Greetings to all,
Would like to share a story about heart break. I was born and raised knowing nothing but Land Cruisers. My father owns a 1989 FJ62 and is now my daily driver. So just like everyone else on this website I have an unyielding passion for TLCs.
With that being said, I recently started working at used car dealership and they have something called a wholesale lot. The whole sale lot are cars that do not meet their standards, whether that's too high of miles, too old of a car, or too many issues. They have a large variety of vehicles that come from different walks of life that are sold at low prices (except for J**ps which are over priced by a couple thousand). The wholesale lot is then auctioned off to other smaller dealerships and car fanatics. You as an employee are able to call dibs on a vehicle in the whole sale lot and purchase one, Its on a first come first basis.
This is where my sad story begins... on Monday this last week (8/6/18) I had logged into the inventory list to see vehicles that were being shipped to the store and 3 words had caught my eye..Toyota Land Cruiser. A Stock 1996 FZJ80 DK emerald/moonlight with 139,489 miles on it was being sent to my store, I was super excited to say the least. It was going to be sold for roughly $5,500-$6,000. Flash forward a couple days to Wednesday, I was walking around and saw a transporter with the BEAUTIFUL FZJ80 on it. I was freaking out and needed to get my name on that truck. I ran to a computer printed off a sheet got it filled out and gave it to the Transporter driver so I could be the 1st one to have dibs on it. I managed to beat 2 other folks for the 80. I'm pumping out masses of adrenaline at this point and I'm super stoked cause a FZJ80 is going to be apart of the TLC family. I tell my father, who has wanted a 95-97 Green or blue 80 for many many years (at some point was actually going to sell the 62 and get an 80 years earlier but decided not to) was very pleased about the news and was excited as well. His 50th birthday was coming up and I kept thinking how awesome would it be for him to have his dream 80. I'm in the mindset that the 80 is for sure mine, I'm doing research for rock sliders, tires, and a suspension and just dreaming about all of the greatness that will come from this vehicle for the family. Friday rolls around and that's when I have to pay for my safety inspection that had already been done and I'm still smiling cheek to cheek about this vehicle, dreaming and living on cloud 9 knowing that its going to be mine soon. During my 7am break I head over to the truck to check it out again, and in the dash I see that someones paper was on top of mine and in the top left hand corner it said 1st and on mine it said 2nd...I was in shock and disbelief. I scanned the other persons paper and saw that it was someone from another store and I was thinking how on earth did they get it before me?!?! at that point I'm scrambling to the managers office to get answers. Turns out the person who beat me is from another state and its a rare occurrence that someone from another store get their hands on a wholesale from another store. So I'm furious and fuming that this has even happened and I still want more answers so later that morning I go to the purchasing office and ask for some more answers. I get my answers and apparently the fellow from another state had put in a request for an 80 through the purchasing office, they found one and he called the store a day before me and had dibs on it. It was heart breaking and I was very upset and I still am. But the most upsetting part for me was the fact that I felt I had let my father down, his 50th birthday is coming up and I wanted him to have his dream 80. It's very disappointing but it now gives us time and money to focus on the 62 and build her up and still keep a hopeful watch out for another 80. To the gentlemen who is now in possession of that 80 I wish you the very best with that vehicle and that you have many joyous adventures with it.
- J
Would like to share a story about heart break. I was born and raised knowing nothing but Land Cruisers. My father owns a 1989 FJ62 and is now my daily driver. So just like everyone else on this website I have an unyielding passion for TLCs.
With that being said, I recently started working at used car dealership and they have something called a wholesale lot. The whole sale lot are cars that do not meet their standards, whether that's too high of miles, too old of a car, or too many issues. They have a large variety of vehicles that come from different walks of life that are sold at low prices (except for J**ps which are over priced by a couple thousand). The wholesale lot is then auctioned off to other smaller dealerships and car fanatics. You as an employee are able to call dibs on a vehicle in the whole sale lot and purchase one, Its on a first come first basis.
This is where my sad story begins... on Monday this last week (8/6/18) I had logged into the inventory list to see vehicles that were being shipped to the store and 3 words had caught my eye..Toyota Land Cruiser. A Stock 1996 FZJ80 DK emerald/moonlight with 139,489 miles on it was being sent to my store, I was super excited to say the least. It was going to be sold for roughly $5,500-$6,000. Flash forward a couple days to Wednesday, I was walking around and saw a transporter with the BEAUTIFUL FZJ80 on it. I was freaking out and needed to get my name on that truck. I ran to a computer printed off a sheet got it filled out and gave it to the Transporter driver so I could be the 1st one to have dibs on it. I managed to beat 2 other folks for the 80. I'm pumping out masses of adrenaline at this point and I'm super stoked cause a FZJ80 is going to be apart of the TLC family. I tell my father, who has wanted a 95-97 Green or blue 80 for many many years (at some point was actually going to sell the 62 and get an 80 years earlier but decided not to) was very pleased about the news and was excited as well. His 50th birthday was coming up and I kept thinking how awesome would it be for him to have his dream 80. I'm in the mindset that the 80 is for sure mine, I'm doing research for rock sliders, tires, and a suspension and just dreaming about all of the greatness that will come from this vehicle for the family. Friday rolls around and that's when I have to pay for my safety inspection that had already been done and I'm still smiling cheek to cheek about this vehicle, dreaming and living on cloud 9 knowing that its going to be mine soon. During my 7am break I head over to the truck to check it out again, and in the dash I see that someones paper was on top of mine and in the top left hand corner it said 1st and on mine it said 2nd...I was in shock and disbelief. I scanned the other persons paper and saw that it was someone from another store and I was thinking how on earth did they get it before me?!?! at that point I'm scrambling to the managers office to get answers. Turns out the person who beat me is from another state and its a rare occurrence that someone from another store get their hands on a wholesale from another store. So I'm furious and fuming that this has even happened and I still want more answers so later that morning I go to the purchasing office and ask for some more answers. I get my answers and apparently the fellow from another state had put in a request for an 80 through the purchasing office, they found one and he called the store a day before me and had dibs on it. It was heart breaking and I was very upset and I still am. But the most upsetting part for me was the fact that I felt I had let my father down, his 50th birthday is coming up and I wanted him to have his dream 80. It's very disappointing but it now gives us time and money to focus on the 62 and build her up and still keep a hopeful watch out for another 80. To the gentlemen who is now in possession of that 80 I wish you the very best with that vehicle and that you have many joyous adventures with it.
- J