CoastieJ said:
Got a question for you. Realizing the demand for Jeeps here in SoCal is high, I'm interested in buying and selling Jeeps for profit ...nothing crazy, just a Jeep here and there. I know enough about them at this point to know when I should leave one alone (I hope). I'm just starting to realize some of the hurdles I need to go thru to get licensed here in CA. I just need to get in those private auto auctions where the used car dealers go and I can purchase Jeeps for wholesale prices. That is the key. Has anyone out there tried this? Any advice from those who have? Thanks!
Here's what you need to get a used car dealers license:
You must have a physical location, with a sign, that is used strictly for used car sales and display.
You need to complete a mandatory dealer class.
You need to get a bond.
You need to get a business insurance policy.
You then complete the application for dealer license, then wait for the DMV to come out and inspect your location, and if they approve your facility they will issue you a license.
You cannot get a dealer license without a location.
Once you get the dealer license then you can register at the various actions to buy vehicles. But, you must remember that every car sold at an action was sold to the last person raising their hand, and many dealers sell the cars that they weren't willing to keep (for one reason or another) at the auctions.....so you can get burned. There is a learning curve, and you will loose money on a few cars. Hell, I've been doing it for 25 years and I still get burned occasionally.
Now, you can also get just a wholesale dealers license, which will allow you to buy cars at the auctions, or from other dealers, but you still need an office dedicated to the dealership business, and you need all the other stuff, and then you can't retail any cars, only wholesale to other dealers.
So..........unfortunately, you can't do what you want to do.