Cranberry CarSense Targets Mid-February Opening Date

After about six months of construction, the CarSense on Route 19 in Cranberry is set to open in mid-February.

Adjacent to , the 23,760-square-foot sale facility and car lot is part of a Philadelphia-based used-car business that has three locations in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The Route 19 store will be the first in the Pittsburgh area.

General manager Tim Wright, a University of Pittsburgh graduate, said he’ll move to the area from the Philadelphia region to work at the store. The Cranberry lot will have hundreds of pre-owned cars that are about 1 to 2 years old and with low mileage, he said.

Wright said the cars—which will include a variety of makes and models—are packaged with warranties and return polices. The company has a no-haggling policy, and Wright said the CarSense salespeople earn salaries and do not work on commissions.  

“It’s a completely different way to purchase an automobile,” he said.

Wright said CarSense chose to enter the Pittsburgh-area market through Cranberry because the township had available land and its demographics were the right fit for the company.

In February, Steven Victor of Victor-Wetzel Associates in Sewickley, the firm representing Victory and CarSense, .

Nearly a year later, Wright said the company plans to continue expanding in Western Pennsylvania.

“We do try to target cities and suburban areas,” he said. “There’s a very good chance we’ll be building a second store, maybe south in Pittsburgh.”

While the exterior of the Cranberry CarSense is almost completed, Wright said construction continues on the interior.

A definite opening date has yet to be set, but Wright said CarSense will have a grand opening for the Cranberry operation that includes a donation to a local charity.

“It won’t be an event as much as it will be doing something to help the community,” he said.

CarSense is hiring for the Cranberry location, Wright said. To apply, visit the company’s Web site: click here.