It is part of a car collection he will now have plenty of time to work on following his final exit through the dealership doors on Wednesday afternoon after 28 years.

The Armidale Automotive Group has bought his business along with the Hardman Nissan dealership.

Mr McCarroll moved to Armidale from Mudgee with his parents in 1993 to buy the Ford business.

The plan was to stay a couple of years and then move on and buy a bigger dealership, but that didn't eventuate, and Mr McCarroll took over the business from his parents. Then when he married, his wife Linda joined him, and the couple worked side by side.

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"It is such a good spot, and we really liked it here," Mr McCarroll said.

"We weren't on the market, but we were approached to sell six months ago, and my wife was ready to retire. We talked about it, and the kids weren't interested in the business, so we agreed to sell.

"In some ways, I regret making the decision. It's really hard to walk away from because I've actually loved what I've done, so it's never been a problem to come to work for me."

Mr McCarroll has known the incoming dealership principal Michael Adams for 35 years. The stable and affluent Armidale market has the same appeal now to this ex Holden man as it did to the McCarroll family in 1993.

Mr Adams owned the Holden Dubbo dealership for 20 years until General Motors retired the Holden brand in Australia and New Zealand.

After making the decision to close his business and payout staff, he went on the hunt for another business. Together with his business partners Michael Pentecost and Michael Shields, Mr Adams decided on Armidale. They registered the Armidale Automotive Group Pty Ltd in August 2021.

"It seems to be a robust town," Mr Adams said.

"It's got a solid employment base, and it's quite a buoyant area, which is always good for business.

"And after 20 years in Dubbo, I'm looking forward to some hills and green trees. I've been coming up a fair bit during the negotiation, and it has a lovely feel to it."

Mr Adams will retain all current staff at both dealerships, and he is also looking to employ more.

"We're short a couple of people," he said.

"We will have the two dealerships over four sites, and I'm very aware of making sure that we are delivering the best quality service we can and giving great deals. So we'll be working hard to make sure that people's experiences are good."

Keeping customers happy is tough these days as a combination of COVID-19 and a silicon chip shortage has crippled the car manufacturing supply chain causing delivery delays and skyrocketing spare parts and used car prices.

"The market is short," Mr Adams agrees.

"And demand has increased because nobody has gone anywhere for a couple of years, so instead of taking a holiday, they are buying a new vehicle - cars are going off."

Mr McCarroll said it is hard to tell customers when their new car will arrive confidently.

"In a lot of cases, the factories aren't even sure themselves," he said.

"They'll tell you it's not going in production yet, and then the next week, they'll tell you it's coming off the line and being delivered."

But while both new and used cars are in short supply and expensive, the value of trade-ins has also increased, Mr McCarroll said.

"18 months ago, your trade-in would be worth four or five thousand less than it is today, so in many cases, you can now afford to buy a new car," he said.

And while he has many things on his to-do list ( travel, gardening, aviation and being a granddad for the first time), Mr McCarroll will miss his customers and the camaraderie of the business.

"We've always had a good relationship with most of our customers, and a couple of them we've sold about 80 cars to over the years," Mr McCarroll said.

"In some cases, I've sold cars to the parents when we first came to town, and then to their kids once they got their driving license, and then to their grandkids.

"I enjoy talking to people and getting to know people, and I guess I've never seen myself as a salesperson, just a sort of a guiding process for people -and I've loved that.

"I will miss it.

"And the wheeling and dealing and all that stuff too."

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