"Not to sound stereotypical, but typical car dealerships and sales people are about what's in it for them and not what's in it for the members. We had two other dealerships we tried to develop relationships with, and it was a nightmare."

Enterprise staff members come to Philadelphia FCU branches throughout the year to talk with employees about different programs they offer. The credit union also sends a loan processor to work out of the Enterprise office.

"It's a win-win situation, which doesn't happen very often," Ippoliti said.

Dick Elias, vice president of Enterprise Car Sales in Philadelphia, said that 18 years ago when they first started, one of the company's business objectives was to be linked to credit unions and that the company has not wavered from that original business plan.

"Our approach has always been that there's real synergy between us and credit unions, and we continue to develop that relationship. A core element of our business is relationships with credit unions," Elias said.

The credit union works with members two weeks before the annual car sale event to find out what types of cars they are seeking. Enterprise then makes sure that they have cars meeting those specifications at the sale event.

"When working with other companies, we look to see if they're going to serve our members and they're going to sell products that they stand behind," Ippoliti said.

Ippoliti said that they try to preapprove members, but, for those who don't get preapproval, they have a tent set up with televisions for children to sit and watch and Enterprise also provides food.

"No matter what the economy you're in, the product has to be a quality product," Elias said. "We have a commitment to provide a quality vehicle at a good price and in any economy that's going to service members in the best way."

There are certain things that Enterprise has been working on specifically because of the current economy though. Elias said that Enterprise is focusing on getting members fuel efficient cars and pulling as many of these cars as possible from inventory.

Enterprise also documents its customer-service performance through its service quality index program. The program surveys customers and has them rate how satisfied they were with their purchase. In Philadelphia, 91% of customers have reported that they are completely satisfied, but that alone is not enough, Elias said.

"It's one thing for a member to say they're completely satisfied, but farther down we have a question asking whether or not they are likely to come back to purchase again, and that shows the quality of the services."

Ippoliti said that members are not the only ones that have taken advantage of the credit union's partnership with Enterprise; quite a few employees have purchased a car with Enterprise as well and have given very positive feedback. One of the services that Enterprise offers that Ippoliti said members love is that they have a seven-day buy back guarantee. Recently, Ippoliti said an employee purchased a car through Enterprise and then exchanged it for a different car within the seven-day repurchase period.

Looking ahead, Elias said that Enterprise is looking to be innovative and continue its relationship with Philadelphia FCU and other credit unions.

"Credit unions are a good fit for the way we want to run our referrals, and it has worked very well for us."

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