# What Caused the Demise of used car lots? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 19, 2008, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874 "2008-05-19T18:35:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/1 "2008-05-19T18:35:36Z")
I just sorta realized it: the classic 1960’s “used car lot” is gone, now part of history! When I was a kid, there seemed to be tons of these places-just lots off the street, filled with used cars. There would be a dumpy little office, with tinsels, spinning propellers, and all kinds of junk. The sighs would say, stuff like” : “Welcome to Honest Al-Home of the deal!”, and “No Money Down-up to 80 Months”, No Credit/slow credit/Nobody Refused. They were pretty sleazy businesses, preying on the young, the stupid, and the truly desperate –who needed a car. Invariably, the cars were all high-mileage almost-wrecks, which leaked water, oil, and smoked-burnt valves and shot piston rings. The “salesmen’ were con men-each one tricked out in loud ties and cheap suits. My question: what did these hucksters in? Was it rising real estate values, tougher state laws on vehicle defect disclosures, or better education? This is one aspect of American history we won’t miss! ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/2 "2008-05-19T18:41:09Z")
There was a still plenty of them around when I last looked to buy a car… Actually being from the UK, I was pretty shocked at the bad state of the US used car market. In the UK, used cars sales are much more common, and prices much more reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/3 "2008-05-19T18:41:59Z")
There’s still loads of them out here (AZ). There’s probably 8 in 1/4 mile radius of my office. Of course, the lot where the [movie](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081698/) was filmed is long gone… ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/4 "2008-05-19T18:47:55Z")
[They’ve franchised](http://www.jdbyrider.com/sites/jdbs.nsf/page/home.html) ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/5 "2008-05-19T18:50:08Z")
What are you talking about? They’re all over the place. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/6 "2008-05-19T18:51:06Z")
We have a bunch of them in Houston. Where do you live? ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/7 "2008-05-19T18:52:46Z")
I still see them all over the place here in Michigan, as well. In fact, I probably bought an Expedition at one such lot 1/4 of a mile from where **beowulff** lives, back in '05. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/8 "2008-05-19T18:53:37Z")
[QUOTE=astro] What are you talking about? They’re all over the place. [/QUOTE] My answer verbatim. I live around the corner from one. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/9 "2008-05-19T18:56:44Z")
They became “Quality Pre-owned Vehicle” lots. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/10 "2008-05-19T18:57:36Z")
Yeah there’s more than one of them just a couple miles from me. I can’t answer for certain that they’re sleazy but the one on the busy corner blaring stupid soul pop certainly has that 80’s sleazy nose-candy-addict businessman vibe about it. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/11 "2008-05-19T19:29:13Z")
There are still a bunch of them in Massachusetts as well. Some of them are so dinky that they only have, like, 10 cars in the lot and a tiny office. ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/12 "2008-05-19T20:20:27Z")
Alive and well in Vegas. Sell them parts when they can’t find ones at a scrap yard. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/13 "2008-05-19T20:25:43Z")
[QUOTE=Balthisar] In fact, I **probably bought an Expedition** at one such lot… [/QUOTE] Wow - was it such a sleazy lot that you’re not even sure of the model?? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/14 "2008-05-19T20:27:13Z")
While it’s been established that they still do exist, I seem to recall there used to be more of what I would call “roadside” dealers, at least in my area, lots that would have generally fewer than a dozen cars, and often no permanent “office” space. ---
**Author:** ![Iggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Iggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggins)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/15 "2008-05-19T20:47:07Z")
Lots of lots here in Oregon, too. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/16 "2008-05-19T20:54:10Z")
[QUOTE=Earl Snake-Hips Tucker] While it’s been established that they still do exist, I seem to recall there used to be more of what I would call “roadside” dealers, at least in my area, lots that would have generally fewer than a dozen cars, and often no permanent “office” space. [/QUOTE] Because there is no sales tax in New Hamshire, there are a [ton of them on Route 125 in Plaistow, NH](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=l&abauth=433026bc%3A4m9LAA34Gfm63e359X1gP0yl2vk&view=text&q=%22used+cars%22&near=Plaistow%2C+NH&btnG=Search+Businesses), just over the state line from Massachusetts. We have the Auto-torium, JR’s Used Car Corral, Wally’s Auto World and Last Stop Auto Sales, to name just a few. All of them have a small office hard on the highway, and a lot full of used cars with signs in the windshields. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/17 "2008-05-19T21:04:51Z")
Used parking lots, like other car dealers, seem to be placed far away from the main living parts of Baton Rouge. But they’re still there, my Saturn was bought in one used car lot annexed to a Mazda dealership (yep, and yes, they were all sleazy over there, I felt like I had to shower after being there). When I did my stint in Atlanta, I lived not too far away from 2 used car dealerships in Decatur. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/18 "2008-05-19T21:14:40Z")
I was just driving down Arrow Highway in the San Gabriel Valley yesterday thinking that I’d never really noticed just how MANY of these places exist. Literally two or three to a block in some sections of Azusa. I was wondering how they all stay in business. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/19 "2008-05-19T21:18:04Z")
Just to chime in…there are a lot of them here as well. I recently bought my a car through CarMax who actually has a huge lot AND allows purchase through the internet. Easiest and quickest car sale I ever went through. Not sure what the OP is talking about…I certainly don’t see used car lots as going extinct…seems like new ones are always popping up in fact and even new car dealers almost always have used car lots as well. There are even rental car places that have used car lots in my area. -XT ---
**Author:** ![hekk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@hekk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hekk)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874/20 "2008-05-19T21:36:05Z")
[QUOTE=xtisme] Not sure what the OP is talking about…I certainly don’t see used car lots as going extinct…seems like new ones are always popping up in fact and even new car dealers almost always have used car lots as well. There are even rental car places that have used car lots in my area. -XT [/QUOTE] I believe that the OP is talking about those little corner lots that have MAX 30 cars, average 10-20, where the salesman/mechanic/owner still wears a plaid sportcoat and calls you “Buddy”. There must be a dozen within a mile of me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-caused-the-demise-of-used-car-lots/449874.md?page=2)