Stewart Subaru owner to lease Del Harris lot

The closure of Del Harris Motors has created a new business opportunity for another Yakima car dealer.

Frank Stewart, owner of the Stewart Subaru dealership, will lease the property at 1602 Fruitvale Blvd. to open Buy Here Pay Here, a new business that will sell the trade-ins from the Subaru dealership, which is at Fifth Avenue and Fruitvale Boulevard.

At the new dealership, which is scheduled to open Jan. 1, all purchases will be financed in-house instead of through a financial institution, Stewart said. This allows the dealership to sell to those who may not have flawless credit histories.

"The people with less-than-perfect credit still have to buy cars somewhere," he said.

Del Harris Motors closed Saturday after 26 years at the same location, citing a dramatic drop in sales. Rising gas prices and the credit crunch afterward caused sales so far this year to drop 80 percent from the same period last year.

Owner Mike Harris is now working for his cousin at Bill Harris Used Cars in Selah. But he's holding on to the Del Harris Motors property.

And it's easy to see why -- Harris was considering leasing offers from three different car dealers, including Stewart.

"I'm on one of the best lots around," he said.

* Mai Hoang can be reached at 577-7685 or mhoang@yakimaherald.com.