Capitol Auto Group buys Salem’s Nissan franchise after fire destroys old dealership

Capitol Auto Group is adding a Nissan franchise to its vehicle offerings, a major expansion for the company that’s been a fixture in the Salem community for nearly a century.

The car dealer bought the Nissan franchise from its previous owner in July, after a fire destroyed the former Nissan dealership on Northeast Market Street in January. The franchise gives Capitol Auto the right to sell Nissan vehicles in Salem.

The new Capitol Nissan will open Thursday in the former home of Capitol Subaru, 3235 Cherry Ave. N.E.

“It’s going to add a lot of fun things to our portfolio,” said Jeff Shutt, general sales manager for Capitol Auto Group.

He cited Nissan’s affordability, with multiple cars under $20,000, as well as the “great selection of electric vehicles,” a growth area for the industry.

Alex Casebeer will be the dealer at the new franchise, and his brother Matthew Casebeer will be general manager. Capitol Auto has been owned by the Casebeer family for four generations.

Capitol Auto also owns Toyota, Subaru, Chevrolet and Cadillac franchises. The company last added a new franchise when it acquired Subaru decades ago.

“This is a nice new addition to us,” said marketing director Carrie Casebeer. She said the company will hold a grand opening in the fall.

Capitol Auto is hiring 15 to 25 employees for the Nissan dealership, including technicians and sales. The company employs about 440 people in Salem.

The company bought Salem’s Nissan franchise from previous owner Tim Moody. Moody’s company, Salem N RE LLC, owns the 2908 Market St. N.E. lot where the former Nissan dealership was located.

Carrie Casebeer said they were discussing a sale before the fire in January.

“He really wanted to sell it after the fire,” she said.

She declined to say how much Capitol Auto paid for the franchise.

The cause of the fire was ultimately undetermined, said Brian Carrara, deputy chief of administrative services for the Salem Fire Department.

The Market Street property is for sale after the fire-damaged building was demolished. It’s zoned for mixed use, which means it could become anything from a gas station or fast food restaurant to an apartment building or retail. 

“You name it, you can probably do it in some fashion on that property,” said Jordan Truitt, the broker for the property sale.

Correction: This article originally misspelled Carrie Casebeer’s first name and Jeff Shutt’s last name. Salem Reporter apologizes for the error.

Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.

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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.