End of an era........

Goose

Well-known Member
Lincoln, Nebraska used car dealer Wally "Weird Wally" Smith died Monday morning.

He dealt in "low priced" used cars, and was the first to denigrate his inventory. He once advertised some old Dodge saying, "This car is such a dog my wife's poodle took a liking to it. Anyway, this car is fully equipped, which is more than you can say for the poodle".

He once took a 4x8 sheet of plywood, painted it into a certificate good for one free used car, and put it on sign posts on the Interstate. A couple of college kids went out, took it down, and brought it to his lot. He gave them an old car of some sort.

And so it went. His antics generated priceless free advertising.

But-when the local Meals on Wheels had the misfortune of having the engine blow on one of their vans, he was right on the spot to donate a station wagon he had on his lot.

I don't think the used car business in Lincoln will be the same. We'll miss him.
 
Some of those guys were real characters. When I traveled around the country I used to watch for characters advertising their car business. Some of them were quite creative.
 
I didn't know Wally or know of him, but the Old Dodge comment made me think of Al Bundy.
 
I worked at a Rambler dealer one summer. A man and his son came in wanting to buy a cheap car. Curly the salesman asked them what they wanted, we have some good used cars and some well used cars. They chose a worn out Studebaker with a dead battery. The mechanic pulled it into the shop and hooked up the charger + to - and didn't know the old Stude had + ground. When I walked by the battery was boiling fiercely and I kept on walking. It never did explode.
 
When I lived in Richmond, VA in the late 60's there was a used car dealer "Mad Man Dapper Dan" whose motto was "I'd give 'em away but my wife won't let me!"
 
I remember living in 4 corners in early 80's and getting a California channel that had "Cal Worthington" and his dog spot. Usually a lion or something. Was a hoot to watch.
 
He used absolutely zero sales pressure. You could wander around his lot at will while he sat in the office reading the newspaper or something.

Come to think of it, I used him as a subject for a paper for a marketing class at UNL. He did fill a niche in the used car business.

Today's paper told how he got his nickname. After he'd been in business for a couple of years, a buddy of his was hanging out in his office and overheard Wally being completely blunt about the condition of a car to a customer. After the customer left, his buddy said, "Man, you're weird!" The nickname stuck.
 
Anyone who has spent time in southern California will remember the late Cal Worthington of Long Beach. Google "Cal Worthington and his dog Spot" and you'll find dozens of old TV ads that will bring tears to your eyes.
Go see Cal
 
Calgary, Alberta had "Farmer Jones" used cars. He had a large neon sign with slogans like "We love carz" and "We hate cash". The best was "Stupid Buyer on Duty". They filled a need when cash was tight. Now a good $100 car costs two or three thousand bucks! unc
 
Dapper Dan's real name was Howard Hughes! My uncle worked for him for a while. He'd give you two sets of keys to the car he sold you, but keep the third set in case you got behind on your payments! Said it made repossession a breeze! The repo guys were almost as busy as the salesmen!
 
Yep. His lot was on "P" Street. He advertised, "When you go to P, see me".
 

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