OLD RESEARCH

When I was younger, I developed a research system for searching and buying used cars. I used the local daily classifieds and the Bargain News “the Uncle Henry’s of CT.” I would buy the classifieds early every morning and scan the used cars listing, choose the cars I thought I would like to look at, and go see the ones that could be moneymakers. Each day I would cross off the cars that had already been sold, circle the ones I interested in, and then cross off the circled cars I had looked at. I would save the sheet and repeat the processes early the next morning, comparing the new listing with the old, looking for new postings. More times than not, I would be the first or second caller, increasing the chances of a first look at a real bargain. Once I purchased a car, I would fix it up and advertise it in the same newspaper, this time as the seller. I must include another “real” advantage I had with this scheme was that I had a good friend who worked in the advertising dept of the newspaper (The Bridgeport Post). Sometimes I could get the classifieds before they were even in print. I made a lot of money selling used cars using this research method. I did it for several years, until I moved on to something else. It was a lot of work and it was long before the days of personal computers. If I were to do it, today the process would be the same, just aided by a PC and the online search engines.
I used the same process with the Bargain News. The only difference being, Bargain News was a weekly issue, advertising used cars statewide. This made for lost time traveling around the state. Therefore, I would refrain from using it unless it was a super deal.