Galloway Man Wins $1 Car Contest

Joe Cordero probably spent more traveling to Toms River than he did on his new car. The Galloway man was one of three winners who got to buy a vehicle for $1 in Saturday's contest at Toms River Volkswagen.

Each participant chose and sat in a vehicle, hoping owner Tom McMenamin would cut the price to $1. Cordero stood by a 2018 Mitsubishi Mirage, priced at $15,042. When McMenamin delivered the good news, Cordero was shocked.

"This means so much to me," Cordero said as he hugged McMenamin. "Thank you so much."

The $1 winners were charged sales tax on the $1 sale price — McMenamin said the sales tax is required under state law — and the fee to register the car with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, officials with the dealership said.

The original plan was to slash prices only on the used cars, and many of the prices were cut in half. A handful of older models were offered at prices below $1,000, and snapped up by people looking for first cars for young drivers. But so many people showed up for the promotion — more than 300 people strolled the lot, and salesmen were busy with three and four customers at time — that McMenamin offered deals on new vehicles as well.

If you missed the Facebook Live broadcast, you can watch below. The first two $1 cars are within the first 10 minutes, and the third is in the second portion of the video.

With reporting from Karen Wall/Patch