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Craig Boling: Used-car salesman

The Used Car Store's owner doesn't fit Hollywood stereotype of used car salesmen.

By CATHY JETT

Date published: 9/18/2003

By CATHY JETT

Craig Boling doesn't fit the Hollywood image of a slick-talking, flashily dressed used-car salesman.

For starters, the owner of The Used Car Store in Garrisonville doesn't wear loud ties. Bold gold jewelry? Definitely not a part of his wardrobe.

"It's funny how we're stereotyped," chuckled Boling, who wears polo shirts and khakis to work. "We're just regular family people like everyone else."

He even has an answer for people worried they'll get stuck with a lemon if they buy a used car. He and his staff can run a free check on Carfax, an automotive-history reporting service. And sales come with warranties.

Boling, 41, said people rarely look askance when he meets them for the first time and explains what he does for a living. Instead of cracking jokes about the profession, they usually want to know if he can track down a particular type of vehicle, he said.

Today's tight economy may be responsible for polishing used cars' image, he said. Brand-new trucks and sports utilities can cost $40,000 or $50,000. Used, they sell for considerably less.

Is it any surprise that while Americans buy 14 million to 15 million new cars a year, they snap up nearly three times as many used ones, Boling said.

A former partner and salesman at Woodbridge Jeep, the Virginia Tech business major picked the name The Used Car Store with an eye to the Internet. When people type the words "used car" into a search engine, The Used Car Store's Web site is usually one of the first links to pop up on the screen, he said.

"Low and behold, they pick up the phone and call you," Boling said. "We've had people drive here from as far away as New York to buy a car."

The Used Car Store gets most of its stock from trade-ins and the Fredericksburg Auto Auction. Unlike many other used car businesses, it also takes cars on consignment for people who'd rather not have potential buyers coming to their home.

"If the car doesn't sell, then it doesn't cost them a penny," Boling said. "If it does, we usually make a few hundred dollars."

Boling and his staff also will pick customers up if they can't get to the business themselves. This service was especially popular earlier this year when it snowed.

"The commonsense approach of trying to help people goes a long way," Boling said.

To reach CATHY JETT: 540/374-5407 cjett@freelancestar.com

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Date published: 9/18/2003