Welcome to

Star Motors, LLC

Star Motors was founded in 1991 in Iowa City, Iowa.

Our mission has been to provide top quality, honest service to our customers. We distinguish ourselves from the big dealerships by offering quality vehicles at great prices, and a more personal feel for service.

We don’t just want to sell you a car, we want to have a long term partnership where you can trust your car with us to keep you and your family safe.

Star Motors is under new ownership as of March 2020 and we are committed to delivering the same trusted service with the personal touch that our customers are used to.

The best research suggests that auto buyers are looking for several things when searching for a new car:

1. Consulting NOT Selling, at Star Motors this has been our method since the beginning. We are automotive enthusiasts first and foremost. Researching and understanding the automotive landscape is how we add value to the buying experience. Matching someone with a car they will truly love, because it meets their needs, it what brings us to work every day.

2. Transparent Pricing, let’s face it we all want to be able to tell our neighbor what a stellar deal we got on our new car. At Star Motors, we seek cars that have been well cared for by their previous owners, we thoroughly inspect and then repair issues, we stand behind the cars we sell, and frequently enjoy an ongoing relationship with our customers. When we price a car, it reflects the hard work required to know we are providing a car we can proudly stand behind for the long run. This is why we have a long-standing history of repeat business. Remember what our friend Benjamin Franklin said:

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”

3. Effective Technology, the ability to research and make a confidence-inspiring automobile purchase from your living room couch is an expectation, especially in a post-COVID world. While we tend to want operate a more old-school “handshake” type business, we understand this need, and strive to support it through our website www.starmotorsic.com. We can answer your questions by phone 319.339.7705, text 319.594.1057, Zoom, Facetime, etc. We can complete paperwork via email, starmotorsic@gmail.com. We can even arrange delivery from our location to yours. Our goal is to connect you with the right car in the manner most comfortable to you.

4. No Pressure, Timely Experience, according to an Autotrader study, less than one percent of shoppers described the car buying process as their ideal experience. Two thirds of car shoppers don’t want to be pressured during the test drive, and 56 percent prefer being anonymous to the dealership until they lock in their purchase terms. Yet, according to IHS Automotive, shoppers spend an average of three hours in the dealership—much of that time spent on negotiations and paperwork. Although not universally true, dealers have earned a reputation for slipping in additional fees and services at the last minute. Customers are often pressured to buy protection packages such as maintenance plans and extended warranties after investing hours in the buying process. At Star Motors, we focus on the people and the cars. We do not sell financing. We do not sell extended warranties. We won’t sell you rust proofing or any other snake oil. We want to spend our time together understanding your needs and matching you with the vehicle that meets those needs, in hopes that when your needs change, you will come to see us again.

 

Car dealer's 30 year timeline from the beginning

our history

  • 1

    1977 - The beginning

    "One day I looked out my back window and there were 13 Volkswagens, and I thought Hmmm, I need a dealer's license." -Gary

  • 2

    1982 - Worthington

    Gary opens his first dealership, Dunne Motors, in Worthington, IA.

  • 3

    1991 - The Partnership

    Gary Dunne and Kent Gregg join forces and start Star Motors, Inc at its current location 942 S. Gilbert Court in Iowa City.

  • 4

    1996 - A new mechanic

    Kyle Fitzpatrick joins the team as a new mechanic.

  • 5

    1999 - The service location

    Gary and Kent open a dedicated service location at 1208 S Gilbert Court.

  • 6

    2001 - Change

    The partnership between Gary and Kent dissolves and Kyle leaves the team headed for Colorado.

  • 7

    2020 - A new owner returns

    After winding down a career in Engineering, Kyle returns to Star Motors to purchase the business from Gary on March 18.

What Our Happy Clients say about us

Our Testimonial