Stewart: Changing his ways has done him good

Earl Stewart probably wouldn't consider himself a "visionary" dealer. He sees it as just good business adhering to his code, which, among many things, promises to never sell a vehicle above sticker price.

Stewart, the dealer principal of Earl Stewart Toyota in Lake Park, Fla., has spent the past two decades battling dealership sales tactics he sees as immoral. On his Saturday radio show and in his everyday life, he is openly anti-extra fees, anti-pushy sales tactics and anti-misleading advertising.

However, Stewart wasn't always like this. He practiced all of those things in the first three decades of his career. He's described his former self as a "thief" who wanted to be the "best thief in the market."

Things changed in the early 2000s when a whirlwind of factors pushed him onto his do-gooder path.

He connected with a mentor and was inspired by his devotion to customer service.

Additionally, he had also asked his sons to take over the business but the "dishonest image" they associated with dealers, partially fueled by his father, made them uninterested.

These two things pushed Stewart to gain a new perspective. He dropped dealer fees in 2004 and continued down his "path to recovery."

"I started questioning the way I did business," Stewart told Automotive News. "I said, 'Maybe I could position myself as the honest dealer, the one you can trust.' "

Stewart also was diagnosed with Stage 2 colon cancer in 2005. This further pushed him down his new path, which included a radio show, "Earl Stewart on Cars," starting in 2006 and a book, Confessions of a Recovering Car Dealer, in 2012.

In 2013, his dealership adopted a one-price model — something Stewart credits for his strong sales.

This standup attitude in sales translates to Stewart Toyota's work force as well. Stewart describes the work culture as "laid back" and said he doesn't enforce rules that don't directly serve the interests of both employees and customers.

"I don't have meaningless rules that just apply to everybody," Stewart said. "Everybody's an individual, and we've got that kind of reputation."

Stewart's crusade against what he perceives as shady dealer practices hasn't gone unnoticed by the auto retailing world of southern Florida. In fact, it has embroiled him in lawsuits with fellow dealers and insurance companies — as both plaintiff and defendant.