The Opportunity Most Dealerships Miss While Holding Inventory
I Still Broker Cars for Clients — But I Don’t Chase Inventory Anymore
Most buyers don’t need more listings.
They need more leverage.
And leverage doesn’t come from scrolling harder.
For 20+ years I’ve lived inside the car world differently than most dealers and brokers. I’ve always been more “Realtor for cars” than traditional dealership — structure the deal cleanly, protect the buyer, and make the right car show up.
But the market changed after Covid… and most brokers never adjusted.
The Market Changed After Covid (And Most Brokers Never Adjusted)
For years, dealer auctions were a real advantage.
Then Covid hit and the game shifted:
- inventory tightened
- fees climbed
- “wholesale” started looking like retail with extra steps
- big-box online retailers began controlling more supply
- a lot of brokers stopped doing real work and became link-forwarders
That’s not how I operate.
After moving to New Mexico, I shut down my Colorado dealership operation — but I did not leave the broker world.
At the time I created this Parking Spot, I was working through Epic Autos so I could still do deals when it made sense — for clients who valued speed, certainty, and clean execution.
I was still doing deals.
I just wasn’t chasing inventory the old way anymore… because it wastes time.
The Real Story Behind This Parking Spot
At the time I created this Parking Spot, I had a repeat client — a doctor in San Diego — who had bought vehicles from me before.
He was driving a BMW 3-Series with a manual transmission.
San Diego traffic + a clutch that was starting to slip = not the vibe.
So he called me and said (in doctor terms):
“John… I don’t have time for this. Can you hook me up?”
Here’s what he wanted next:
✅ Volvo S60 / S90 T8 (hybrid)
✅ Under $35,000 target
✅ No black exterior (dealbreaker)
✅ Prefer: Denim Blue Metallic (top pick)
✅ Also fine: navy / gray / silver
✅ Sunroof preferred
✅ Clean car, clean structure, clean execution
Simple request. Harder market.
Quick example (so you can see what I mean):
I included photos in this Parking Spot of a 2022 Volvo S60 Recharge Inscription Extended Range eAWD I found for under $30,000.
At the time, it checked all my client’s boxes — and it was sitting at a dealership in California collecting dust.
That wasn’t “rare inventory.”
That was a dealer who had a car… and needed the right buyer.
That’s how deals actually happen: client wins, dealer wins, and I get paid for structuring it right.
Here’s The Part That Will Mess With Your Head
This is exactly why I rebuilt CoolCarGuy.com.
Because I don’t want to waste 10 hours “searching harder” like everyone else.
I want leverage.
So instead of chasing inventory all day, here’s what I do:
I create one story-based position (like this one) that explains:
- exactly what I’m looking for
- exactly what qualifies
- exactly what doesn’t
- exactly how I work
Then I can message sellers and dealers with one line:
“If you want to sell the right car fast, read this.”
That’s it.
No endless back-and-forth.
No re-explaining the same thing 40 times.
No wasting time on cars that don’t match.
This story becomes the filter.
The right cars rise to the top.
And here’s the key:
This Parking Spot isn’t the inventory — it’s the leverage.
How the Deal Gets Done (Clean + Protected)
If the right car is local — great.
If it’s out of state — also fine.
If a seller wants extra structure and protection, one clean path is:
- we agree on terms
- we run it through a dealer channel when it makes sense
- inspections are handled properly
- shipping is coordinated cleanly
- everything is still offer + acceptance — like real business
Sometimes that means using a dealer pipeline (yes, potentially including a channel like Manheim when appropriate) because it creates cleaner rails for inspection and accountability.
The point is simple:
If the car doesn’t meet the standard, we don’t buy it. Period.
The Bonus Move (And Why This Works Long-Term)
At the time I created this Parking Spot, I also planned to add photos of my client’s current BMW — a manual-transmission San Diego car that was about to be replaced.
Not because I was “selling inventory.”
But because it illustrated something real:
A clean car… with a real owner… that was about to be replaced.
If someone saw it and said:
“That’s exactly what I want — and I want it before it’s gone.”
They could reach out.
That’s positioning.
“Could I Do This Too?” (Yes. That’s The Point.)
This isn’t just a car story.
It’s a blueprint.
You could do the exact same thing:
- if you’re hunting a specific vehicle
- if you’re a dealer trying to move inventory cleanly
- if you’re a broker who wants leverage
- if you’re a buyer who’s tired of the runaround
And if writing isn’t your thing?
Use AI.
Most people use AI for captions and emails.
You can use it to write a story-position like this that:
- saves time
- filters bad leads
- attracts the right inventory
- makes the deal cleaner
That’s how leverage actually works.
UPDATE — FOUND IT. BOUGHT IT. DONE.
I ended up grabbing a 2023 Volvo S60 T8 for my client with only 8,200 miles at the Manheim dealer auction.
So the specific vehicle search described in this Parking Spot is closed.
But I’m leaving the Parking Spot up because now it shows the entire idea from beginning to end:
I had a client looking for a specific car.
I created one page explaining exactly what I wanted.
That page became something I could share instead of explaining the same search over and over again.
And eventually we bought the car.
That’s a pretty good example of what a Parking Spot can be.
It doesn’t have to look like a traditional classified ad.
You can use one to tell a story, search for something, promote a vehicle, promote a business, explain what you do, or create something completely different around the automotive world.
A full-page Parking Spot costs $7 one time.
👉 CREATE A $7 PARKING SPOT
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👇 If you want to understand what CoolCarGuy.com actually is, watch the short five-minute video below.
Note: You can include up to two supported embedded videos in a Parking Spot at no extra charge.