Originally Posted By: GreeCguy
Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Extra Clean, Extra Clean, Extra Clean!!!
They have a good detailer on staff.
If they have a good detailer, they probably have a mechanic of sorts on staff.
Probably have a wrecking yard on speed dial too and a price arrangement with them.
Customer grenades a transmission, car gets repoe'd, junkyard part is thrown in, car gets detailed and it's back out on the lot for as much as it cost the guy who had it originally. Down payments are typically the amount the lot owner has tied up in that car. It sounds like a high profit margin but this dealer has to have that detailer, mechanic, and a freakin' Ninja for a repo agent on his payroll.
I say a mechanic "of-sorts" because he is probably not certified. That's not necessarily a knock against the guy. One of the best mechanics I ever met was a barely above minimum wage Installer at Western Auto. He could fix anything usually in half the book time. He couldn't read or write so he couldn't test for his ASE Certification. Maybe severe dyslexia or something. He had served time in prison and didn't learn to read there either. Just read the service ticket or read the code scanner to him and it would get fixed. The right way first time everytime. But poor guy couldn't make tech wages because he couldn't read or write.
My future son-in-law works at a used car lot and this is exactly how they do it. He and I went to a car auction a couple of months back and I was amazed at the junk he would buy - basically paying a little more than scrap value for the car. Motors knocking, transmissions grinding, you name it, he would grab it. After the auction, we started transporting the cars to the lot. If it would run, we would drive it, if not, we would tow it. He told me on some "not to worry if it overheated, we're going to drop a used motor in this one."
Behind the "office," (a double wide trailer), sits a lean to shed with no walls and a dirt floor where they do all their work. They have a running deal with a local scrap yard for engines and trannys. They were working on a Toyota that had several of the spark plug holes stripped out and were putting inserts in the holes. I asked if they informed the buyers of all these "up grades." He didn't even answer me but gave me a "are you out of your mind" look. They also have a teenage kid who gives them a good wash and wax and scrubs the interior, (after the interior "wash," the car is parked in the sun with the windows almost rolled up. For a while, the windows will be "frosted" with moisture, but that "cooks out" in a day or two). Then they spray the interior heavily with "Fabreeze" and they go out on the lot. If seats are torn or ripped, once again it's to the junk yard for a different set of seats. If they can't get an exact match, they'll buy a set that are "close," (light blue verses dark blue, brown verses beige, grey verses black). The unsuspecting buyer, (say a 17 year old teenager looking for his first car) has no idea what's been done to the car and thinks only of the "75 dollar a week" payment.
Another "trick" they use is to buy when the prices are down at the auction, (typically late summer) and hold the cars till right before tax return time when everybody is getting a tax refund and prices are up. If they have a car that they're having a hard time repairing or simply haven't gotten around to yet, they'll run it back through the auction and double or even triple their money, (they might have paid 500 on the car and now will sell it for 1000 bucks or even 1500).
And yes, they do have their own "Repo guy." I met him. He's huge. 6 feet, five inches tall, 300 pounds of muscle. He was happy the day I met him and he didn't look happy, I can only imagine what he might look like when he is not happy.
LOL
in true BITOG style, what oil they use in the cars motors/transmissions?
me lucky i don't drink coffee, otherwise will be all over keyboard.
LOL