By Branden Hunter
Big 3 Auto Team – from left: Kevin Miller Jr., finance manager; Kevin Miller Sr., owner; and Rofeal Miller, sales manager.
If he would not put the car in his own driveway, Big Three Auto President Kevin Miller Sr. will not put it in yours. He prides himself in selling the best pre-owned vehicles possible, since he started the business in 2001 with sons Kevin Jr. and Rofeal. Hence the name “Big Three.” It is a true black-owned family business in Detroit, which has been a staple on East Eight Mile Road near the corner of Kelly Road.
“My family worked in the automobile industry for Chrysler and GM and they were car connoisseurs,” said Miller. “I was too and I always had aspirations of owning my own business. So me and my sons decided to start our own business selling cars, and that’s what we do.”
When Miller and his sons, Kevin Jr. and Rofeal, sat down at the kitchen table to discuss their business plan over 15 years ago, they started with just a few cars. Big Three Auto’s inventory is now well over 100 cars, in a variety of makes and models. The car business has been great for the Miller family.
“I wouldn’t want to be in business with anyone else,” said Rofeal Miller, who is the sales manager. “People think that you can’t go into business with your family but we have defied that. With my father and older brother, there is no shady business or backstabbing. We are dedicated to serving our community and selling quality cars.”
Not only do the owners of Big Three Auto value their strong family bond but they also value their customers as family. Without the consumer, there is no business. And since a large percentage of their business is through referrals, the satisfaction of every person who comes to buy a car is put first.
“I have had my car I bought from them for four years now,” said Christine Edwards. “When something goes wrong, they refer you to Big Red’s in Roseville, and they fix it under the warranty that I have with them. I had bad tires when I first purchased my car in 2011 Impala and they referred me to a place on Mt. Elliott and I was able to get new tires. Big Three Auto is like a family and they re- member their customers.”
“I had a pretty good experience with them,” said Aja Hawkins. “ My credit situation wasn’t the best at all and my husband had decent credit but he had no income. I don’t know how they did it but I only had to put down $500. They are for their people and they made a miracle happen for me.”
Big Three Auto also prides themselves in serving the community. The Miller family hails from Detroit and they have kept their car business in the same area of the city since its inception, even with the ever-changing climate in the neighborhood, with the declining of Eastland Mall. The car selling business has its ups and down, and Big Three Auto certainly has felt the blows. But their reputation in Detroit as a quality car dealership remains strong and they do not plan on that changing anytime soon.
“You don’t remain open for as many years as we have if people don’t swear by your product,” said Kevin Miller Sr. “Is this business, your name is everything. Being a black-owned business in this city is not easy, especially with the larger dealerships in the area. But we take pride in taking care or our people and our business is built on the amount people that return to do business with us.”
When Miller and his sons, Kevin Jr. and Rofeal, sat down at the kitchen table to discuss their business plan over 15 years ago, they started with just a few cars. Big Three Auto’s inventory is now well over 100 cars, in a variety of makes and models. The car business has been great for the Miller family.
“I wouldn’t want to be in business with anyone else,” said Rofeal Miller, who is the sales manager. “People think that you can’t go into business with your family but we have defied that. With my father and older brother, there is no shady business or backstabbing. We are dedicated to serving our community and selling quality cars.”
Not only do the owners of Big Three Auto value their strong family bond but they also value their customers as family. Without the consumer, there is no business. And since a large percentage of their business is through referrals, the satisfaction of every person who comes to buy a car is put first.
“I have had my car I bought from them for four years now,” said Christine Edwards. “When something goes wrong, they refer you to Big Red’s in Roseville, and they fix it under the warranty that I have with them. I had bad tires when I first purchased my car in 2011 Impala and they referred me to a place on Mt. Elliott and I was able to get new tires. Big Three Auto is like a family and they re- member their customers.”
“I had a pretty good experience with them,” said Aja Hawkins. “ My credit situation wasn’t the best at all and my husband had decent credit but he had no income. I don’t know how they did it but I only had to put down $500. They are for their people and they made a miracle happen for me.”
Big Three Auto also prides themselves in serving the community. The Miller family hails from Detroit and they have kept their car business in the same area of the city since its inception, even with the ever-changing climate in the neighborhood, with the declining of Eastland Mall. The car selling business has its ups and down, and Big Three Auto certainly has felt the blows. But their reputation in Detroit as a quality car dealership remains strong and they do not plan on that changing anytime soon.
“You don’t remain open for as many years as we have if people don’t swear by your product,” said Kevin Miller Sr. “Is this business, your name is everything. Being a black-owned business in this city is not easy, especially with the larger dealerships in the area. But we take pride in taking care or our people and our business is built on the amount people that return to do business with us.”
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