Dealer Takes Anything in Trade

the oddest trade was a horse Najjar accepted in September as down payment on a 2010 Chevrolet HHR.

"We have an ad running that says, When other people say no, we find a way to go'," he said.

It caught the attention of a woman going through a divorce and in need of a car, he said.

When she showed up at his Pinellas Park, Fla., showroom, Najjar assured her he would be flexible on the trade.

"She said she had nothing of real value except a horse," he said. She showed him a video of Dallas, her buckskin quarter horse, and Najjar called his wife.

"I asked her, What do you think about owning a horse?' And she said, I always wanted one.'"

The woman had been paying more than her new car payment to feed and care for the 13-year-old gelding. Those costs now fall to Najjar.

"Somebody told me a long time ago, don't take anything on trade that eats," Najjar said. "I broke the rule I guess."

No matter. Najjar's wife and three kids - ages 5, 7 and 9 - are delighted.

Having to find a buyer for a traded item occasionally takes longer than expected and that can temporarily tie up Najir's cash flow, but it doesn't happen often.

"We try to turn things around pretty quick," he said. "We have a relationship with some local vendors (and) always turn to them first."

Najjar said the occasional hassle unloading the oddball trades are worth it.
They bring in an extra 10 or 15 deals a month.

He avoids taking anything illegal in trade and is careful to do everything by the book.

That includes valuing even the items he keeps and telling the lender he is taking, say, a horse as the trade in. Najjar said his entire sales staff is skilled at assessing the value of a broad range of items.

But if the trade in turns out to be worth less than the required down payment, it is the dealership that comes up short, not the bank.

Creditors don't mind the unconventional deals because all the risk falls on Najjar.
There are some limits to what Najjar will take on trade. He once refused two burial plots.

"He was asking too much money for them," Najir said. "I didn't know how to value them - and I didn't want to use them."

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