03/08/2025
The Tennessee Independent Automobile Dealers Association Board of Directors would like to announce Tennessee's 2024 Quality Dealer of the Year is Guy Thorpe of Thorpe Automotive. Congratulations!
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Guy Thorpe, owner of Thorpe Automotive in Knoxville, Tennessee, earned the Tennessee Independent Auto Dealers Association’s 2024 Quality Dealer of the Year.
“It really caught me by surprise,” Thorpe said. “There’s probably a lot of people out there that are more deserving, I promise you that. But I will represent Tennessee properly.”
Thorpe will be a finalist for the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association’s National Quality Dealer award to be presented in June 2025 at the NIADA Convention and Expo in Las Vegas.
Thorpe opened his family-owned business with his wife Stephanie in January 2018. He is in his 25th year in the car business, joining the industry after serving as a host and vendor for a home shopping network, where he was known as the “Tennessee Knife Guy.” Thorpe took a job at a Ford dealership in Clinton and expected to be in for just a few months.
“That was 25 years ago and here we are,” Thorpe said. “I celebrate my 25th year next month. 9-9-99 is when I got started.”
After starting in sales, he moved into finance before taking on management roles. He managed a used car lot for the dealership, which inspired him to eventually branch out and open up Thorpe Automotive.
In the past seven years, his dealership has grown and become a fixture in Knoxville. With its Tennessee Volunteer orange building, the dealership has a loyal following and many positive reviews. Thorpe Automotive has a 4.7 rating on Google and 5.0 rating on CarGurus.
“We’re a 4.7 or higher on five different platforms. I think that’s a reflection of our staff doing things right and taking care of people,” Thorpe said.
Stephanie, who has a background in finance, joined Guy at the dealership when it opened and the two have worked together since.
“We couldn’t do it without each other,” Stephanie Thorpe said.
Guy and Stephanie Thorpe are joined at the dealership by their daughter and son, Kayla and Kaden.
Guy Thorpe has been a member of the TNIADA for the past four years and is the president-elect. He and the association are working to improve training for dealers and advocate on their behalf. He is actively involved with the national association, attending the NIADA Policy Conference and NIADA Convention.
Along with operating a thriving business, the Thorpes also give back to the Knoxville community. Guy Thorpe has coached youth sports teams over the years, and they support the mission and charity of multiple churches in the area.
“We’re community-minded people,” Thorpe said.
TNIADA President, Jon Davachi, board members along with Karen Brown, Executive Director, extend congratulations to the Thorpes. "We have enjoyed learning together and growing the resources for the membership base of 300 for independent dealers in conjunction with National Independent Automobile Dealers Association - NIADA and we appreciate Guy's commitment," says Jon Davachi of The Leader Dealer. Brown reports, "we had five amazing dealer-finalists this year that were nominated from across Tennessee, and we'll also be featuring their stories and asking these dealers to participate in a Quality Dealer panel at our April 2025 TNIADA Convention."
Thorpe will be recognized at Manheim Nashville on Tuesday, August 27, 2024.
tniada.com
