FriendshipCars.com

FriendshipCars.com: New and Used Vehicles in Bristol, Tennessee

FriendshipCars.com is an automobile dealership based in Bristol, Tennessee, that sells new and used vehicles and serves drivers from Tennessee, North Carolina, and West Virginia. It is part of the Friendship Family of Dealerships group, whose history dates back to the opening of Friendship Ford of Bristol on December 6, 1993.

The site allows customers to research, compare, and shop inventory online 24 hours a day. The offering includes cars, trucks, and SUVs from brands such as Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Nissan, Ram, Subaru, and Volvo, among others.

New and Pre-Owned Inventory

The catalog is organized into two main sections: new vehicles and used vehicles. Within each one, customers can filter by body style (sedan, SUV, and trucks) and by brand. There are also specific sections by price range, both for new vehicles (under $30,000, $40,000, and $50,000) and for used vehicles (under $20,000, $30,000, and $40,000).

Among the featured models shown on the website are the Ram 1500, the Silverado 1500, the Hyundai Santa Fe, the Hyundai Palisade, the Jeep Gladiator, and the Jeep Wrangler. The company also offers the option to sell or trade in a vehicle as part of the payment, and it has a wholesale sales section.

Financing and the Fresh Start Program

FriendshipCars.com offers personalized financing solutions and has the Fresh Start Financing program, aimed at making it easier to buy a vehicle. The company states that its team supports the customer at every step of the process.

Commercial Vehicles and Service

The commercial division includes new Ford and Ram work trucks, as well as used work trucks. In the service area, the dealership allows customers to schedule appointments and submit vehicle recall requests. Friendship also operates Friendship Car Care, a service and tire center that opened in 2012 under the name Quick Lane Tire & Service Center.

History and Expansion of the Group

The Friendship group began with a single Ford franchise in Bristol, Tennessee, after the brand had been inactive in the area since the previous dealership closed in 1991. Mitch Walters obtained the franchise after nearly eighteen months of efforts and opened Friendship Ford of Bristol on Volunteer Parkway. In the spring of 2019, the headquarters moved to a 45,000-square-foot facility on West State Street, near Interstate 81.

Expansion began in 1999 with the purchase of the Honda dealership in Boone, North Carolina, which was renamed High Country Honda and today operates as Friendship Honda of Boone. In 2003 the group added the Hyundai franchise for the Tri-Cities region, and in January 2006 it opened Friendship Hyundai of Johnson City. It was followed by Friendship Volvo of Bristol in 2007 and Friendship Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram of Bristol in 2008, which in July 2020 moved to a new facility on West State Street.

Between 2012 and 2013, the FriendshipCars.com locations in Bristol, Kingsport, and Johnson City were launched, dedicated to used vehicles; the Bristol and Johnson City locations became Zoom Automotive in 2022. In 2014 the group entered the Forest City, North Carolina, market with Friendship Nissan of Forest City and a new Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram franchise. In May 2021 it acquired the Chevrolet-GMC-Buick dealership in Forest City, which since 2023 has operated as Friendship Chevrolet-GMC of Forest City after the discontinuation of Buick.

In 2015 the group opened Friendship Motorsports in Bristol, Virginia, its first venture into the powersports sector, with brands such as Indian Motorcycle, Yamaha, Triumph, Royal Enfield, Polaris, and Slingshot; that location was sold to Mountain Motorsports in April 2026. In February 2016 it opened Indian Motorcycle of Savannah, in Georgia. In January 2019 it acquired the Ford dealership in Lenoir, North Carolina, sold in May 2026, and in March 2020 the Nissan dealership in Boone, sold in October 2024.

In 2023 the group acquired the Hyundai dealership in Princeton, West Virginia, its first location in that state, and shortly afterward the Kia and Subaru franchises in Beckley, in addition to the Hyundai dealership in Beckley. In December 2023 it purchased AutoNation Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Johnson City, renamed Friendship CJDR of Johnson City. In April 2026 it opened a new Hyundai facility in Kingsport, Tennessee, and in June 2026 it broke ground on a Ford Pro Elite commercial service center in Bristol, Tennessee, scheduled for early 2027 with 24 additional heavy-duty truck bays.

Leadership and Recognition

Mitch Walters, who comes from a family of Chevrolet dealers in Hebron, Ohio, has led the group since his arrival in Bristol in 1976. His sons Brandon Walters, president and chief executive officer, and Dustin Walters, executive vice president and chief operating officer, take part in management and in the growth strategy.

The company states that it has been recognized by Automotive News as one of the Best Dealerships to Work For every year since 2011, and in 2024 it was distinguished as number one on that list.

Location and Contact

1954 W State St, Bristol, TN, US · Phone: (888) 374-3633 · Hours: Sunday: closed; Monday to Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.; Saturday: closed