Things at Whitehorse Motors may look and feel the same as they have for years, but these days, general manager Tina Woodland is working for a new boss: herself.

The Ford dealership's general manager is one of three investors who have bought out the long-time Whitehorse business from owner Rick Nielsen."It really just made sense," she told the Star this morning.

Woodland made the purchase with Bev Kitchen and principal investor and now president Wendy Taylor.

As the general manager for four years and the dealership's controller before that, Woodland has overseen the day-to-day operations of the business - which also includes a body shop, mechanic shop and the Budget Rent-A-Car outlet - while Nielsen was working for the Yukon Party cabinet.

During his years in government, Nielsen had removed himself from operational authority in the business to avoid conflicts.

After his work with government, he found that when he returned to the dealership on occasion, Woodland had things well under control.

"To be honest about it, they were doing a better job then I was," he said of the management team.

As time went on and Nielsen was at the Fourth Avenue dealership less and less, he and his wife started talking more about selling it, with the new team expressing an interest in buying it.

"It's their kick at the can," he said.

With Taylor leading the charge on the purchase, Woodland was enthusiastic about the possibility.

"I love the product and the people I work with," she said.

She argued Ford's best-in-class rating, quality control and other features make it a good product over other vehicle brands.

The purchase, however, may seem to come at an odd time to be investing in the automotive business.

"People might think I'm crazy," Woodland said.

It comes in the midst of a recession across the country where a number of vehicle manufacturers are scaling back operations, laying off workers and calling for federal and U.S. government bailouts.

Woodland remains confident that Whitehorse Motors is in a good position, even with the challenging times.

The territory still has a relatively stable economy compared to many other regions, she pointed out.

And though people are generally being more careful about their purchases, taking into consideration when and what they buy, they still need to get around the territory, and many are still favouring larger vehicles.

"It's still truck country up here," she said.

While Whitehorse Motors opened up shop in 1969, Ford's history in the territory stretches back to the Depression era in 1935.

"Ford cars and trucks have been available for sale through franchised Ford of Canada dealerships in the Yukon since 1935 when Puckett's Hardware store sold the Ford Model A," Taylor said in a statement.

It would be just short of 20 years after the Whitehorse Motors dealership opened that Nielsen started working there under his then-future father-in-law, Rolf Hougen.

Nielsen would gradually obtain majority interest in the company in "dribbles and drabs" as he described it as others got out of the business.

Though he spent years promoting and selling Fords, Nielsen said his interest in running the business was never about the product.

"It was about the people," he said, recalling both those he worked with and regular customers.

Among his fondest memories at the dealership were the Canada Day and Rendezvous parades, which served as an opportunity for the dealership to show off some of the older Fords, like the Model T and Ford Coup.

Nielsen is now focusing his energies on looking after some of the older vehicles and fixing them up after they were vandalized at the dealership a few years ago.

The vehicles are now scattered in various locations around town.

"I'm a terrible softy for all that old stuff," he said, as he launched into a tale of purchasing an old White Pass and Yukon Route stage coach from a B.C. man a few years ago.

"You could actually hook a team of horses up to that tomorrow," he said.

Getting back to his years at the Ford dealership though, Nielsen, a son of the late Yukon MP Erik Nielsen, said there are a lot of good memories, and that he lucked out that he was able to find work he enjoyed going to each day.

These days, Nielsen's so-called "retirement" is taking him to the skies since last year, when he started flying part-time for Alkan Air. His Whitehorse-area farm also keeps him busy, he said.