A passion for cars was instilled in Rob Favre at an early age. Some of his earliest memories include working on his dad’s race cars in the shop and getting to work at his dad’s auto parts store.

He continued his interest with an auto mechanic class in high school, and during his college years, Favre worked with used cars at a location in Blacksburg. Shortly afterward, he started working for car dealerships.

The passion he has for cars, however, is not limited to just selling and fixing. After all, cars are for driving! And since 2008, Rob Favre has been getting behind the wheel and driving…really fast! With his race team, Buffalo Mountain Motorsports, Favre has raced dirt late models regionally across Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. With twenty-three total wins, Favre is also a former Wythe Raceway champion. He also received Rookie of the Year.

In addition to all the driving, Favre also continued his sales career. Eventually, he became a manager for one of the leading automotive groups in the country. Through this position, he was able to work closely with large auto dealerships all over Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and West Virginia. Those long hours on the road and time away from family, however, made taking the leap to start out on his own an easy decision. Having lived in Floyd County for thirty years, he felt there was the need for a quality, affordable used car dealership.

“After over twenty-five years working for others in the automotive industry,” says Favre, “I felt it was time to step out on my own and take everything I’ve learned and put it to use here in Floyd County.”

The first location that caught his eye was the B&S Automotive building at 5587 Floyd Hwy South in Willis. In earlier days, it had been a Shell station, but most recently, it had been rented to a couple doing auto repairs. Not only was the three-bay facility within just a few miles of home, Favre liked that it was situated on one of Floyd’s main roads, with high visibility.

“The amount of traffic that passes by daily is crazy! Anybody who comes to Floyd as a destination passes it,” says Favre, admitting that he, too, passed the place every day.

He approached B&S Automotive owner, Darrell Bernette, and told him that if the building were to ever become available, he wanted dibs on it.

Just last year, Favre was able to seal the deal, and Buffalo Mountain Motorsports – named after his racing team – opened the first of July, 2021.

Before that opening, however, there were some speed bumps. Over the past few years, there has been a world-wide shortage of the chips used in the electronics for newly manufactured vehicles, and this shortage has been affecting the used car market. It put a higher demand on used cars, as more customers were looking to buy used. Suddenly, a larger number of dealers were bidding on an ever-smaller supply of used cars, causing availability to diminish. This made used car prices escalate.

There was also a lot of red tape to go through for a used car license, much of which was slowed to a crawl due to Covid-19.

After realizing that the process of becoming a used car dealer was going to take longer than originally expected, Favre decided to also start selling powersport vehicles. He began offering ATV’s, dirt bikes, go karts, and side-by-sides. As it turned out, the new inventory was a big hit! That side of the business really took off, and as it grew, so did the variety of other options and services.

Once word got out, customers started coming from as far as Virginia Beach, Tennessee, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina! “People are surprised to hear that we’ve had customers drive up to five hours to buy from us,” says Favre. “We have worked very hard to get the inventory that others can’t, and we try our very best to be knowledgeable about the products that we sell. That really goes a long way with folks.”

And with all these visitors, Favre has found a way to give back to the community he calls home. Folks who have driven to Floyd specifically to check out Buffalo Mountain Motorsports are often seen getting gas at Willis Village Mart after leaving the lot. Some even ask where to get some good food before they leave.

“I can’t tell you how many times we’ve sent people right across the street to Jim’s Grill,” says Favre. “These folks often find their way to the town of Floyd to explore and check out other businesses in the area.”

Having a great inventory and great services, however, is just part of what it takes to be any kind of vehicle dealer. Going in, Favre knew that there would be a need for financing on both used vehicles and powersports. Being a new business, however, made it difficult for Buffalo Mountain Motorsports to acquire financing for their customers.

“Early on,” says Favre, “we were calling anyone and everyone to see if we could get funding for our customers. Most lenders didn’t even want to give us the time of day being that we were a new business.” But the immediate success of the powersports sales made short work of those difficulties! “Now we have lenders calling us weekly to try and get our business.” Now, Buffalo Mountain customers can get financing through the likes of American First Financial, Synchrony Financial, and Credit Acceptance Corporation. It has allowed them to make motorsport dreams come true for customers with no credit, not the best credit, or those with great credit.

With the financing issues resolved, it was time to focus on supply. To that end, Favre signed up with several different auctions in the area, as well as online, to find the inventory that customers are looking for.

Favre tells us that starting the new business has been challenging when it comes to remaining connected with family and taking part in the family routine. “I’m at the shop seven days a week even though we are only officially open five.”

He has also had to put racing on a back burner but hopes to be back on the track later this year, after bringing on more help.

Stepdaughter, Quintessia, is in the Air Force while son, Reid, is in high school. But twin five-year-old daughters, Izzy and Isla, are still in elementary school. With wife, Aulet, attending nursing school, it has become a real juggling act. With the shop being only three miles from their home in Willis, however, as well as just a few miles from Willis Elementary School, it has made things a bit easier.

In the spirit of cooperation, however, the entire family helps with the business as often as they can. Favre’s dad and mom often take road trips to pick up vehicles or deliver powersports. Aulet is learning to help with administrative duties and DMV work and Reid is helping detail used vehicles. Meanwhile, Izzy and Isla keep everyone in line.

With a passion for cars, and one of the few used car dealerships in Floyd County, Buffalo Mountain Motorsports specializes in lower priced affordable vehicles ranging from $3,000 to $10,000. Customers will also find a pleasant, no-pressure sales experience at Buffalo Mountain. “We aren’t the traditional car dealership,” says Favre. “If you have to pressure someone into buying from you, it never turns out well for either party.”

Also, with growing demand for other services, Buffalo Mountain has added automotive detailing. Customers can choose a basic hand wash or full detailing, including hand waxing and shampooing. All detailing is done using quality products from Liquid Performance. These products have also been made available to purchase in store.

Not only does Buffalo Mountain Motorsports sell powersports from TAO Motors and Trailmaster, they also service and sell parts for all brands, including Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Polaris and more. Upon entering the showroom, customers will not only find a variety of powersports, but also parts, including batteries and carburetors. Customers may also shop among the inventory of cleaning products, safety equipment, a full line of helmets, Oakley sunglasses, and apparel.

Looking forward, Favre plans to continue expanding in order to meet the needs of his customers. Always open to suggestions and willing to try new ventures, he plans to add small engine repair and service to the business model this spring. “We had a few customers ask if we could work on snow blowers this winter and we decided since we have the manpower and capability that we are going to start taking on small engine repair and maintenance jobs.”

“It’s been a pleasure to see so many people we’ve known for years support our business,” says Favre. “It’s also been great to meet so many great people and business owners in Floyd County. The Floyd business community, as a whole, supports each other and that’s great to see. We have been referred customers from several businesses in Floyd County and we try to do the same.”

Throughout 2022, Buffalo Mountain Motorsports will be reaching out and becoming a greater presence in Floyd and surrounding areas. One of the big goals for the year will be to venture out to local events, letting residents know everything the dealership has to offer. With business growing exponentially, Favre is looking forward to playing an even bigger part in the Floyd community for many years.

Buffalo Mountain Motorsports • Rob Favre
5587 Floyd Highway South, Willis, VA • 540-789-7800
BuffaloMountainMotorsports@gmail.com
www.BuffaloMountainMotorsports.com