I work at a used car dealership AMA

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
03/22/2015 at 15:00 • Filed to: AMA

I get paid very little, am a jack-of-all-trades lot boy/repo guy/mechanic/headlight polisher/inventory specialist/insert fancy name here, and after a 6 hour car journey to repo a car from halfway across the state I felt like doing an AMA. Not sure how long I'll be around a computer, but I'll answer every question eventually.

Just don't ask me legal stuff because I have no idea.

Pic related: Car we repo'd on the flatbed, and then next to a very dirty Murdersofa (driving it around to diagnose a CEL).

DISCUSSION (31)

505Turbeaux > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/22/2015 at 15:03

Have you ever seen the movie Repo Man?

Bandit > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/22/2015 at 15:06

Do you consider your used dealership classy or seedy?

Kinja'd!!!

Rainbow > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/22/2015 at 15:06

What's the biggest and lowest mark-up you've seen? I always picture used car dealers paying $600 for a car that then sells for $3,200 or whatever. Curious how it really is.

Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/22/2015 at 15:07

Do people flip a shit when you repo their cars, or do they just let it go?

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/22/2015 at 15:12

Do you get to do sick jumps when the customers aren't looking?

Coty > Rainbow
03/22/2015 at 15:20

I can tell you at least at my dealership, it's not like that. I wish it was.

-Guy who makes commission.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
03/22/2015 at 15:23

Not with front-line cars, but we currently have 20 cars about to head to the crusher that I get to beat on a bit

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
03/22/2015 at 15:23

Depends. The odds of someone even being within shouting distance for the 30 seconds it takes to drive off in their car are pretty low. I have yet to even see the face of a repoee

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Rainbow
03/22/2015 at 15:25

Stupid high markups. 2003 Bonneville SSEI for nearly $10 levels of stupid high, but we have to. We're in a seedy part of town and get cars stolen, parts stolen, etc. so often we have to have a high markup to break even. The new cameras, security system, and night time random patrols of the place have been doing a good job of discouraging that stuff lately, luckily.

Dsscats > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/22/2015 at 15:26

Legal stuff?

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Bandit
03/22/2015 at 15:28

Classy. As. Hell. If a customer is behind on payments and in danger of their car being taken, I've seen one of my bosses spend quite a bit of time helping them find job opportunities and get back up on their feet. Yes, it's somewhat self-serving because it means they get to keep making payments to us, but still nice. Friendly people, generally quite helpful, but our customers are very seedy. We've had several people let an uninsured friend drive their car (well, our car that they're making payments on), and THREE TIMES in the past month we've had uninsured people get involved in hit-and-runs in our cars. Awkward for everyone. It's also frequent that people will buy an SUV, make the down payment, use it to move out of state, and then stop making payments, so either we spend tons of money to go repo the car, or we lose tons of money by letting them steal it.

Ghettos gonna ghetto.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > 505Turbeaux
03/22/2015 at 15:28

Nope.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Dsscats
03/22/2015 at 15:29

Insurance, employment, etc.

PS9 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/22/2015 at 15:30

Any pizza deliveries lately?

Herr Quattro - Has a 4-Motion > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/22/2015 at 15:31

did the repo car have a baby in it?

Actual question: why is the repo car in-what-I'm-assuming-is-your driveway?

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Herr Quattro - Has a 4-Motion
03/22/2015 at 15:35

No. There was glitter and tampax, though, and a really REALLY awful rap CD stuck in the CD player.

It had 8 codes that were tossing a Check Engine Light. They were all totally unrelated so I cleared them then drove it around for a day to see which codes were a current problem, and not the result of it sitting for several months and hiccupping a bit, or past codes that didn't get cleared when the problem was fixed.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > PS9
03/22/2015 at 15:36

I ordered a pizza the other day, but I went and got it myself. Does that count?

E92M3 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/22/2015 at 15:36

Does it beat sitting in a office at a desk all day?

Herr Quattro - Has a 4-Motion > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/22/2015 at 15:37

this gave me an idea, if I ever get a car repoed, I should send the dealer/bank a envelope FILLED with glitter.

PS9 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/22/2015 at 15:38

You can't gain internet infamy if you do it like that!

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > E92M3
03/22/2015 at 15:40

I spent all of friday sitting at a desk in the office doing inventory work, so... yes?

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/22/2015 at 15:40

Wow, I didn't even think about the junkers that you guys end up scrapping. You guys should totally rent a small oval track for some crapcan racing with them. Last one running wins.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Herr Quattro - Has a 4-Motion
03/22/2015 at 15:41

Yes. Our front desk lady's reaction would be hilarious.

Round headlight enthusiast > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/22/2015 at 15:47

what is the worst vehicle anybody has ever traded in?

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Round headlight enthusiast
03/22/2015 at 16:00

Post-refresh 90s Lexus LS400. Ash tray overflowing with cigarette ashes, junk everywhere, torn up seats, and it was a mechanical nightmare despite being "fine" when we got it. I don't remember how much we gave them for it, but I have a seething hatred for that car. Even more so because the gas gauge was off by 1/4 tank and I ran out of gas on a blind corner of a 70mph highway while test driving it.

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/22/2015 at 16:07

what's the most disgusting car you've sat in?

Round headlight enthusiast > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/22/2015 at 16:11

Man, those are well bult cars, he'd have to have really abused that thing

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
03/22/2015 at 16:14

Lexus LS400. Cigarette ashes. EVERYWHERE. The ash tray was literally overflowing

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/22/2015 at 16:37

This is NOT Matt Farah's million mile lexus.

handsoff > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/24/2015 at 01:33

What's the most jalop vehicle you've ever repoed?

What have you been tempted to trade in the Murdersofa for?

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > handsoff
03/24/2015 at 08:51

Honestly nothing is very jalop. There was a Grand Am GT that was reasonably peppy and made a decent noise, though. DOHC power ftw.

LOL. Nothing.