How it All Began

CLINE DAHLE, IN THE BEGINNING . .

Cline Dahle’s rise in the automotive industry reads like a chapter from the “American Dream.” In late 1957, Cline Dahle, a small town farm boy, was searching for a way to make a living in his tiny farming community in southern Idaho. Virtually “penniless” and facing limited opportunities in his small town he decided to pull up his roots and move in with his brother, Larry and his wife, in Salt Lake City and set out to find a job.

Peters UTOCO, a local service station on 3988 East 2700 South, was just the ticket for his start. Considering the minimum wage in 1957 was $5.58 per hour, his paltry wage of $4.00 per day was an incentive to dream big inasmuch as he had little to lose. After several months of hard work

, the service station owner realized his potential and offered him a partnership in the business. Not about to miss out on this opportunity, with his father as a co-signer, Cline borrowed $1,400 for 50% ownership.

It was about this same time that Cline met and married his

sweetheart, Marsha Smith, of Cache Valley, Utah. They moved into a small apartment just a few blocks from the service station. By the end of 1958 he bought out his partner and spent long hours trying to make ends meet.

Cline recalls life changing in an instant. “One day a fellow came by and asked if he could put a sign up and sell cars out of my station. I asked him what I got out of it and he told me I could sell ‘em . . . and so I did. I stayed on and sold cars out of the service station until 1963 . . . five very long years.” Cline enjoyed selling cars and cultivated many friendships and business associates during that time but longed for a prime location on State Street.

From 1963-1967 he sold cars from a variety of different locations using a trailer (pictured above) or other owner’s facilities until he saved up enough money to buy some property of his own. Of course he needed a building and was promptly turned down by the bank for a loan. Cline and a few of his employees proceeded to build the building themselves and he funded the project along the way.

Now, he was on his way and decided he wanted to be a new car dealer. In mid-1967 Cline and Marsha took their life savings of $3,200 and decided to realize their dream. Cline said, “I went to California with a cashier’s check for $3,200 and a flooring plan of $36,000. They told me I didn’t have enough money or experience. Another guy said, ‘A cashier’s check, OK.’ They took the check, loaded the parts into the back of a car and sent me back to Salt Lake with a BMW franchise.” After securing the BMW franchise, he also pursued a Datsun franchise but was turned down.

Through hard work and the support of many loyal customers and dedicated employees, Cline’s dealership sold 78 BMWs in their first year making them the No. 1 BMW dealer in the Western Region. Shortly thereafter he went back to Datsun and was awarded the Datsun franchise which meant he had to relinquish the BMW franchise. Times were tough and Marsha recalls “just grinding through.”

Throughout the 70’s Cline’s Datsun picked up steam offering extraordinary customer service and support of employees determined to be part of a team effort doing things the right way, Cline’s way. In 1971, Datsun introduced the Datsun 240z which changed the industry. Finally, they had an incredible product and business picked up which enabled them to buy property near 4500 S. State Street where Tim Dahle Nissan Murray and Tim Dahle Infiniti still operate 40 years later. Cline ran the sales and day-to-day operations while his wife, Marsha, was in charge of the books and licensing. Looking back on their days of working together, Marsha recalls, “We were quite a pair.” “We were just a couple of farm kids who came to a big city and didn’t know what we were going to do. We caught a few breaks, met a lot of great people and did what we loved. The car business was exciting and it consumed a huge part of our lives. We loved being around people whether it was other dealers, employees or our customers. Many great relationships were forged through the dealership. In those days we didn’t have any of the technology used today, no computers or electronics of any kind. We used journal ledgers and hand-posted all daily transactions. Back in the day, that’s the way it was done. Cline was a visionary who always had a lot of great ideas and I was there for the checks and balances.” “Cline and I were a great team!”

Tim Dahle, Cline and Marsha’s son, shares their passion for the car business and love of people. Tim currently owns and directs three dealerships in Utah, Tim Dahle Nissan Murray, Tim Dahle Infiniti and Tim Dahle Nissan of Sandy.