Chapter 2
Pat and his Car Lot 'Games' !
Our relationship would mostly revolve around transportation, cars, and the used car lot after I turned 12, but my 'car buying and selling' lessons awaited, and unfolded daily once I could drive. He kept me abreast of his latest schemes, scams or hot tips! I soon discovered that he was really about one step away from being a carnival barker- side show huckster - con man, and flimflam artiste ... all rolled into one!
He had the gift of gab, a hint of larceny, with a generous amount of charisma, and silver tongued skills enough to sell ice to Alaska! Somehow, he could make a $5 profit - on a $2 dollar deal!? He was a hustler - He was gen-u-wine !
He carried a cashiers check for $1 million dollars in his briefcase!
His game ?
When he would try to pay an invoice with it in person ...
... if they couldn’t give him change ... he asked folks for credit !!
It worked !!
He got a LOT of credit on the spot when he flashed it, and used it to his advantage in every deal!
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Pat bought a lot of cars to stock his huge and successful car lot in downtown Santa Anna! He would plan buying trips to other dealers on Thursdays, where he could often buy $40 - $80 thousand dollars worth of cars, or more at a time. That was a whole lot for the 60's ... since these cars generally retailed from $800 - $1800 each - upper middle class rides. He would buy them for about half of retail. He made a lot of profit !
Here's how it worked.
Once he found a Car Dealer where he wanted to buy, he would line up a bunch of drivers to go with him. He used granddad and myself a lot, but all warm bodies were welcomed or recruited. "Do you know anyone else who can drive?".
There was always a motley crew of whomever could be rounded up for buying-driving day.
Before cell phones, it was only land line calls on rotary phones ! Dialing for Drivers !
No answer? Keep going down the list of candidates .. call until you have enuff drivers for the buying trip. There were a lot of logistics to setting up a big car buy at another dealer. Money talked.
For the then princely sum of about $25, he would get a driver for a day. Depending how badly drivers were needed, the offer could be sweetened.
We had a lot of language barriers as well. Pat's car lot was like a little international gathering, he had employees of all racial and ethnic types and languages, from salesmen .. to lot boys. On driving day .. if you were licensed, and available .. you were tagged ! There were always a few drivers who got 'lost' on the way back .. running hours late, or even the next day claiming language problems, or a wrong turn on the confusing freeway interchanges.
Most of us would straggle back to Pats car lot over the next few hours. I was always amused that some didn't make it back at all !?
I found out later - he let some drivers take the cars home, and enjoy them for personal use - even take the family out to dinner and a movie ... "just bring the car in the morning!" - That was one of his famous 'sweetened offers! He really was a 'softie' in his own way!
Once we were all at the designated car lot where he was buying, he would then commence to walking the lot and deciding which cars were going back with us ... basically what to put in his basket! If it was clean and shiny, he could flip it fast, a key criteria ! If a thumbs up, he would assign a driver.
Pretty soon we would have a line of cars - a dozen or so all in a row .. waiting for the signal to pull out. We learned to expect the drive out signal whilst he was in the office - 'doing the paperwork'.
Once everything was ready to caravan out - he would carefully time the transaction - so they would be IN the office. Once everyone was sitting in the Mangers Office - he would signal thru the showroom window for us to pull out quickly – his cue meant - DRIVE OFF NOW !!!
We would then drive off quickly as possible, with a dozen or so cars .. and this would usually leave the car dealer or sales manger sputtering watching the best cars having just been cherry-picked and driving off!! Meanwhile ...
What a heckuva trick ...“ say buddy got change for a $1 million dollar cashiers check ?”
He sure was a hustler …This was his usual buying M.O. ....
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Back at his car lot, Pat would harangue and hustle his salesmen to sell out all the latest cars that we just brought in "Last in /First Out - over this weekend !!" His bank account was always tight, and he would have to sell the cars fast to cover the purchase, and beat the check to bank!
He demanded that his salesmen would HAVE to raise enough money to 'beat the invoice', or, 'a post dated check' that he might offer to leave for reassurance to the sputtering Car Dealer, and Sales Manager ! The car tailights were disappearing down the road, and A post dated check was on the table for the full amount!
He was very successful .. lots of Glengarry Glen-Ross high pressure sales stuff on his own lot and staff - he usually had about 30 salesmen watching the lot! In the sales office there was an easel with a leader board of top salesmen - showing how many cars sales cinched - 'for sure', 'hot prospects' and 'how many sold ' that week! .. flip - flop - and fly! ..1st prize is the set of steak knives .. 2nd prize - you're out!
All photos: free, public domain, or by permission
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