I, Jason R. Sakurai, literally grew up in a dealership, with a father that nurtured my automotive interests. Following grad school, I was recruited by General Motors, leaving Phoenix for the Motor City.
Managing 21 dealerships in GM’s San Francisco Zone, I later moved to Nissan, and then Mazda. Eschewing corporate life, I sold ad space for Four Wheeler Magazine, then did TV for the National Hot Rod Association as Director of Sales. ESPN’s buyback of my inventory prompted me to start Roadhouse Marketing, a marketing, advertising, and PR firm dedicated to the automotive aftermarket and outdoor industries.
I began writing for McMullen’s Custom Rodder and Street Rodder magazines while still working for General Motors, and continued writing since then. Twice serving as editor of Drive! magazine, co-editor of Rod Action, and editor of Street Legal Import Source, over time I have contributed to almost every Petersen automotive title, and the majority of those published by McMullen, Argus, and more recently, Engaged Media. Vehicles I have owned have included a ’65 Mercury Comet Caliente, ’70 Ford Mustang Fastback, ’74 Ford Ranchero GT, ’78 VW Scirocco S, ’79 Pontiac TransAm, 190 Honda CR-X Si, 1984 Nissan 200SX Turbo, 1988 Nissan 300ZX Turbo, 1988 BMW 535iS, 1990 BMW M3 (two – one white, one red), and more. My current daily is a 2014 Toyota FJ Cruiser, upfitted to go overlanding.
[Image: Jason Sakurai]
Another dealership brat! Well, that’s two points in your favor.
Welcome! I look forward to reading your articles.
I’ll be curious to read your work and to see if you’ll develop your own pet article project. In the past there have been car-buying advice articles, vehicular design articles, articles discussing classic or interesting cars, what’s wrong with my car articles, and articles about vehicles we don’t get in the United States and Canada. Each article series has been interesting in its own right.
Also, welcome aboard.
Where are my manners!?
Great credentials for the position- welcome !
Welcome, Jason.
Welcome NewsBot!
You have some great credentials and I look forward to you perspective on things.
I am interested in reading what you have to say in future posts!
Welcome! Two quick questions: First (since I was just out in Irvine), does Mazda have anything cool in the parking garage under the HQ building? An old Cosmo? Ultra-low-mileage FB’s, FC’s and FD’s? I walked from the hotel to Starbucks right by the building, but wasn’t sure if I could sneak a peek.
Second, I notice you don’t have rotary power in your vehicular history. How do you plan to cure this deficiency?
Welcome aboard Jason. You had some cool cars.
Welcome!
An overland FJ sounds pretty rad.
Welcome to the masthead.
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Welcome to the Best & Brightest, Jason. May you find your time here profitable and enjoyable!
I love the dealership stories-always interesting to better understand the dynamics of car retailing in the US. I always assumed the franchise model was a license to print money, but rounds of dealer consolidation and pricing transparency brought on by the internet may have changed the model.
Welcome my fellow countryman from the Land of the Rising Sun. The last samurai.
Welcome,