Look, pal, I don't care how well it was maintained

Here's the deal:

As a Dealer, I don't care WHAT you've done to the car: Does it have wheels? Does it have an engine? Does it have a Transmission? Is it intact? Does it run? Will it pass inspection?

You can put Gold Door edges and mouldings, $12000 worth of stereo, Gold rims, plate the engine Platinum, etc. I don't care. The car is worth $2950...

To you, as a buying dealer.

Now let's examine you as a selling dealer:

"But sir, look! It has gold door edges! $12K worth of stereo! GOLD RIMS! $4500? That's an insult. Come back when you have a real offer in hand. We're at least $8000 apart. Good day."

Used car dealers have two separate stories--one for the people they're buying from, and one for the people they're selling to.

ALL the money in the car business is in used cars.

True story: Last week, during the last week of March (and the last week of the first quarter...hmmm...) I was half looking at a 96 Infiniti I30 that the Infiniti dealer had placed in the paper for $4980. 146K miles on the clock. It seemed like a good deal....

Finally, I went to look at it and drive it. Sure, it needed tires and an alignment--but boy, was it clean. As we parted, the salesman told me that they weren't in any huge hurry to sell the car because it had been a good month, but he knows they'd be happy to let it go for $5000 out the door, all up all in. OK, nice. Thank you very much.

That was on Wednesday.

Come Friday night, the last day of the month, my phones start ringing at around 7:30pm. I'm with my kids, and don't want to talk with anyone. I get three no-message calls on my cell, and a couple such calls at home, then my cell phone rings again and this time the guy leaves a message. Guess who? Yeah, the salesman. He spins a story about they have 59 cars for the month and their goal is 60, and he personally has 24.5 of them and wants the full 25 for their contest, and if I would just call and reserve the car, that would help them meet their goals.

And to make that happen, they were willing to sell me this car for--get ready--$3600 OUT THE DOOR.

Two days time took $1400, or 28%, off the price of that car.

Folks, never--NEVER--let the used car dealer take you for that kind of a ride.

I never called this guy back, by the way, because in the end I decided not to buy that car. I'm sure it would have been a great deal, but I just decided not to.

Not to me. Does it have a radio? Good. (Actually, I had so many radios hanging around, when something came in with something nice, guess where it went? A bird in the hand...) Wheels. Tires. Good. Get a price off Kelly, knock it down $200 and MOVE IT! Good enough for me...

Perhaps it cost more to list it in French and English.

It might be worth as much asmuch as 10 grand Canadian. Not anywhere near 20. Thast's why no one is bidding! And that's only if the air blows cold.