It was a rather expensive ride today, going to my car lot to resign as owner and CEO. I drove my Expedition for the last time, probably. Who can afford to drive a car that only gets 15 miles per gallon with today's gasoline prices. Now that's a luxury. Paul was in his usual spot, under one car or another with his usual entourage of onlookers. I suspect his productivity would increase by double if he just dissuaded some of his fans from stealing his attention during work hours, but that is no longer my problem. I danced around for a while, waiting for the fan club to disperse a little and finally asked Paul if he could help me for a minute on a private matter. Paul's garage reminds me of the general store in any old Western town where everyone congregates.
I walked Paul over to a shady spot on my side of the property and explained that as things are as they are, I'm not going to be able to continue paying him rent any longer and I was going to stop last month, but decided to at least give him a few weeks notice. Surprisingly, Paul seemed like he was expecting it and took it like a businessman instead of what I was expecting. I expected him to throw a tantrum like the last time I told him I was leaving.
I moved to this valley about 35 years ago and went directly into the car business when I realized my clothing experience wasn't going to be capable of supporting my family and me here, and it has been good. I survived, earned a healthy living and never had to "want" for anything. I always maintained my own hours, worked when I wanted to and played when I didn't want to work, but always paid my bills and lived a comfortable life. No complaints. A dead horse has never gotten up and run after a beating and the car business has experienced a beating the like that no one has ever seen. The greed that took place in the real estate market with lenders going insane has had the trickle down effect on the automobile business. People are having to sell their extra cars to pay for their homes and soon they lose them too. As a dealer, I can't sell a car cheaper than a man that needs to feed his family with the sale of his car. I throw in the proverbial towel and thank everyone who helped me along the way..
The Retired Guy
7/15/08
I walked Paul over to a shady spot on my side of the property and explained that as things are as they are, I'm not going to be able to continue paying him rent any longer and I was going to stop last month, but decided to at least give him a few weeks notice. Surprisingly, Paul seemed like he was expecting it and took it like a businessman instead of what I was expecting. I expected him to throw a tantrum like the last time I told him I was leaving.
I moved to this valley about 35 years ago and went directly into the car business when I realized my clothing experience wasn't going to be capable of supporting my family and me here, and it has been good. I survived, earned a healthy living and never had to "want" for anything. I always maintained my own hours, worked when I wanted to and played when I didn't want to work, but always paid my bills and lived a comfortable life. No complaints. A dead horse has never gotten up and run after a beating and the car business has experienced a beating the like that no one has ever seen. The greed that took place in the real estate market with lenders going insane has had the trickle down effect on the automobile business. People are having to sell their extra cars to pay for their homes and soon they lose them too. As a dealer, I can't sell a car cheaper than a man that needs to feed his family with the sale of his car. I throw in the proverbial towel and thank everyone who helped me along the way..
The Retired Guy
7/15/08
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