Car Pros Burien Nissan (BTB Advertiser) has teamed up with the Highline Medical Center Foundation to help raise money – with every new car purchase made by Highline staff, volunteers and/or donors, Burien Nissan will donate $200 to the Foundation’s goal of $50,000.

Here’s more from a press release:

In addition, individuals will qualify for fleet pricing, which is not available to the public. This pricing is generally thousands off the manufacturer’s suggested retail price depending on the vehicle.

Highline Medical Center Foundation and Car Pros Nissan have a goal to reach the $50,000 by August of 2012. The campaign started Monday, Aug. 22nd with fleet pricing available immediately to all Highline staff, medical staff, volunteers and/or donors. Car Pros Nissan has a huge inventory of new, used and certified pre-owned vehicles to choose from. Fleet pricing will allow a stream-lined, reduced price, direct buying experience for those who are eligible and participate.

If you would like to take advantage of this fabulous fund raising opportunity, please call Matt Summers, Fleet/Internal Manager for Car Pros Nissan – Reference #081910 – at (206) 245-1075 or email him at matts@carpros.com.

Or if you would like to donate to Highline Medical Center Foundation, please log on to www.SupportHighline.org.

The lot has essentially sat vacant since spring of 2009, so this is evidence that new owner Car Pros is making progress (read our most recent coverage here):

Look closely and you can see new cars parked in the Burien Nissan lot, which has sat empty since spring of 2009.

Photographer Michael Brunk stopped by Burien Nissan on Monday and shot a few additional photos. Besides cars on the lot there are definite signs of activity in the showroom as well. We’ll update you with more details as they become available.

Business on Burien’s auto row along 1st Ave. S. is about to get busier again. And this new commercial activity should give the city a welcome economic boost. Burien Nissan, which has been closed since spring 2009, will reopen with a new owner next month.

“I hope before mid-August,” Ken Phillips, president of Tacoma-based Car Pros Automotive Group, told the B-Town Blog on July 26.

The dealership will offer a full line of new Nissan models, exclusively, and will also sell used cars and have parts and service departments.

“We’re working very hard to try to get this done,” Phillips said. “We’re excited to get in. This is our home. We’re happy to be here.”

Car Pros wanted to assume ownership last year, but was unable to proceed because of unresolved issues beyond its control with the dealership property on 1st Ave. S. just south of S. 160th St.

After those issues were resolved, Car Pros was contacted by Nissan “about six weeks to two months ago,” Phillips said. “They were about ready to do something here and wanted to know, were we still interested? And we told them, of course we are.”

For Phillips, taking ownership of Burien Nissan is something of a homecoming. “My kids grew up here,” he said. “We had the same house in Normandy Park for 30 years. Both my kids graduated from Mt. Rainier High School. And I had my cancer surgery at Highline Medical Center. (He is now cancer free.) This is like home for us.”

Car Pros owns several Puget Sound-area auto dealerships and another in Carson, Calif., selling Hundai, Kia, Suzuki, Chrysler and Jeep models.

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.