As I shared back in April, I had a bit of a life change when I was laid off from my aerospace management job of 8 years. For quite some time it appeared that a move was inevitable, but there was simply nothing that worked out. With kids' school and fall sports starting it became time to fish or cut bait, and we made the decision to stay put in Wichita and make it work. Our local aerospace industry has never really recovered from 2008, and with very few jobs available I decided to make my own luck. So in late July I obtained a used auto dealer's license and started my own business buying, refurbishing, and selling used cars.
Much like a crackhead that also deals, I plan to stick with things that interest me, like my current inventory of a '99 Jeep Wrangler, '97 Boxster, and '11 Jeep Wrangler. I don't think I would stay interested dealing in Corollas and Accords. I leased a 1200 sq ft shop that has heat and A/C (thank God), and plan on keeping a small inventory of vehicles stored inside. Great side benefit for a car guy, it also gives me a fantastic place to detail and wrench on my own cars. Obligatory camera phone pics are below.
(Mustang and Mazda5 not for sale)
I plan to mainly focus on marketing each individual car, I don't need foot traffic like an individual dealership. Just like the cars I've sold over the years as an individual I plan to fully refurbish everything that I sell, thoroughly document all work done, and advertise them in excruciating detail. Because I have auction access I also plan to offer flat-rate auto location services.
I'm not totally discarding my aerospace engineering degree (and pending MBA), just sitting them aside for a bit. If something local works out in aerospace then I will retain this as a side business. Though for now I have to say, I love working for myself.