He grew up restoring old cars and now he’s opening a classic car dealership

IDAHO FALLS – The first business of its kind in eastern Idaho is just a few weeks away from opening in Idaho Falls.

It’s called Mac’s Classics, Hotrods, & Customs and it’s a dealership that sells classic cars exclusively.

The business currently has 5 cars ready to be sold, including a 1965 Volkswagen Beetle, a 1971 Chevy Nova and a 1965 Mercury Cyclone.

“This was a local car. Some people will probably recognize this one,” Scot “Mac” McGuire, one of the business partners, says about the Mercury. “It’s based on the Comet, but it’s actually a very rare car, low production. It’s got a small block Ford in it and an automatic transmission, but this car was built from the ground up quite a few years ago and has had very few miles (500) on it.”

McGuire has been restoring cars for years and gets a lot of tips from customers. He tells EastIdahoNews.com they purchase the vehicles from other car owners locally or online.

“Sometimes just driving around you see something and you just stop and ask,” McGuire says. “Car shows are another source. If it’s a good deal, you gotta be on top of it immediately.”

McGuire says he’s always on the lookout for cars that are 80 to 90 percent finished.

“We’re a small business and we’re not going to do major restorations,” he says. “A lot of times what happens is people will get them a good portion of the way done and then they just either lose interest or they have to sell, for whatever reason. Those are good opportunities for us.”

Two of the most sought after classic car models are Mustangs and Camaro’s. McGuire does not currently have any in stock, but is hoping to track one down.

Classic car dealerships are pretty common across the country, McGuire says, and this shop will serve a niche customer base.

“Our market is not primarily local. Our market will be national and international,” he says. “The majority of our customers will be internet-based.”

McGuire grew up working on cars with his brother. He worked at a classic car dealership in Utah during the 1990s. He owned Mac’s Garage in Idaho Falls for several years. It closed about five years ago, but McGuire says his passion and interest in classic cars has just evolved into opening a dealership in eastern Idaho.

McGuire says they’re on the last leg of applying for their dealer license and hope to have it completed within the next two to three weeks. They’re aiming for an opening date in early September and are planning a grand opening celebration in conjunction with that.

“We want this to be a great destination for people to just come and hang out. If you’re out just driving around, swing by. We’re always going to have water and coffee available. We do a podcast here every other Saturday (that people are welcome to come and watch live),” he says.

The name of the podcast is “Cruising, Cars, and Brews,” where he and his co-host discuss the car market, car shows and anything related to cars. They stream it live on Facebook.

Since customers will mostly be people from out of town, its hours of operation will not run like a typical car dealership. They’ll be open most Saturdays and in the evenings only.

Mac’s Classics, Hotrods, & Customs is at 3891 American Way in Idaho Falls. An exact opening date has not yet been determined, but follow the Mac’s Classics Facebook page for updates.

If you have a car you want to sell, call McGuire at (208) 521-8708. You can also email sales@macsclassics.com.