves being at work, he also enjoys being involved in the community, he said. “We do quite a bit of charity work in Vista as well as in Rancho Santa Fe.”

North County’s Solutions for Change, which helps homeless families, is a major recipient of their efforts while Congressman Darrell Issa’s children’s foundation is another. Kennedy is also involved with Rancho Santa Fe’s youth soccer program.

BMW of Vista is located adjacent to Highway 78, where buyers can find hundreds of new and pre-owned cars in inventory. It is part of the Mossy family of dealerships, a business that began in 1921 in New Orleans and came to San Diego in 1982.

Visit them at 1715 Hacienda Drive, Vista 92081 or go to www.bmwofvista.com. To reach the sales staff, call (888) 846-0673; for service, call (888) 714-7096.