Why Family-Owned Still Matters: The Busam Story Since 1909

WHAT’S NEW WITH BUSAM

Automotive technology changes quickly, but the qualities people want from the business helping them choose and maintain a vehicle have remained remarkably consistent: honesty, clear communication, respect, and someone who will still be there after the sale. That is why the Busam story continues to matter more than a century after it began.

A CINCINNATI STORY THAT STARTED IN 1909

According to the Busam family history, the story began when Henry Ford’s vehicle broke down while he was traveling through Cincinnati. Local recommendations led him to Joe Busam Sr.’s blacksmith shop. The repair made such an impression that Ford encouraged Joe to open a service facility. Within a few years, the family was selling Ford vehicles and operating what became Cincinnati’s first Ford dealership.

The business passed to Joe Busam Jr. after his return from World War II. Across the following decades, the family represented an unusually broad list of manufacturers, including names that disappeared, evolved, or became part of automotive history. Datsun later became Nissan, and the Busam organization developed into the Ford, Nissan, and Subaru dealerships customers know today.

WHY CONTINUITY MATTERS

A long history is meaningful only when it improves the customer’s experience now. For a family-owned dealership, reputation is personal. Customers may return for several vehicles, bring in a new driver from the next generation, or rely on the service department for years. Those relationships create accountability that cannot be measured by a single transaction.

That does not mean every answer is automatic or every situation is simple. Vehicles are more complex, online shopping has changed expectations, and customers have more information than ever. The responsibility of a trusted dealership is to make that information easier to understand—not to make the decision feel more confusing.

THREE BRANDS, ONE FAMILY STANDARD

Today, Busam Automotive connects customers with Nissan in Cincinnati, Subaru in Fairfield, and Ford in Wilmington. Each brand serves different needs, but the family standard should remain the same: listen first, respect the customer’s time, explain the options, and help find a vehicle that fits real life.

That same approach is behind Find Me My Busam. A customer can describe what they need without being expected to know the perfect model in advance. The goal is to connect that person with the right manager and the right store while keeping the process direct and personal.

THE NEXT CHAPTER

What is new with Busam is not a departure from its history. It is an effort to bring that history into a modern way of shopping—online resources, helpful articles, easier vehicle research, and a direct path to a real person. The tools may change, but trust still has to be earned one conversation at a time.

Busam Automotive remains family owned and operated, guided by a commitment to family values, honesty, and positive relationships in the community. That is the meaning behind the line: The Dealer Closest to Your Heart.

Source: Busam Automotive — Our History

https://www.busamautomotive.com/

Information current as of August 21, 2026.