Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Model 1 Ford of Warsaw has a heavy focus on commercial products, but they’re still the retail dealership for Ford vehicles in the city.
Brian Cooper, Model 1 Ford of Warsaw director of dealership development, said, “Model 1 is our headquarters. It’s our corporate office, and they’re a commercial-outfitting company. They purchased the Ford dealership because they purchase a lot of Ford chassis, so they figured this would be a good opportunity for us.”
Model 1 Ford of Warsaw is located at the former Rice Ford dealership at 436 W. 250N, Warsaw. They began business there on June 19, 2024. Thursday, they held a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce.
“This is their first dealership. We do have another one, it is an auto group. We have a Chevy store out in Kentland,” Cooper said.
With new ownership of the dealership, Cooper said they have a new way of doing things.
“We’re definitely driven to serve the community, that’s our main focus. We have a large variety of different things that we can offer individuals,” he said.
Along with the retail and commercial sides of the business, Cooper said they also have a mobile service business that they offer that a lot of companies don’t have.
“We can come out to your location and change the brakes, check engine lights, fix recalls. Just some standard maintenance for the consumer at their location, whether it’s at their house, whether it’s at their employment. That’s one of the things that is different that stands out with us as well,” he said.
They can work on any brands, not just Fords, with their mobile service.
“So if you don’t want to go to the car dealership after work and get your oil changed or brakes done, we can come to your location,” Cooper said.
He still wanted to let people know that they’re still the Ford dealership here in town.
“You can still buy your regular retail Escapes through Expeditions and trucks,” Cooper said. “... We want to serve the businesses here locally. We want to serve small businesses, big businesses, all varieties. We also have Spanish-speaking sales individuals. We’re trying to serve the community the best we can.”
As for customer service, Cooper said they “meet them where they’re at. Definitely not a high-pressure area. We have guys that have been here in the community that serve the community already that work here. We have a first responder. We have the involvement, and we want to understand the Warsaw family. We’re here and we understand that the community is our first and foremost priority.”
Model 1 Ford of Warsaw has a website at www.model1fordofwarsaw.com where the public can check out which vehicles are available.
“With our commercial side, we have about 140-142 (vehicles). And that fluctuates,” he said.
They offer new and pre-owned vehicles. If a customer is looking for a particular pre-owned vehicle, Cooper said they can find or locate those for individuals as well. If they don’t have it, they can probably get it.
“We also straight out buy cars, cash. If somebody is looking to trade their vehicle or sell their vehicle outright, that’s something that we can give them a check right then and there. So you don’t have to have people come try out your car, don’t know who they are. We try to make it as easy as possible for them,” Cooper said.
He concluded by reiterating that Model 1 Ford of Warsaw is here to serve the community.
