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.
our history
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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
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2
1982 - Worthington
Gary opens his first dealership, Dunne Motors, in Worthington, IA.
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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.
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4
1996 - A new mechanic
Kyle Fitzpatrick joins the team as a new mechanic.
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5
1999 - The service location
Gary and Kent open a dedicated service location at 1208 S Gilbert Court.
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6
2001 - Change
The partnership between Gary and Kent dissolves and Kyle leaves the team headed for Colorado.
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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.
Our Testimonial

Bill Kohler
Kyle is the most trusted automotive technician that I have ever had the pleasure of sending my old Toyota T100 to. While living out of Iowa we cycled through dealerships who overcharged us and incompetent shops who failed miserably at the job at hand. Kyle never fails to put his knowledge and expertise to work to diagnose what is wrong with your vehicle and make the repairs quickly and fairly. We are so happy to finally have the piece of mind that when something does go wrong with our vehicles, we will be well taken care of.

Sandra J McLaughlin, Attorney
*****I have purchased 4 cars from Star Motors over 17 years, and very happy with each-3 Volvos and a BMW I’ve driven for 10 years! *****Gary chooses pre-owned cars better than anyone I’ve known in 50 years! *****He has kindly answered difficult ’layperson’ questions on the phone, sharing my concern about being on the road 1000’s of miles from home and hearing a new noise or feeling a new vibration! *****The peace of mind I have enjoyed, from knowing the vehicles I buy from Star Motors are QUALITY, has been worth 100 times what I’ve paid! *****Gary is FAIR, TRUTHFUL, and HONEST! How many car sales people can you say that about? He’s been my hero multiple times!

Blake Hendrickson
Excellent selection of imports. Stand up business.

Paul Young
I have been doing business with Gary for over 11 years and I think he should rename his enterprise, not Star Motors but, Five Star Motors. He is knowledgeable, trustworthy, and has always treated me with a great deal of respect and trust.

Anthony Patti
Gary is like the nicest guy to deal with on buying a car. I've bought a few from him over the years. Love going back.