South Paris, Maine Car Dealership Seized by Bank and Closed

A long-time car dealership in Maine has been closed and seized by the bank after the dealership owed them $4.5 million.

Oxford County Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM

Formerly known as Bessey Motor Sales and locally owned by Gene Benner, the dealership has been in South Paris since 1967 and was eventually sold to its current owner, John Emerson. The name was changed to Oxford County Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM in 2023.

Seized and Closed

According to WMTW News 8, Rockland Trust Company based in Rockland, Massachusettes, seized Oxford County Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM by a court order issued on April 3. The dealership owners are in debt to Rockland Trust Company for $4,462,621.27. The value of the inventory on the lot is only $946,945. The math is not in their favor.

40 Employees Currently Out of Work

This is the part that sucks. Oxford County Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM has 40 employees between sales, service, parts, and the body shop. They are currently out of work until this problem can be solved if it can be at all.

On top of that, vehicles that were in the shop for repairs or service are still there and locked behind doors. Imagine not being able to get your car out of the shop because the business has been seized and no one is on the property to help.

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My opinion, which I think is the same as most of the people reading this, is that these owners have let down their customers with their poor management. Putting people out of work and having cars on the property that can't be retrieved is just bad business.

My hope is that this gets resolved quickly, somehow. The good people who work hard need to get back to work and the people with their vehicles need them back, pronto.