Chapter 15: Used Cars Had No Reverse
Chapter 15: Used Cars Had No Reverse
“Oh! Chicken wings today? I like these too.”
Steven sat down beside me, picked up one of my wings, and bit into it.
“Steven.”
“Hm? What?”
“That’s mine.”
“Huh? What is?”
Munch, munch—
“...Never mind.”
Come to think of it, the biggest villain in the Jack-Cole-Steven trio was not Jack.
No, Jack was actually useful.
He might have lacked a little basic etiquette, but at least he had bought me wings and three beers.
Steven, on the other hand?
This shameless bastard just sat there grinning while steadily reducing the number of wings on my plate.
I had barely eaten any myself.
“Hey, Steven. I thought you liked fried pickles.”
“Yeah, I like fried pickles. I like wings too. And nachos.”
Ah.
So that was why this bastard was so big.
At this rate, the wings would disappear in seconds, so I quickly started eating faster.
“Oh, right! How’s the Crown Victoria restoration going? The Police Interceptor.”
He asked while licking hot sauce off his fingers.
“I sold it in Phoenix today. I’m on my way back.”
“What? You sold it? You promised you’d show it to me first when it was finished!”
Ah...
Right.
Come to think of it, I had made some promise like that.
“The buyer was in a hurry. But why were you so interested in that car? Crown Victorias aren’t exactly rare.”
“P71s are different! I’ve never even ridden in one.”
“What? Seriously? Not even in the back seat?”
I had assumed Steven of all people had surely experienced a police car once or twice.
“Of course not. Jason, what kind of person do you think I am?”
“...”
“Seriously. Anyway, test-driving it was one thing, but I actually know someone who’s been looking for one. I was going to introduce him to you once the restoration was done. Well, if you already sold it successfully, there’s nothing to be done.”
Why was this guy suddenly being so helpful?
Normally, introductions involved putting one’s own credibility on the line, so people did not make them carelessly.
“Is your acquaintance still looking for the same car? Oh, and give us one more beer each from the remaining ones.”
I handed Steven one of the beers I had won from Jack and began fishing for information about a potential customer.
Steven became much more talkative once alcohol entered the picture.
“Oh, you’re buying mine too? Yeah, he’s still looking. It’s strange. Like you said, the car isn’t that rare, but the moment you seriously try to find one, there aren’t any. What do you call that? Murphy’s Law?”
(Translator’s Note: Murphy’s Law — Commonly expressed as “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” Its modern name is associated with American aerospace engineer Edward A. Murphy Jr. and U.S. Air Force rocket-sled testing work around 1948–1949; the precise wording and origin story vary between recollections.)
One beer was enough to get him talking freely.
“Hmm... How much do you think he’s willing to spend?”
“Hard to say, but if it’s an original P71, around eight thousand dollars should be easy enough. Depending on the condition, probably more.”
My thoughts suddenly became complicated.
Judging by the average winning bids from the previous auction, a suitable base car would probably cost around four thousand dollars.
Add one or two parts that needed repair, paintwork on fewer than two panels, and polishing...
The profit wouldn’t be as high as this time, but it still wouldn’t be bad.
For now, earning the equivalent of my own labor costs was enough.
Besides, since I had already worked on the same model once, the proficiency bonus should be considerable.
“If you’re still willing to introduce me, I’ll start looking for a car.”
“Oh, you will? But there isn’t much time. He seemed to be in a bit of a hurry. Anyway, I’ll contact him. Oh, and if the sale goes through, I’m taking a brokerage fee.”
“Fine. That works better for me too.”
After that, Steven noticed Jack and Cole glaring angrily and found out about the darts bet.
He challenged me, saying he would avenge Jack.
He was utterly destroyed.
That reignited Jack’s competitive spirit, and he indignantly challenged me again.
To be honest, neither of them was much of an opponent.
Thanks to them, I ended up drinking a total of eight beers and eating chicken wings, fried pickles, and nachos until I was completely full.
It had been an excellent day for my finances.
“What? Two more P71s?”
“That’s right. Some of my father’s former police colleagues came to his birthday, saw the car, and started saying they wanted one too. Two of them are very serious about it.”
A few days later, I received completely unexpected news during a sudden phone call from Karen.
“Whew. To tell you the truth, I’m already looking for more of them because I need another one myself, but for some reason, there just aren’t many listings.”
It was exactly the Murphy’s Law Steven had mentioned.
And of course, right when the supply had dried up, I suddenly needed to obtain three P71s in total, including the one for Steven’s acquaintance.
“Oh, maybe it’s because of the Arizona Police Heritage Meet coming up next month? These two are planning to attend the event in P71s.”
Come to think of it, I had heard of something like that.
There were gatherings for retired police officers not only in Arizona but across the country.
Steven had also said his acquaintance seemed to be in a hurry.
The pieces suddenly fit together.
“Whew. I think that might be the reason. It’s not just your side. The number of people suddenly looking for these cars has increased.”
“I knew it. The deadline is a little tight, but given the circumstances, they’re willing to pay more. Would it still be difficult?”
If they were willing to pay more than Karen had, that would put the price well into the higher end of the market.
Of course, the prices of suitable base vehicles had probably risen as well...
“If they’re willing to go that far, I’ll put more effort into finding them. I can’t make any promises, though.”
A previous customer had come back to me again.
Rather than reject the request outright, I wanted to do my best.
More importantly, reputation was built by accumulating trust like this, one deal at a time.
“That’s more than enough. Thank you so much.”
Despite my uncertain answer, Karen responded brightly.
Now, I had to use every route available to me.
She said the event is in one month. Then I need to secure the base vehicles by the end of this week at the latest.
Finding three examples of one specific vehicle model within a limited period would normally be enough to make anyone wave the job away.
But since I was currently free, it was a challenge worth attempting.
The first thing I did was check the inventory list for upcoming public auctions.
I entered Crown Victoria as the search term and clicked.
Lot #061 — 2010 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor (P71) — City Police Dept. Surplus
Lot #062 — 2008 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor (P71) — County Sheriff’s Office Surplus
Oh, thank God. At least there are two.
More would have been better, but under the circumstances, I was grateful even for two.
Of course, there was no guarantee that I could win both of them.
Still, compared to my first auction, I could approach this one with considerably more confidence.
I had the Auction House Rookie skill, which allowed me to determine the optimal winning bid.
I carefully read the listed photographs and vehicle condition reports, then concentrated.
—————
2010 model: Optimal winning bid $4,300. Approximate margin of error: ±$430.
2008 model: Optimal winning bid $3,800. Approximate margin of error: ±$380.
—————
Appropriate prices immediately surfaced in my mind.
“So it reflects the current market price. Prices have gone up since the last auction.”
I felt completely confident, as though an auction veteran with decades of experience had taken residence inside my head.
According to the information listed online, neither vehicle had any exterior damage.
However, one had a damaged intake manifold and ignition-system problems.
The other had vibration, noise, and seized components caused by suspension and brake issues.
I’ll be able to judge more accurately in person, but problems like those are actually good for me.
This was where the important difference between used-car brokerage and restoration or customization work became obvious.
As someone in the restoration business, vehicles with repairable problems were far more advantageous to me.
That gave me room to invest skill, parts, labor, and time, creating added value in the process.
Especially now, when I still lacked experience and reputation, I would already be grateful if my own labor costs alone became profit.
And that was currently my strongest weapon.
For example, in the following situation, an ordinary reseller would have:
Vehicle selling price — $9,000
Purchase price — $4,000
Parts cost — $2,000
Repair cost, outsourced — $2,000
$9,000 - ($4,000 + $2,000 + $2,000) = $1,000.
The net profit would be only one thousand dollars.
There was too little incentive.
But in my case, the entire repair-cost category became my own earnings.
On top of that, if I used the Coin Market to greatly reduce the parts cost, the margin could rise to as much as four thousand dollars.
In other words, even if I bought and sold the same vehicle at the same prices as other dealers, the deal could still be worthwhile for me.
That allowed me to buy more aggressively.
However, there was one problem.
“What? There is a car, but I can only look at it briefly two days from now?”
Steven had suddenly called me.
He had found another Crown Victoria listing.
At first glance, its condition did not look bad.
However, because it was a private sale, failing to inspect it carefully in person could leave me stuck with a disaster.
Worse, due to the seller’s personal circumstances, the car could only be inspected and purchased on one specific date.
Naturally, that date was the same day as the auction.
Damn. The price really is good, though.
The listed price of the Crown Victoria P71 was $4,100.
For a private-market listing rather than an auction vehicle, that was almost half the usual price.
Of course, there was no such thing as a cheap car in perfect condition, so it almost certainly had some defect.
Still, as long as there was no accident history causing permanent structural damage, a repairable problem would actually work in my favor.
What should I do? It’s too good to let go.
Steven said he could not leave the shop.
That meant I would have to inspect the vehicle myself and bring it back too.
“There’s no choice. Even if the margin is smaller this time, acquiring customers is the bigger goal.”
I called Chuck Redding, the professional auction buyer I had met before.
He was the tough, deeply tanned man who had bid aggressively and later helped me load the car onto my trailer.
“Yes, Chuck speaking.”
His gravelly voice came through the phone.
“Hello. This is Jason. You helped me load a Crown Victoria at the auction before...”
“Ah! You’re the young fellow who bought that front-end-damaged car! I remember you. What’s up?”
“I was wondering whether I could hire you to bid on my behalf at the public auction the day after tomorrow.”
“Oh? Really? Which lots are you targeting?”
Chuck’s voice immediately brightened when he heard why I was calling.
Auction proxy bidding was the perfect kind of arrangement for an expert to exploit an inexperienced customer.
Since the agent only received a fee if the bid succeeded, he naturally had every incentive to win the item no matter how high the price climbed.
Meanwhile, the customer usually had no way of knowing the proper winning price.
All they could do was provide a maximum limit and leave every decision within that range to the agent.
“Lot numbers 61 and 62. Those two.”
“Let’s see. Crown Victorias again? Hmm... There are some minor problems, but nothing that looks critical. So, how much are you willing to spend?”
I heard the faint sound of a keyboard being tapped.
“My target for Lot 61 is $4,300. For Lot 62, $3,800. The maximum limit is ten percent above each target. However, for every additional defect beyond the disclosed conditions, reduce the target price by five percent.”
Silence came through the phone.
“...All right. But were you originally in the auction business?”
A hint of caution had entered Chuck’s voice.
“No. I’m in restoration, not auctions. This will only be my second time bidding.”
“What? Your second time? Hahaha! Hey, Jason, was it? You give me estimates that detailed, then expect me to believe that? You look honest enough, but there’s a real old fox hiding inside you.”
Chuck burst into loud laughter as though he had heard a particularly amusing joke.
“Well, fine. Everyone has their circumstances, so I won’t ask any further. My fee is seven percent of the winning bid. From the sound of things, you really need these cars, so I’ll bid aggressively. I’ll make sure I bring them home. Don’t worry too much.”
He quickly returned to his usual bold, confident self.
Seeing that side of him again made me think I had chosen the right person.
Finally, auction day arrived.
I headed out to inspect the private-sale car while receiving real-time updates from Chuck over the phone.
“Yes. Then there aren’t any other unusual problems beyond what was listed. Good. Please keep aiming for the prices we discussed. Thank you.”
All right.
I could leave the auction vehicles to Chuck.
Now I just needed this private-sale car to be in decent condition.
It was important to secure at least one additional vehicle in case the auction bids failed.
Because there was a high chance I would buy it, I had driven almost four hours with the trailer attached to the truck.
But when I finally saw the car in person—
Creak. Creak-creak-creak—
“Uh... Has it always been like this?”
The car would not reverse.