On this episode, Sev sits down with Marcelo Avila, a car dealership entrepreneur and immigrant success story who reveals the hard truths about buying and selling used cars. Discover why most people buy what they want instead of what they need, how to avoid the biggest car-buying mistakes, and why choosing the right partner in life and business makes all the difference. Marcelo opens up about his journey from Ecuador to Australia, building a multi-location dealership, and his practical framework for sustainable success. If you’re considering a car purchase or just love deep dives into entrepreneurship, business culture, and family, this episode delivers.

Enjoyed this deep dive? Like, comment, and subscribe to The Sevo Show for more inspiring conversations. Let us know your biggest takeaway in the comments and share this video with someone who needs a dose of used car ownership or family man entrepreneurship.

00:00:00 - Biggest used-car mistake: wants vs needs

00:00:24 - New-dad intro and guest Marcelo Aila

00:01:15 - Entrepreneurship is failing forward

00:02:01 - Why migrate to Perth: origin story

00:02:59 - Showroom crash and ownership lessons

00:04:56 - Car-loan regret and money mindset

00:06:24 - Family hardship, England to Australia arc

00:07:51 - Picking the right life partner matters

00:11:00 - COVID boom, market cool-off, subleasing

00:12:30 - Building an internal marketing team

00:14:22 - Agencies vs in-house: incentives and speed

00:16:24 - Set 30-day success metrics that count

00:18:10 - Test small budgets, learn from data

00:19:16 - SOPs so knowledge doesn’t walk away

00:20:49 - Culture: people stay by choice

00:21:49 - Franchises, buying land, scaling yards

00:22:55 - Sponsor message: ads done properly

00:23:42 - Qualifying buyers: use case and budget

00:24:54 - Chinese brands, EVs, hybrids complexity

00:26:27 - Consignment explained with real example

00:28:10 - Price bands for first car, risk trade-offs

00:29:08 - BYD servicing, parts and range realities

00:31:05 - Toyota/Mazda/Subaru: reliability and resale

00:33:06 - Autonomy timelines and safety features

00:35:44 - Adapting to policy shifts and markets

00:40:10 - Raising kids while building a business

00:43:15 - Document everything; avoid assumptions

00:50:08 - How to contact Marcelo and businesses

Follow Marcelo's Business:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3mt.auto/

Website: https://www.3mtauto.com.au/

Follow me:

https://www.instagram.com/sevspics/

https://www.instagram.com/thesevoshow/

Hire My Studios and Production Team:

https://brighttsar.com/

Sponsors:

https://www.whereu.com.au/