A Dealership Built on Trust: The Vern Laures Story

Vern Laures Auto Center has been part of New Hampton for more than sixty years. The way we do business today comes from the same approach Vern started with back then: treat people right, and everything else follows.

Vern and Jean Laures standing in front of a Jeep at Vern Laures Auto Center in New Hampton, Iowa

How We Started

Vern got his start at the Gambles store in town, and when a job opened up at Hebner Chevrolet, he took it. He didn’t know much about the car business yet. What he had was years of honest, personal dealings with people around town, and that counted for a lot. Back then, he’d even drive cars out to people’s farms and homes so they could take a look without having to come into town.

In 1975, the business outgrew its original downtown location and moved to where you’ll find us today on Linn Avenue. In 1981, Vern became the sole owner and renamed the dealership Vern Laures Auto Center, carrying forward the same values he and his mentor had built together: honesty, hard work, and putting people first.

Vern later brought his two sons and daughter into the business, so those same values would carry on. Today, Perry and Mitch run day to day operations and Lisa oversees the office, continuing the approach their father started: take care of the customer, and they’ll take care of you.

Black and white photo of classic cars parked outside the original dealership

Vern Laures and the dealership team gathered around a No. 3 race car in the shop

Vintage photo of classic cars outside the early Chevrolet dealership building

Our reviews say it best

How We Treat People

We know every dealership claims to treat you like family. We’d rather just tell you what that actually looks like here, day to day.

When you want to take a car for a spin, you take it. Nobody’s riding along in the back seat asking questions the whole way. Explore it, take it around town, and come back with whatever’s on your mind. We won’t blow up your phone with calls and texts either. We reach out when you’re ready to hear from us, not before.

If you already know what you want, we can have you in and out with paperwork done in about half an hour. No runaround, no upselling for the sake of upselling, just a straightforward process. And if you’d rather get a head start before you even walk in, you can look at our financing options online first.

Whether it’s a vehicle or a service visit, we’ll tell you what you need now and what you might need down the road, and we leave it there. We’re not chasing an extra sale, and every new vehicle comes backed by our Lifetime Powertrain Guarantee, so you’ve got peace of mind long after you drive off the lot.

If you’re local and can’t get away during your service appointment, we’ll come pick your vehicle up, take care of it, and have it back to you before your day is done.

At the end of it all, we’re a tight-knit group who genuinely like the people we work with and the people we serve. We try to do everything with a smile, because most of the time, it isn’t hard to.

“A great feeling working with the folks at Vern Laures Auto. Throughout the process I was treated wonderfully at every step.”

“Vern Laures is always the best. Been going there for years and will continue to. They always take care of me.”

“Vern Laures Auto has always gone above and beyond for my needs. If you want good service, they are definitely the way to go. Highly recommended!”

The Vern Laures Auto Center staff gathered in the dealership showroom

Meet the People Who Make It Happen

This is still very much a family business, and it’s also a team of people who’ve stuck around because they like being here. Several of our staff have been with us for over a decade, some for more than twenty years, and quite a few started right out of high school. Want to know who you’ll be working with before you even walk in the door?

Meet Our Staff

Come See Us

Sixty years later, the goal hasn’t changed. We want you to leave feeling like you were treated the way you’d want to be treated, whether you drove off in something new or just stopped by with a question. Come see for yourself what a car buying and service experience should feel like, browse our new and used inventory anytime, or reach out directly below.