Parker Automotive Inc., the longtime Coeur d'Alene-based concern that owns the Parker Toyota dealership there, has bought the Subaru dealership in Post Falls and has renamed it Parker Subaru.

The dealership, formerly Select Subaru, at 811 N. Greensferry, had been a subsidiary of Midway Automotive Group Inc., which until last week, had three separate dealerships clustered on or near Polston Avenue, north of Interstate 90 on the east end of Post Falls.

Parker Subaru has retained most of Select's 20 employees and is expanding its staff, says Jim Parker, president of Parker Automotive.

"We've brought five people on, and we intend to be at 30 employees in a week or two," he says. "We certainly hope to grow."

Joseph Arrotta, president of Midway Automotive, says the family-run company plans to concentrate on its Nissan dealership, at 1800 E. Polston, and its adjacent Chrysler-Jeep dealership at 550 N. Alberta, both also in Post Falls.

Arrotta says he decided to sell the Subaru dealership as part of a succession plan that eventually will put the Nissan and Chrysler-Jeep dealerships in the hands of his three sons.

"It's a lot easier to manage two dealerships than three," he says.

Arrotta declines to disclose the terms of the sale, but says it involved Select Subaru's franchise and assets, including its 2.7-acre sales lot and 15,000-square-foot showroom and shop building.

Midway Automotive bought the Subaru dealership in 2005. It opened its Nissan dealership in Post Falls in 2000 and the Chrysler-Jeep dealership there in 2002. Arrotta owned Spokane Valley-based Spokane Chrysler Inc. until selling it in 2003.

Arrotta says the Subaru dealership is performing well this year in terms of sales.

"Sales aren't too bad at all of the Midway dealerships this year," he adds. "I'm happy with the way it's going all the way around."

Arrotta says Parker expressed interest in the Subaru dealership during a casual conversation.

"One thing led to another, and we had a deal," he says.

Parker says Subaru's all-wheel-drive cars are popular in North Idaho.

"We've done well with used Subarus we've taken in on trade," he says.

Parker Subaru is the only Subaru dealership in North Idaho, and it will remain at its Post Falls location, he says.

"We like Post Falls," he says. "It's going to complement our position in Coeur d'Alene."

Parker's flagship franchise, the Toyota dealership, is located at the southwest corner of Kathleen Avenue and U.S. 95, in Coeur d'Alene. Parker's father, Doug, acquired that dealership in 1983 and moved it to its current location in 1991.

Parker Automotive also owns a Toyota dealership in Idaho Falls, Idaho.