Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael O’Leary.
Michael, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
After I conducted an extensive internet search looking for a fun sports car to rent in the Boston area, I quickly learned that no such service existed in the New England area at the time. After spending 3 days in a rented Lamborghini from a company based in New Jersey, I realized that there may be a good opportunity to fulfill a “need” for sports car rentals from a company based locally to Boston.
New England Corvette was born in 2010. The business started with 1 Corvette and has expanded the available Corvette inventory since inception. It is fascinating how many customers have a Corvette connection in their past… many customers owned one when they were younger and had to sell once children came along, or went to college. Other customers share stories of memories of a family member or friends Corvette from years ago…. almost everyone has some sort of connection to the Corvette.
Additionally, Corvettes are exceptionally popular with international customers – in many parts of the world including Corvettes are a very rare sight, whereas late model Corvettes are simply nonexistent. I have had customers from Australia, England, Germany, Belgium, Thailand and many other countries. All of which thoroughly enjoy the chance to drive a late model Corvette in historic New England.
Although our slogan may be a bit ‘cheesier’ than other slogans – it fits perfectly whether you are local or a domestic or international tourist. “Explore New England in Exciting Style!! ”
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I have found that advertising and marketing have been far the most difficult aspect of the Corvette rental business.
People expect dentists, landscapers, plumbers or other more common services. However, in this unique business its critical to spend advertising dollars simply to let people know you exist. I have heard ” I had no idea of renting a Corvette was possible” more times than I can count.
As with any business, advertising can be very expensive and can be a trial and error process at times. It’s not uncommon to take a risk with an advertising campaign in hopes that your marketing dollars are well spent – sometimes what you are convinced will be an effective campaign in everything but, whereas other campaigns have caught me by surprise by how effective
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about New England Corvette Rentals LLC – what should we know?
We offer nothing but newly purchased, dealer maintained and meticulously detailed Corvettes to our rental clients. We offer 3 different options to enjoy your Corvette experience. This choice in rental options is what sets us apart from almost any other rental agency ….. anywhere.
*Traditional rentals allow the client to drive the Corvette to any destination (inside the continental U.S.) they please. Rental terms start at 4hrs and can extend to whatever term your interests (and budget) desire.
*Arrive and Drive packages – by far our most popular rental option. You 1st choose which Corvette you prefer and then a preselected route is programmed into the Corvettes’ factory navigation system. The programmed route will ‘guide’ you from address to address – starting and ending at our location in Billerica, Mass. The ‘date night’ includes fuel, tolls, and a $50 gift card to a well known ‘farm to fork’ restaurant along the planned route.
This rental option provides the customer an entire experience that the Corvette is part of – there are things to see and do along the planned route – finished up by an amazing included dinner for two.
*Guided tour – Our guided tours are a blast !!! We meet in the morning and spend several hours traveling, sightseeing and even enjoying an included breakfast as a small group – our guided tours involve all of our Corvettes at once. A representative from New England Corvette drives one Corvette and customers occupy the remaining available Corvettes.
In addition to everything that the guided tours offer – customers seem to most enjoy the fact that we ‘rotate’ Corvettes throughout the drive. Each customer will get to experience each Corvette (the ultra high-performance Z06, at least one of the auto transmission Grand Sports and finally the manual shift grand sports coupe all participate).
Guided tours are scheduled in advance and although popular throughout the season, Fall seems to be the most popular time for guided tours.
Contact Info:
- Address: 98 Billerica Ave. North Billerica, Mass 01862
- Website: www.newenglandcorvette.com
- Phone: 978-888-5458
- Email: mike@newenglandcorvette.com
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
