April 17, 2017

Meet Sydney Weiss of Mark Buys Damaged Cars in West Los Angeles

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydney Weiss.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Sydney. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Our founder Mark Weiss, my dad, grew up surrounded by cars. Going back generations to my great-grandfather, our family owned an auto salvage yard in Inglewood, California. As immigrants from Hungary, my great-grandparents made a life for themselves buying damaged cars and selling the used auto parts. It was a business passed down to my grandfather, and then to my dad.

In the late 1970’s, before my dad even joined the family business, he had his own auto detailing service, Perfect Touch. He has amazing stories about the cars he detailed. When he talks about that time in his life – he just lights up. Just ask him about the time he detailed Muhammad Ali’s sand beige Rolls Royce.

During the 2008 financial crisis, my dad made the tough decision to sell the family business. He came home, dusted himself off, kept his head up, and started a new business buying and selling damaged cars. That’s how Mark Buys Damaged Cars was born. We’re damaged car specialists with over 30 years of experience in the automotive industry assessing vehicles for recycling. We quickly provide our customers with a fair market estimate of what their vehicle is worth. From there, we arrange to dispose of the vehicle effortlessly and safely.

We’re going on almost our 10th year, and in that period our business has evolved. As the owner of a full-service company, one of my dad’s favorite things to do is find rare and vintage automobiles sitting in people’s garages. You know the vintage automobile your grandma has sitting in her garage for decades? That’s the kind of secret gem he loves to find. His love affair for classic cars came at age 19, when he and his father purchased a 1957 Porsche Speedster from a backyard in Colton, CA. He brought the car home, put it in the garage, took it apart piece by piece, catalogued each part and restored the car to concourse condition. It really warms his heart to give an old gem a new home where it will be honored, cared for, and appreciated. From that came Mark’s Garage Sale – and working with original owners to give their barn finds a new home gives him the same feeling he felt the day he found that ’57 speedster.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We know the impact vehicles and pollution have on our planet, and we’re passionate about righting the wrongs done to our environment and doing our part to reverse the effects of climate change.

As a family, we decided we needed to take our business to the next level. We are transforming our company into Angel Wheels USA, a full service eco-friendly company aimed at taking all polluting vehicles off the road, recycling them, and replacing these vehicles with clean energy alternatives.

Combining my legal background and passion for sustainability with my dad’s expertise in the auto recycling industry, we intend to be stewards of mother earth and innovators in how cars are repurposed and recycled. As the Director for Strategic Development and Sustainability Protocols, I assist in developing sustainability strategies with an emphasis on creating programming to repurpose polluting vehicles for recycling.

I am really passionate about this project and it’s a vision that I’m really excited to be part of. I want to be part of the movement that creates real change, and I am determined to focus my life’s work on transforming the climate crisis and developing sustainable solutions for now and the future. This is why I went to law school – and I’m excited to put my passion into practice with Angel Wheels, USA.

Please tell us about Mark Buys Damaged Cars.
Mark Buys Damaged Cars is a family run business, and as we transition into Angel Wheels USA our goal is to go national and international.

As a full-service company, we buy damaged and junk vehicles with an eco-friendly approach. This is really important to us, and we’ve made sure to only work with a network of top auto dismantlers who believe in protecting our Earth and environment just as much as we do. By choosing to work with us, you’re taking the first step in being green, reducing your carbon footprint, and disposing of your vehicle in the most eco-responsible way.

What really sets us apart is our mindset, which really plays into our business model. Just as his father and grandfather before him instilled, my dad’s old-fashioned values of trust, honor, and integrity are all part of his business ethic and commitment to you. You’re truly in good hands when you trust us with buying and recycling your vehicle.

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