From One Struggling Dealership to Another

In metro Dallas, Charlie Nixon, former general manager of struggling Prestige Ford, has bought struggling Bankston Dodge.

But Nixon thinks he'll turn the former AutoNation dealership around in four years or less. He consolidate Bankston with the closed Manuel Chrysler-Jeep in Lancaster, renaming the new venture Lone Star Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge.

“I made the right move,” Nixon tells the Dallas Morning News.

Nixon, who is half Hispanic, says he will reach out to Hispanic buyers.

“They are solid, they are loyal, they are hard-working, and if you treat them right, they will refer relatives, neighbors and friends to you,” he says. “We saw that at Prestige.”

Lone Star, with 53 employees, sold 70 new and used vehicles in February, up from 54 in January and 46 in December. Nixon thinks the dealership should be able to sell 200-250 units a month.