NEW YORK, Sept. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Demand for auto dealerships is at an all-time high, especially in key sunbelt markets. But the best stores often aren’t for sale, making it difficult for buyers to find the right dealerships with the right attributes in the right markets.
Dave Cantin Group (DCG), a leading automotive retail M&A advisory firm, is increasingly helping clients turn their strategic wish lists into successful acquisitions, identifying dealerships that fit buyer priorities, approaching owners and creating opportunities to acquire them.
Recently, DCG has helped clients acquire off-market dealerships in Florida, North Carolina and Texas.
Recent DCG buy-side transactions include:
- Diamond Honda's acquisition of Paul Murrey Ford in Kaufman, Texas. Cole Tachdjian, who owns Diamond Honda in City of Industry, California, was looking for a domestic dealership near his Texas ranch. He asked DCG for help. DCG’s team assessed the market, found the target, approached the owners on Tachdjian’s behalf, and orchestrated talks that led to the acquisition of the 74-year-old family-owned dealership, all before it was listed for sale.
- Ourisman Cars’ acquisition of Toyota of Roanoke Rapids in North Carolina. Ourisman had identified Toyota as a priority brand and was looking for opportunities to expand south from its existing footprint in the Mid-Atlantic states. DCG identified Toyota of Roanoke Rapids, a dealership that was not for sale, as a strong fit based on Ourisman’s criteria. The acquisition expanded Ourisman into the sought-after state of North Carolina and added its second Toyota franchise.
- ZT Automotive’s acquisition of four Maus Family Automotive dealerships in the Tampa Bay area. ZT was seeking a high-performing platform in a Florida metro market that would provide strong cash-on-cash returns. The acquisition added Maus Acura of North Tampa, Maus Nissan of North Tampa, Maus Nissan of New Port Richey and Maus Nissan of Brooksville as part of ZT’s national growth strategy. The transaction expanded ZT, owned by the Badar Family Office, to 16 rooftops across Texas, Florida, Georgia and Alabama. DCG served as ZT’s buy-side advisor.
- Lithia & Driveway’s acquisition of West Palm Beach Hyundai, Napleton’s Palm Beach Acura and Genesis of West Palm Beach. The acquisition added three stores to Lithia’s Florida operations, increasing the density and brand diversity of its Southeast platform. Lithia President and CEO Bryan DeBoer has credited DCG’s understanding of Lithia’s business objectives with helping the company strategically and proactively target acquisition opportunities.
“There’s no shortage of buyers looking for the right dealerships,” Dave Cantin Group President Brian Gordon said. “The harder part is having access to the quantitative data required to find the stores that actually fit, and having the qualitative data to understand which dealership owners could be sellers. Our investment in data and a centralized business model is what separates DCG from competitors.”
DCG’s buy-side strategy starts with the buyer's acquisition criteria, not a list of dealerships already for sale.
The firm works with clients to define the attributes of an ideal acquisition, including brand, geography, revenue, market characteristics, operational opportunities and broader business objectives. DCG then uses its national relationships and proprietary market intelligence, including JumpIQ, its AI-enabled dealership intelligence platform, to identify dealerships that fit those criteria, and which owners have the attributes that make them a viable target.
That can mean identifying a dealership the buyer did not know was a potential target, determining whether an off-market owner might be open to a transaction, and using DCG’s relationships to start a conversation around a store that otherwise might never reach the market.
Ourisman Cars’ acquisition of Toyota of Roanoke Rapids illustrates how DCG’s process can work. DCG had worked closely with Ourisman to understand its existing portfolio and help shape their growth plans. Toyota was a priority brand, and North Carolina offered an opportunity to expand south from the company's existing footprint.
Toyota of Roanoke Rapids was not for sale.
DCG Managing Director Stephen Jones tapped into a DCG colleague’s longstanding relationship with a Toyota dealership owner, whose store sat apart from the rest of the owner’s portfolio. Working together, the DCG team profiled the store and competitive dynamics of that market, and approached the owner.
The resulting acquisition expanded Ourisman into North Carolina, its fourth state, and added its second Toyota franchise.
“Our acquisition of Toyota of Roanoke Rapids checked all the boxes for us,” Ourisman Cars President and CEO Robert Ourisman Jr. said. “Toyota is one of the premier franchises in the industry, North Carolina is a great automotive market, and this dealership gives us an opportunity to grow in a market that makes sense for our business. It was a very logical addition to our portfolio.”
“We had spent a lot of time understanding Robert’s existing portfolio and where he wanted to go,” DCG’s Jones said. “Our relationships across the industry and collaboration across the DCG team allowed us to identify an off-market acquisition that made sense for both sides.”
“Buy-side is strategic and intentional. Data helps us know where to look. Our collective company relationships help us open the right doors,” Gordon said. “This is what strong buy-side advisory should do; help clients identify what their businesses need next, then we go out and find it. We don't wait for the right dealership to come to market. We go out and make it happen.”
About Dave Cantin Group
Dave Cantin Group is a leading automotive M&A advisory firm specializing in acquisitions, divestitures, platform management, business evaluations, and other corporate development services. The new retail reality requires automotive dealers to seek DCG’s collective best thinking, deep experience and extensive industry relationships to effectively leverage M&A as a core business strategy. Clients choose DCG because the firm is a trusted advisor focusing on long-term relationships, investing in data and research, and engaging its entire team on every client project. Clients benefit from DCG’s industry-leading market intelligence – its Market Outlook Report – and JumpIQ, DCG’s proprietary AI-enabled platform delivering unprecedented visibility into automotive retail. The firm’s nonprofit initiative, DCG Giving, funds child and adolescent cancer research and treatment across the United States and supports other charitable causes important to the automotive retail community. To learn more, visit davecantingroup.com.
Media Contact:
Katie Merx
Dave Cantin Group
katiemerx@gmail.com
+1 313.510.5090
