by Ralph Nichols
After more than two months of anticipation, of driving past Burien Nissan at Five Corners and looking for new cars on display there once again, the news this week is disappointing.
Burien Nissan will not reopen after all – at least not anytime soon. The return of the auto dealership with a new owner – Car Pros – had been expected earlier to take place in mid-September.
“We were excited” about reopening Burien Nissan, Ken Phillips, president of Car Pros, told The B-Town Blog recently. “We had everything in line. Our financing package was all done. But the sellers couldn’t provide quick title to the property and we couldn’t close in time.”
He said the problem involved only closing the proposed sale and “had absolutely nothing to do with the national economy.
“If circumstances change, we would be available to relook at the whole process,” Phillips added. “We lived for 30 years in Normandy Park. All our friends are right there. That’s our home. We know a lot of people there.”
The previous dealership owner, Rainier Automotive Group, saw the entire inventory reclaimed by Nissan in a 24-hour period in March after losing its financing. The business closed its doors less than two months later, reportedly when new financing couldn’t be arranged.
Car Pros owns Kia and Suzuki dealerships in Tacoma and a Hyundai dealership in Seattle, and dealerships in Carson, Calif. Phillips said they had planned to sell Nissan models exclusively at Burien Nissan.
The return of Burien Nissan at 16042 First Avenue South, which closed for business in May, is anticipated in mid-September.
“We understand it’s going to be a Nissan agency, just like it was before,” Dick Loman, economic development manager for the City of Burien, said Wednesday (Sept. 2nd). “We don’t know when they will open, but anticipate it will be soon. We probably will know more by the end of the long weekend.”
Other sources indicated that the dealership will open its doors again in mid-month.
A job ad posted August 31 on Craigslist (see our previous breaking coverage here) solicited applications for all positions at Nissan dealerships “gearing up for mid-September opening.” The ad described the owner of these dealerships as “an award winning Puget Sound Automotive Dealer Group.” Applications could be emailed to Car Pros, and a job posting on the “CarProsJobs.com” website lists Burien as one of the locations hiring.
Car Pros owns Kia and Suzuki dealerships in Tacoma and a Hyundai dealership in Seattle, along with a dealership in Carson, CA. Bradley Wolf was listed in the ad as a Tacoma contact for Car Pros. Attempts by B-Town Blog to contact Wolf on Wednesday were not successful.
Weeds are growing like weeds at the empty Burien Nissan lot, which may be re-opening under new ownership soon.
Burien Nissan, which previously was owned by Rainier Automotive Group, lost its “flooring” (aka financing) and saw the entire inventory reclaimed by Nissan in a 24-hour period in March. The business closed its doors less than two months later, reportedly when new financing couldn’t be arranged.
Loman, however, said his office doesn’t know the “relationship between Car Pros and Nissan, if there is any.” But, he added, Burien Nissan seems to be preparing to interview and hire staff, and “that’s very good news for us, obviously.”
“It will be good to have another new car dealer in town selling automobiles. Not only will it create jobs that we lost (when Nissan closed in March) but sales tax income will be coming back to the city again. So we’re very pleased at what we hear.”
Loman noted the site – which had a $5 million remodel not long before the closure – is already set up for an automotive dealership, signage already is in place, and it’s unlikely that the dealership will need any new permits from the city.
- BREAKING: Might Burien Nissan Be Re-Opening Soon?
- BREAKING NEWS: Burien Nissan Is Now Officially Closed
- Burien Nissan Expecting New Financing In “A Few Weeks”
- UPDATE: More Information On Burien Nissan’s Inventory
- Burien Nissan Loses Entire Stock, Now An Empty Lot
We got an email tip from BTB Reader Jennifer about a Job Ad posted Monday (Aug. 31st) on Craigslist that implies that the closed/empty Burien Nissan may be re-opening in mid-September under new management from CarPros, which appears to own several dealerships in Tacoma, Seattle and Carson, CA.
Here’s the Ad:
Re-Opening Auburn & Burien Nissan (Auburn & Burien)
Date: 2009-08-31, 3:07PM PDT
Reply to: jobs@carpros.com
Automotive Parts or Service experience? Opportunity knocks!!!Nissan Dealerships are gearing up for mid September opening, we are seeking qualified applicants for all Dealership positions.Bring your Parts or Service experience and join an award winning Puget Sound Automotive Dealer Group.
We set the standard for professionally managed Parts & Service, our environment encourages personal and professional growth and includes rewarding pay plans with superior benefits.E mail jobs@carpros.com
Fax (563) 405-8144, experienced professionals feel free to direct dial Bradley Wolf @ (253) 222-4836Applicants must be 18 years of age, possess a valid drivers license and be drug free. Car Pros is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Burien Nissan (their former website is still down and no new one could be found), located in a shiny lot at 16042 First Ave South, closed for business in May under ownership of the Rainier Automotive Group, which lost “flooring” (aka financing) and had their entire inventory reclaimed by Nissan in a 24-hour period in March.
Since then, the lot has stood empty, like a recently-remodeled $5 million, modern ghost town car lot in Burien.
We’re investigating this developing story further, and will have more in-depth coverage soon, so be sure to check back often, or subscribe to our free RSS Feed or receive updates via email.
- BREAKING NEWS: Burien Nissan Is Now Officially Closed
- Burien Nissan Expecting New Financing In “A Few Weeks”
- UPDATE: More Information On Burien Nissan’s Inventory
- Burien Nissan Loses Entire Stock, Now An Empty Lot
UPDATE 9/1/09: An email tip leads us to believe that Burien Nissan will be re-opening in mid-September – read the latest here.
Story by Janet Grella
Photos by Michael Brunk
UPDATE 8pm 5/12/09: According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, a company called MD Johnson is advising Burien Nissan’s owner, Rainier Automotive, on the sale of this as well as the Auburn Nissan dealership.
PREVIOUSLY: It’s official – Burien Nissan is now closed.
When we attempted to reach John Antonelli, Sales Manager, he actually hung up on us!
That’s right – rather than talk with us about what’s going on, he hung up the phone. The last time we spoke with Mr. Antonelli (March 30th), he claimed “It’s still business as usual. Should have some good news on financing in a few weeks…”
We then called the dealership’s number and received the following recorded message – listen closely as the woman’s voice cracks on the last sentence (“…and wish you all well.”):
[display_podcast]
“Thank you for calling Burien Nissan. At this time our dealership is closed. We have enjoyed being a part of your lives and a part of the Burien community. We appreciate your business over the years and wish you all well.”
According to manta.com, Burien Nissan employed 40 people and had estimated sales of $14.3 million in 2008.
Burien Nissan was part of the Rainier Automotive Group that included Auburn Nissan, along with Eastide Subaru and Eastside Hyandai, both in Kirkland.
At Auburn Nissan the phone rang so long it went to busy (they are closed for business also). At Eastside Subaru we were told that “parts and service are still open and we’re going through a change of ownership and should be open for sales in the next couple of weeks.”
At Eastside Hyandai we got only a voicemail box.
Here’s a photo slideshow of what Burien Nissan looks like now, shot Tuesday afternoon by Photographer Michael Brunk, who says that while he was there, a locksmith was changing the locks on the doors:
All the associated websites are still functioning, with no mention of any closings, as if it’s “business as usual,” when in reality, it’s not.
Previously, we broke the news that Burien Nissan lost its entire inventory when their “flooring” fell through and the financing company basically repossessed their entire car lot over a 24-hour period around March 13th.
No word yet on what will become of this business, nor of the large lot it sits on.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- Burien Nissan Expecting New Financing In “A Few Weeks”
- UPDATE: More Information On Burien Nissan’s Inventory
- Burien Nissan Loses Entire Stock, Now An Empty Lot
UPDATE 9/1/09: An email tip leads us to believe that Burien Nissan will be re-opening in mid-September – read the latest here.
As of Monday, March 30th, Burien Nissan’s lot remains empty of any new car inventory, and according to Sales Manager John Antonelli:
“It’s still business as usual. Should have some good news on financing in a few weeks…”
As we first reported March 13th, the longtime Burien auto dealer’s inventory was carted up around March 11th when several auto carrier trucks came in and hauled away around 100 new Nissan vehicles. Apparently their “flooring” (financing) fell through with the finance arm of Nissan.
This dealership, which recently underwent a $5 million remodeling, is owned by Rainier Automotive Group. Rainier also owns Auburn Nissan, which sits in a similar state. Their websites (Burien Nissan, Auburn Nissan) make no reference to any problems, but at this lot they laid off 30 employees and they still have no cars to sell.
However, if you’re a customer, you should know that Burien Nissan is still open for both Parts and Service Monday through Friday, from 7:30am to 6pm.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- UPDATE: More Information On Burien Nissan’s Inventory
- Burien Nissan Loses Entire Stock, Now An Empty Lot
UPDATE 9/1/09: An email tip leads us to believe that Burien Nissan will be re-opening in mid-September – read the latest here.
As we first reported last Friday (March 13th), longtime auto dealer Burien Nissan had its entire lot of new cars (around 100) hauled away within the span of two days.
It may appear that the dealership has, or is, going out of business – but it’s not, according to Sales Manager John Antonelli:
“There are 1,900 Nissan Dealerships in the United States. 900 of them are in the same situation that Burien Nissan is in.
There are also around four other Nissan Dealerships in the State of Washington in the same situation.
Any Nissan Dealership that has a dual franchise like a Ford,Chevy,Dodge ect and that is Floored and collateralised with NMAC. NMAC will pull your flooring and make you find a New flooring bank for all of your New and Used Cars that are 2004 or newer without enough ample time to do so.
We are open for business as usual for Sales,Parts, and Service.
This could take days or even weeks to get a new flooring bank.
We would like to say thank you very much to our customers and the businesses in our surrounding area for all your support and phone calls.
This means alot to us that we have a great community that really cares about Burien Nissan and our employees.”
We will continue to follow this story as it develops, and will bring you more updates as they happen.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
UPDATE 9/1/09: An email tip leads us to believe that Burien Nissan will be re-opening in mid-September – read the latest here.
Story and Photos by Janet Grella
BREAKING NEWS: Burien Nissan, located at the Five Corners intersection of First Ave South and SW 160th, has lost its entire stock of cars and is now basically an empty lot.
Since Wednesday, numerous auto carrier trucks have been hauling vehicles away from the lot, with a total of 100 new cars removed, which we estimate to be between $2 and $3 million in inventory.
But, according to Sales Manager John Antonelli, “it’s business as usual – we’re still open for business in service, parts and sales. When we get our new financing we’ll re-open in a couple of weeks.”
The hauled-away Nissan cars are apparently being taken to a nearby port, and will be auctioned off in the near future.
Antonelli says that new inventory will likely return in a few weeks, and that Burien Nissan is in the middle of a “financial restructuring.”
Twenty-seven employees have been laid off, with just eight remaining on staff.
Burien auto dealers account for a significant portion of tax revenue for Burien, and Dick Loman, Economic Development Director for the city, said “This sorry economic downturn is just hurting everybody.”
Original owner’s son David Gjersee sits at his desk Friday in-between phone calls with potential buyers. Gjersee’s Father started Burien Datsun on this location in 1969, and he now serves as a Sales Professional. This business is one of the oldest Nissan dealerships in the US.
Gjersee also said it was “business as usual” even though he had no cars to sell.
This Reporter walked on to the empty lot late Friday morning and noticed that while there were no new Nissans on the lot, there were still a few cars present, which were most likely employee vehicles; however, the service department was busy.
As a longtime Burien resident, I found it shocking to see, especially after their $5 million remodel a year and a half ago.
This story is still developing, and we’ll post updates as we get them.
