A Dealership Came to MY House to Buy One of MY Cars

A Dealership Came to MY House to Buy One of MY Cars

byTerese Mac Davis

Just Miatas is my hobby that got out of hand. I wanted a Miata but didn’t have enough money. So Just Miatas was born. My partner, Bill, and I kicked in $2k each and bought a shabby, run down 90 Miata (this included fix-up money). We fixed it up and sold it and bought another one.

I was hooked. I loved having the cars and making the transformationshappen. Not only in the car, but in the way people regarded it. Someone sells it because it’s all beat up or it’s too small. Then on the other end, someone comes and falls in love with this beautiful, strong, delightful car.

One of my most unusual buyers was a Mazda dealership up north of San Francisco. I was running an ad for a sweet 91 silver B package and got a call from this guy. He was the head salesman at his dealership and they had a problem.

Someone had traded in a‘91 silver Miata. The head salesman immediately sold it. At the very same time, the owner of the dealership took the car home and gave it to his daughter for her 16th birthday. When the salesman went to get it to have it washed, it was nowhere to be found. Then the story came out. What a mess and what to do. He couldn’t ask for the car back from the owner’s daughter, and he had a couple coming to pick up their new Miata.

He did the logical thing and started combing the internet to try to replace the car. He came across my car ad and called. It was an almost exact match to what he needed and was a little better car. We talked about it on the phone and I sent lots of email pictures since he was so far away. He finally decided to send two drivers down and check out the car and buy it if possible. This was a three hour trip for his mechanic and driver, but he was desperate.

A little snag… he wanted to pay by check. I don’t take checks. Ever. I hate Cashier’s Checks in particular because the legitimate ones look like fakes and the fake ones look real. He finally managed to get the cash together and send it with his driver. I’m sure he’d never in his career bought a car quite that way.

The driver tested and inspected it and the car was practically perfect. They paid fullKelley Blue Book ‘excellent condition, private party’ price for it, too. I’m sure they made money on it, but what a trip!Easiest sale I ever made, and I got a story to tell as well. The guys at the dealership probably did, too.

The salesman called me back a couple days later.The new owners were very happy with the car I sent and liked it even better than the first time they saw it. They may not even have noticed the switch! It was a Just Miatas car and they didn’t even know and I never met them.

This is one reason why I restore Miatas…the people (and of course the cars). Each day is filled with work on beautiful cars and it’s an adventure every time we go hunting for another Miata and it’s exciting when someone comes to look at my cars.