Today we’d like to introduce you to Neil Jaffe.
Neil, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Born in England, my father had six kids. He was a university lecturer who needed to supplement his income. He became a part time car dealer and took me to the auctions from when I was 10, I got the bug and was driving them home by 13 and buying and selling them at 15. I came here at 25 in 1981 and by 1985 I opened the Chequered Flag, selling interesting sports cars and classic cars and specializing in air cooled Porsche’s with around 45 in inventory. We have sold 15000 cars in the last 32 years. Mostly exporting them to Europe. Shifting currencies has put the emphasis on sales within the USA in the last 18 months.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. When we started there were lots of cars and only a few buyers. Now there is only a few cars and a lot of buyers. The market has been going up for 30 years but it has not been a straight line. The dips can be brutal when you are dealing with big numbers. Overall, it’s been a lot of fun and a pleasure dealing with something I’m truly passionate about. I like classic car people too – like dog owners they have softer edges.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are known worldwide having sold around 15000 classic cars. We specialize in all classic and collectible cars with an emphasis on Porsche’s from 1956 to 1998 (air cooled cars) having sold over 3000 of them, mainly to German dealers
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Los Angeles is a car town. There were lots of great classic cars here before not so much left now. It’s a tough business to break into as classic cars are expensive now. We carry five million in inventory. Rent is pretty high, too so a retail facility is tough. Online can work but the fact that we have been in the same location for 32 years really helps in the age of the internet slam.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4128 Lincoln Blvd
Marina Del Rey, California 90292 - Website: chequeredflag.com
- Phone: 310 827 8665
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/Chequeredflag
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChequeredFlagUS
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChequeredFlagCA
Image Credit:
Photos By Alex Mitrovich (@alxmtrvch)
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Lawrence Maltz
May 20, 2021 at 20:45
Neil:
I very much enjoyed reading your story.
Congratulations on sticking with your vision.
My name is Lawrence Maltz.
I was one of the original guys that stared Starbucks Coffee Co. as COO.
I live in Rolling Hills. My contact is 310 628 5984.
I will visit your location tomorrow, May 21st. I am interested in purchasing a a vehicle for my son.