New owners take over Rehoboth Beach Motor Cars

After more than 50 years of carrying the Slaughter name, the car dealership off Route 1 across from Rehoboth Elementary School is under a new name and new ownership.

Christened Rehoboth Beach Motor Cars, the husband-and-wife team of Matt and Rana Salem will now run the dealership. Former owner Mark Slaughter, who is retiring, is helping the Salems with the transition and gave his blessing to the new owners.

“My wife and I are very excited about Matt and Rana carrying on our business practices in such a professional manner. Rana and Matt have the experience and dedication to their business that will bring a no-nonsense approach to buying, selling and service that will deliver the best transaction experience possible,” Slaughter said.

The Salems have more than 25 years of combined sales experience and have been married partners in business for 10 years.

“I had a passion for cars from the very beginning,” Matt said. He started selling cars at a gas station but always wanted to have his own lot.

Rana cut her teeth in the car business working in sales and customer service at a dealership. The couple combined their experience in their own dealership in Salisbury, Md. at Delmarva Imports Outlet.

“We’ve always been committed to the fact that customer service is always top priority. So, we want to give everybody the best customer satisfaction, along with driving off in the best car that they want to be driving off in,” Rana said.

The selection will include high-end style cars, similar to what the Slaughters sold, cars from Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Corvettes, Cadillacs and convertibles. Those looking for lower-priced cars, such as Hondas and Toyotas, will still be in luck.

“We are willing to cater to the need of the customer,” Matt said. “Whether they want a $100,000 car or a $10,000 car. We have the access to get them anything they want.”

The Salems are frequent visitors to Rehoboth, as Matt has several businesses in town. They became interested in the location by seeing the cars Slaughter had on sale when they drove by.

“Ever since I married him, for the past 10 years, every time we come through, he has to slam his brakes and look at the beautiful cars that were always out there, that everybody knew were Slaughter cars,” Rana said.

The couple heard through the grapevine that the location was up for sale and contacted Slaughter about purchasing the dealership. The Salems met Slaughter and his family and grew a relationship with him until Slaughter was comfortable turning the dealership over to them. “They have an old-fashioned approach, just like our family has enjoyed since 1948,” said Slaughter.

Rehoboth Beach Motor Cars’ showroom is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, contact Rana anytime at 410-251-6592 or the office at 302-227-2100. Slaughter will also be available until Monday, Feb. 1, and can be reached at 228-7992.