Giant Used Car Lot Planned at Spectrum

AutoNation USA, based in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., is in escrow to buy a 20-acre parcel in the Irvine Spectrum business park, near Bake Parkway and the San Diego Freeway, said a spokesman for the Irvine Co., which owns the land. AutoNation is trying to create a national chain of used car lots.

“Our long-term plans call for multiple locations throughout the Los Angeles area--this is just our first one,” said Harry Brumley, AutoNation’s director of real estate planning. “Orange County is a high-growth area with a strong demand for our product.” Brumley said the company is looking at sites in Long Beach, Oxnard and Ontario.

The company hopes to put a megalot with as many as 1,000 used cars on the site. Brumley said that AutoNation is working out details of how the site will look with the Irvine Co., but that he expected it to have a child-care center. “We are looking for something that will work for us and is in keeping with their overall design,” Brumley said.