RENO -- When Ray Dicius sells a car, he doesn't take out an advertisement in the Sunday newspaper or place a "For Sale" sign in the window.

Instead, the Los Angeles financial consultant drives eight hours to Reno to sell it at Private Party Cars.

"The trip pays for itself," says Dicius, who once resided in Nevada and has used the service since 1995. "We get at least $1000 more for each car than we would in Los Angeles. It's a no brainer."

Founded in 1982, Private Party Cars is the brainchild of Rick Gardner, a 42-year-old entrepreneur who two decades ago combined an empty, corner lot with the right business concept.

Located two blocks from Reno's "auto row," Private Party Cars is a display lot where sellers can reach customers in a high-class, high-touch way. The company rents display space for $195 to $295 (depending on the car's price) for 42 days; customers can pay $60 extra for a corner space or $45 for a front-line space.

Private Party Cars' services go beyond just space rental on a busy corner. The company also helps customers price their cars based on real market value and professionally show and market the vehicles in a secure environment. For $25, the company will also advertise the car on the Internet, with up to five photographs.

"When a buyer and seller get together to set up an appointment, the first showing results in a sale 99 percent of the time," says Gardner, whose 4-employee firm handles no negotiations, but works consistently with customers until their cars sell.

Gardner's business, "where buyer meets seller" is unique in an industry where sellers were traditionally relegated to working with a used car dealer or taking out a newspaper ad.

Instead of inviting strangers to their homes to see and test-drive the cars, sellers meet buyers on neutral, safe territory at Private Party Cars. "Our facility is fully lit at night and the environment is very professional and upscale," says Gardner. "Sellers need only come here twice: once to bring the car in, and once to sell it."

Private Party Cars is also a great alternative to the traditional used car lot, where customers often face pricing, commission and related frustrations.

"When someone buys a car from a dealer, they rarely come away from the experience with a good feeling," says Gardner. "Here, when buyer and seller get together, it's a rewarding experience."

Private Party Cars further enhances those feelings by sending out both thank you and congratulations cards. To help educate the seller, car-selling tips are sent to customers with vehicles on the lot.

Those efforts have resulted in 85 percent word-of-mouth business for Gardner, whose only other advertising mechanism is a single Yellow Pages ad.

These days, Gardner gets about four serious inquires a month from persons interested in duplicating his concept, and is considering an expansion plan that could find Private Party Cars-like concepts in large metros nationwide.

"After 20 years, I'm finally realizing that the success is in the system, which I want to bottle for others to use," says Gardner, who next year will start selling a "business opportunity" package to other entrepreneurs.

Dicius predicts the idea will go over big. "He has the most perfect business model in the car reselling arena," he says. "I'm surprised more people haven't duplicated his efforts already."

Today's profile: Rick Gardner
Business: Private Party Cars

VITALS: Address: 2190 Mill St., Reno. Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., weekdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday. Phone: 323-4478. Description of business: Private Party Cars helps owners sell their cars by displaying the vehicles for sale. The business is located on about two acres and, according to Gardner, it's "the second-busiest corner in Reno." Instead of advertising a vehicle for sale or trading it in, clients lease space on Gardner's lot for 35 days. There are no salespeople; customers can browse the lot at their leisure, The lot has secured, attended parking and vehicles are washed three times each week. Private Party Cars does not negotiate a price, nor does Gardner get involved in test driving a car for buyers. His policy is that buyers must meet sellers. To facilitate this, he will let buyers use his phone to call sellers and arrange the meeting. Private Party Cars does, however, do credit checks, assist with the details of financing and even send buyers to the appropriate lender. Any vehicle can be displayed, even boats, trailers and recreation vehicles. Gardner once displayed a steamroller.

BACKGROUND: Gardner was raised in Sparks, graduated from Reno High School and, after completing a Latter-day Saints mission, attended Truckee Meadows Community College. He has always been interested in business. At 14, he and another boy ran a flower delivery service. Later, he operated his own concrete business. "I guess business is in my blood," he says.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED? Gardner read about the cars sales concept in a business magazine. He checked into a similar franchise in California, but decided to strike down his own. In 1982, he borrowed money and opened Private Party Cars."It was the hardest thing I've ever done." He says. "I don't know if I could do it again. I worked so hard. But I didn't make a profit for the first four years. We lived on my wife's salary. The business was growing slowly and I knew the concept was great. But I couldn't afford to advertise, so nobody knew about us."

After the fourth year, Gardner began to see black on his balance sheet. He is now so busy that last month, for the first time, he had to turn away a customer for lack of space. He doesn't even have to advertise now. Growth is up 20 percent over last year, he says. Since there is room for only 160 spaces at his current location, Gardner says he'd like to expand. Reno isn't big enough to handle two such operations, he says. Gardner is looking at the Salt Lake City and Las Vagas areas to perhaps open a franchise.

WHAT MAKES YOUR BUSINESS DIFFERENT? Unlike dealerships, Private Party Cars does not make money on cars the business profits by leasing space. Gardner says the majority of his inventory turns around within about two weeks.

PRICE RANGE: Rental space, paid in advance, costs between $195 and $265, based on the value of the vehicle. Clients can have a front row for $40 extra. For an additional $55 they can get a corner.

Maybe your teen has just received a driver's license. Or perhaps gotten a diploma and is headed off to college next autumn. Whatever the reason, finding a smart, safe and affordable car for teenagers is a challenge parents face.

The good news is that plenty of used vehicles fall into that category. Better yet, most of the 14 Best Cars for Teens ranked by CarInsurance.com are also likely to have enough of the cool factor to keep the kids happy.

The insurance site focused on reasonably affordable used vehicles from the 2009 model-year -- those available for under $15,000. These are vehicles still new enough to ensure above-average reliability. In fact, many might still be covered by original or extended warranties. The 14 models had to be in the top tier in terms of fuel economy - meaning a minimum 20 mpg combined, according to the EPA -- and all had to earn top safety ratings in the government's crash tests.

The good news is that nearly half are available - either as standard equipment or option - with electronic stability control which, “is a godsend because it limits a lot of the dumb moves a young driver can make,” Des Toups, managing editor of CarInsurance.com, said in a release. “But like every safety feature, it appears first on expensive cars and works its way down to the cheap ones.”

The final measure also falls into the affordability category, in this case insurance costs. That's a significant factor parents should consider as young drivers typically have some of the highest premiums even if they've taken a driver's education program and have a good record. The premiums quoted were based on insurance rates for an 18-year-old male living in Pensacola, Fla., commuting 12 miles each way to school, carrying standard levels of coverage, with no accidents or violations on their driving record.

“There's a big difference in insurance rates among the cars on the list,” Toups said in the statement. “But a teenage driver is going to pay a small fortune even if he chooses the most insurance-friendly car.”

How much? Anywhere from $3,322 for a big 2009 Ford Taurus to $4,392 for a more sporty Mitsubishi Lancer GTS. Here's the complete list:

Rank/Model/Annual premium

1. Ford Taurus: $3,322

2. Honda Accord: $3,334

3. Ford Fusion*: $3,494

4. Scion xB: $3,506

5. Subaru Legacy: $3,518

6. Volkswagen Jetta sedan: $3,524

7. Audi A3 2.0T: $3,622

8. Toyota Corolla*: $3,656

9. Subaru Impreza 2.5i: $3,732

10. Honda Civic four-door*: $3,738

11. Ford Focus coupe*: $3,800

12. Volkswagen Rabbit four-door: $3,974

13. Honda Fit Sport*: $3,976

14. Mitsubishi Lancer GTS*: $4,392

Vehicles marked with an asterisk (*) offer electronic stability control, either as an option or standard feature. As with all used vehicles, features may vary, along with vehicle condition and parents should take care to ensure they've been properly maintained. It's also smart to check with a dealer about whether a used vehicle has been recalled and, if so, make sure that the appropriate repairs have been made.

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