Barrington Volvo sold to McGrath Automotive Group

The Barrington Volvo dealership owned by the Mausser family was sold Monday to the McGrath Automotive Group, according to village officials.

Peggy Blanchard, the village's economic development director. said during the village board meeting Monday night that the two sides closed on the sale earlier in the day and the dealership will now be called McGrath Volvo Cars of Barrington.

Residents could start seeing changes at the dealership, which is located near the village's downtown at 300 N. Hough St., as soon as this week.

Village Manager Jeff Lawler said when he spoke with representatives from McGrath last week, they were eager to be getting started in the Barrington community.

"They'll be bringing by the end of the week around 100 new cars into the facility," Lawler said. "They're jumping right into that and not wasting any time at all."

Lawler said losing a car dealership would have been bad for the village beyond inconveniencing Volvo owners in the Barrington area who'd have had to drive further to get their cars serviced.

"Obviously there's an economic benefit to the community having a car dealership around," Lawler said. "That they purchased it and are going to remain here is very positive."

The McGrath Automotive Group has been selling cars in the Chicago area for over 52 years, and they currently sell more than 16,000 cars a year, according to Blanchard. Other McGrath locations sell Honda, Acura, Audi, Lexus, Hyundai and Nissan vehicles.

Blanchard said despite the sale, the dealership will be open Tuesday.