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Longtime Ford Store Changes Hands

The Virginia dealership joins a small area automotive group in a one-dealership transaction, moving from one family franchisee to another.

August 14, 2026
Six men standing in front of a Ford dealership.

From left to right, Will Mann and Jimmy Robinson of Performance Brokerage Services; buyer Eric Obaugh of Charlie Obaugh Auto Group; Weldon Mann of Performance Brokerage Services; seller Matt McMurray; and James Overstreet of Klosinski Overstreet

Credit:

Performance Brokerage Services

1 min to read


One of the oldest U.S. automotive dealerships has a new owner after its last principal decided to bow out of the new-car sales business.

Founded in 1919 in Waynesboro, Campus Ford in the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia, sold to Charlie Obaugh Auto Group, which is based in the same region.

Seller Matt McMurray had owned the store for four years and still operates an independent auto repair center with used-car sales, said Performance Brokerage Services, which represented Obaugh principal Eric Obaugh in the transaction.

The franchise is the Obaugh group’s first Ford dealership and gives it an even half-dozen stores across several U.S. and Asian brands each. It also operates a recreational vehicle dealership.

Obaugh’s father, Charlie, started the business in 1976 with a Pontiac Buick GMC dealership, and Eric Obaugh joined in 1985.

“Waynesboro is right in our backyard, and adding Ford to our lineup alongside our Chevrolet, GMC, Kia, and Mitsubishi stores in Staunton is a natural next step for our family,” Obaugh said.

The new owner of Campus Ford renamed it to reflect the Obaugh group brand. 

LEARN MORE: Auto Retail Families Get Out While the Getting's Good

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