Stellantis, Mazda and Ford dealerships acquired in 4 states

Tim Dahle buys two dealerships from brother

Tim Dahle, of his namesake Tim Dahle Auto Group, in May purchased two Mazda dealerships from his brother and a partner.

The Murray, Utah, auto group on May 9 purchased D. Dahle Mazda of Murray and Southtowne Mazda in Sandy, Utah, from Dahle/Meyer Imports.

Tim Dahle’s younger brother, Dennis Dahle, co-owns Dahle/Meyer Imports with business partner Rob Meyer. Dennis Dahle plans to retire, and Meyer has become a partner and co-owner of the two dealerships with Tim Dahle, according to the brothers.

The dealerships were renamed Tim Dahle Mazda Murray and Tim Dahle Mazda Southtowne. Murray and Sandy are both suburbs of Salt Lake City.

The Tim Dahle group now has seven franchised dealerships. The others are: Tim Dahle Nissan Murray, Tim Dahle Nissan Southtowne in South Jordan, Tim Dahle Nissan Bountiful in North Salt Lake City, Tim Dahle Infiniti in Murray and Tim Dahle Ford in East Spanish Fork, all in Utah. It also has a used-vehicle store.

All the stores are within an hour’s driving time of one another, Tim Dahle said.

He said that while he has no immediate plans to expand his holdings, he’s always looking.

Cline Dahle, father of Tim, Dennis and their sister, Cindy, started Cline’s Auto Sales in the late 1960s. Tim Dahle bought his father’s Nissan and Infiniti dealerships in 1989. Dennis Dahle bought the Mazda store in Murray from Cline in 1993 before selling it in 1999 and buying it back in 2002. He purchased the Southtowne location in 2014.

Dennis Dahle said he felt ready to retire from the business after 33 years.

“I wanted to keep it in the family,” he told Automotive News.

Tim’s sons, Steve and Marcus Dahle, along with relative Vic Ream started a sister company, Red Rock Auto Group, in 2016. Red Rock now has five dealerships in Grand Junction, Colo.

Fred Beans adds eighth Ford dealership

Fred Beans Automotive Group, of Doylestown, Pa., added an eighth Ford dealership to its portfolio last month, closing an acquisition effort that began nearly 50 years ago, according to the company’s vice president, Beth Beans Gilbert.

Smith Ford in Washington, N.J., acquired on June 15, was renamed Fred Beans Ford of Washington. Washington, N.J., is near the Pennsylvania state line.

Smith Motor Co.. which dates to 1925, was led by Jack Smith since 1965 until his death on March 17, 2022, according to his obituary. He was 84.

Gilbert told Automotive News that her father, Fred Beans, company founder and president, had reached out to Smith in 1975, wanting to buy his Smith Tractor & Equipment Co. Ultimately, Beans couldn’t find property in Doylestown then that met all requirements needed for the business. Years passed and the men kept in touch, meeting up for the occasional lunch.

Beans and Smith before his death this year arranged the dealership sale, according to Gilbert, though the tractor company stayed in the Smith family.

Beans said he appreciates the strong team Smith built alongside his family, including two grandsons who will remain in sales at the store.

“We inherited both good people and a solid foundation from the Smith family,” Beans said in a statement. “We will retain the same values that are rooted in every family-owned business as the store transitions to the Fred Beans name.”

Fred Beans Automotive has more than 20 dealerships selling 18 brands in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where it also has dealerships in Flemington.

The new store is less than a half-hour’s drive from the Flemington properties.

“It will be well supported there if customers need more than what just a single dealership can offer,” Gilbert said.