Nanaimo Chrysler is now under new ownership.
The dealership, located on Wellington Road, was purchased by a partnership group that includes Tony Harris, his wife Leslie, his brother Mike Harris, Jason Neal and Craig Sabourin.
Speaking to the News Bulletin, Tony Harris said the deal was done earlier in the year, but wasn’t finalized until Sept. 5.
“We made the deal back in the spring before dad [Tom Harris] died,” he said. “We were working on it actively and we finalized the transition on Sept. 5, which was dad’s birthday.”
Once known as Neal’s Nanaimo Chrysler, the dealership has been in operation since the 1970s and was run by Leslie, a member of the Neal family who works at the dealership as general sales manager.
Harris, whose family owns dealerships across the Island, said his family and the Neal family have a long tradition of selling vehicles in the region, making a partnership between the two a good fit.
“Both families have a lot of history in retailing and servicing automobiles to Islanders and we are both very proud of the customer service that we deliver and giving back to our communities, so our interests are aligned there,” he said.
Nanaimo Chrysler will not be rebranded, according to Harris.