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I am looking to open a used car dealer in Philadelphia. I have always been a car enthusiast and have an interest in the auto industry, but up until now my background has not included any experience operating or managing a car dealer.
I would like to find a used car dealer in the Philadelphia area where I could apprentice for a short period of time, say 3-6 months, to learn all aspects of operating this type of business, including obtaining business insurance, acquiring cars, offering warranties and service contracts, auto tags, offering financing for cars, etc. I am willing to work for very little money or even no money with the understanding that I would be shown how to manage all aspects of the business rather than just being a junior salesman at a used car dealer.
If you own a used car dealer and are willing to take me on in such a capacity or you know how/where I could find this type of opportunity, please contact post here. Thank you.
I thought about going into used car dealership once. I had to take a car dealership one day course to get a certificate so that I can go to DMV and passed their dealership test to get my dealership license. In my state, it cost a few hundred dollars and a days worth of my time. These classes are taught by people who are fimilar with the used car industry. Just google Used Car Dealership license & DMV.
There are people who used to do this for a living and you can buy their training guide. I got mine for around $400. The person I bought the training guide was pretty thorough but reading is completely different from actually going out there and doing it but it was worth the insight.
Peter...... Why not just go get a job at a used lot? Don't offer to work for free, don't tell the owner of your plans and just learn at your own pace!
I suspect the fantasy is way better than the reality. I think the state stifles your business and the consumer has more rights than you do. Remember in the car business, "buyers are liars!"
Peter...... Why not just go get a job at a used lot? Don't offer to work for free, don't tell the owner of your plans and just learn at your own pace!
I suspect the fantasy is way better than the reality. I think the state stifles your business and the consumer has more rights than you do. Remember in the car business, "buyers are liars!"
The problem is, he won't learn a damn thing working for a dealership unless it's a very, very small operation and the owner takes him along for the ride and teaches him the ins and outs of the business. If he goes to a decent size dealership, the only thing is getting on as a sales rep. The sales position isn't much. All he'll get to do is greet customers, test drive with the customer, and ask if the customer wants to buy the car. He won't even be allow to negotiate with the customer. That won't help him one bit in starting his own car dealership. He's going to be stuck there for years until he moves up to management and be train about the "other side" of the business. Does OP have the patient to wait years?
If the OP wants to find out if he wants to sell cars for the rest of his life...yeah, go work for a car dealership and find out if he's passionate about selling cars. As for going in to work for a car dealership so he'll know the ins and out of a business, he won't be getting that knowledge as a sales guy.
OP,
Used car dealership is regulated by the state's DMV. Just go to their website for more information on how to obtain a dealers license.
Just make sure you have enough money for inventory, insurance, bond, lease, and varies other expenses. Especially inventory. Used car prices are through the roof these couple of years. I don't know what other people's experiences are but where I live, used car prices are just crazy now.
Thanks for the replies. Yes, I am looking to fast track this quite a bit. I've already been through some other careers, I'm 38yo, so I don't have that much patience at this point. The dealer I'm looking to start would be somewhat unique, I won't go into details here, so I'm looking to be off on my own asap.
If you are wanting to specialize, I think that is a great idea.
If you have never sold cars before, do it first. I know selling new Fords isnt the same as running a Benz specialty used dealership, but it will teach you a few valuable lessons.
My FIL owned a Ford delarship back in the day, and thought I would do well In F&I. He got me into a training class, then got me a job selling VW's with a guy he trained in the biz. The "agreement" was sell cars for a few months, then Id get into F&I. I hated the experience, but Im grateful for what I learned. Two months in, I got to know another guy, who like me, had a degree. He was a roommate of the owners little brother, and was there under the same agreement. He had been there almost two years. They kept telling him, maybe next month man, just keep it up. Told my FIL, and he said just quit, they are jerking you around.
Anyways, specializing in a small used lot can be great because the world is so small now. All it takes is an eBay account with some feedback and you're off. Catch 22, but no one who isnt local will buy from you until you have feedback on eBay. So encourage local buyers to complete the sale on ebay for a discount, etc. eBay may frown on that, but you NEED feedback.
You dont need an expensive store, but you need a very clean, very bright well lit area to take a ton of pictures of each car.
Spend a LOT of time looking at Texas Direct Auto on eBay. They started off as a small wholesaler in a nasty little lot, and now they took over an old Dodge store and sell more than most new car dealers by far. Very impressive business.
I'm curious why a business owner would want to knowingly train their competition.
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