I worked for the used car section of a reputable high-line car dealership. We were not scum, at least not until just before I left. Here’s a little story about what it takes to be honest in the car biz, and how quickly a reputation can be wrecked.
The way we established our reputation was through acquisition. As a detailer and appraiser (as well as a lot of other things), I busted my ass to find cars that would–pardon the cliche–sell themselves.
And they did. Most were sold by used car salesmen who contacted their own harem of customers when something attractive came in. Believe it or not, I’ve seen the line “there’s someone else on the way to see this car” used with complete honesty.
I looked at about ten cars to find one I felt was worthy of consulting my boss about. He took about half of my recommendations. Any car we decided to sell was given at least a half day of mechanical and cosmetic attention. That was only possible because the cars we selected were already in excellent shape.
When we got a shitbox, we dumped it off either at auction or to other dealers. Ever see one of those little dealerships that sell nothing but Benzes and BMWs? Those cars are the ones the dealership doesn’t want to keep, and in my opinion something’s wrong with every one of 'em.
The process was time consuming and expensive, but it paid off in extremely high returns. It was not uncommon for us to make three or four times the profit a similar new car would make.
Unfortunately, the owner of the dealership was philosophically opposed to our methods. He’d see a car-carrier hauling off a couple of wrecked and repainted Porsches and go ape-shit about the money he was “losing.” They fired my boss and hauled in a new used car manager–a Cadillac man.
Within a week we had a lot full of unexamined, uncared for cars which had been given a LOF (lube, oil, filter) and a wash. The new guy also brought in a couple of Karo syrup-haired salesmen who were “real movers and shakers” and who somehow knew nothing–nothing!–about cars.
Two weeks after that I was gone, having quickly parlayed my own reputation into my own business. Within a couple of months, our competent used car salesmen had moved off to other places in the region which selected cars they could actually sell without violating their personal reputations and–in some cases at least–their consciences. Predictably, the high volume Cadillac Man generated was offset by dramatically lower profits and warranty-hits. He was gone within a couple of months, but by then, so were the rest of us.
I’m sure there are establishments like the one I worked for in every major metropolitan area. They coalesce and disappear quickly, because an honest used car sales system still rests at the apex of a corrupt pyramid of sociopaths and con-men. But if you can find and befriend an honest used car salesman, that fellow is someone to keep with you for the rest of your life, because honest salesmen must stick with their own kind in order to thrive.
If you happen to live in the DC or Philadelphia area and want an excellent used Porsche or Benz, here’s a few names you might try looking up. I can’t find any of 'em on the Internet.
Mike Wheeler (salesman)
Paul Zavag (indie dealer)
David Olympi (indie dealer)
Yep. That’s about all of 'em, I guess. Like I said, honest salespeople comprise a very small group within the car biz.
