History of Martens Cars
Carrying on the Family Legacy
The Martens tradition began in 1904, when Grandfather L.P. Steuart began his business with a second-hand cart and an old mule, delivering coal in the winter and ice in the summer to the residents of downtown Washington D.C. In those days, Pennsylvania Avenue was a dirt road for the many horse-drawn carriages that traversed it.
Over the past 100+ years, many achievements have been reached, and the company has received much national recognition. The business has been built on service.
“Mr. L.P.”, as he was known, taught his staff that “if we take good care of our customers in our Service Department, they’ll come back and buy a new car from us”. This philosophy hasn’t changed over the years; it is why over 90% of our new Volvo and Volkswagen sales come from the personal referrals of our existing customers – and why we service a greater proportion of new Volvos and Volkswagens to our sales volume than any other dealer in the Washington area.
Three of Mr. L.P.’s grandchildren are actively engaged in carrying on both the business and his legacy, and you can find them in the dealership every day. It’s a simple but proud legacy, built on this straightforward concept of taking good care of our customers. The values of honesty, service and personal care remain the fundamental guiding forces of the company.
Today we concentrate on selling and servicing our two great brands – Volvo and Volkswagen. We work hard to know our customers, and to take the best possible care of them. We do business in a no-pressure environment, and only with the highest level of integrity. We believe our success is measured by the tens of thousands of happy customers who have purchased new cars from us and have their cars serviced by us – and who refer their family, friends and neighbors to us.
We have no desire to be the biggest; our goal has always been to be the best. We stake our almost 110-year professional reputation on this philosophy. And we stake our name on it, as well as that of our father and our grandfather. And we believe Mr. L.P. would be very proud.
