STEVEN ORTIZ USES CRAIGSLIST TO LAND PORSCHE
July 22, 2010 by Garrett Hawley
GLENDORA, CA – One savvy teen knows how to turn nothing into something!
Steven Ortiz has a bright future ahead of him. He has the makings of a great businessman and is certainly one of the few teens with a Porsche – not given to them by their daddy. Ortiz turned an outdated cell-phone into a Porsche.
The 17-year-old worked his magic on Craigslist and through a series of 14 swaps over a period of two years, Ortiz was able to land a 2000 Porsche Boxster S. All that was needed for the wheels to start turning was for a friend to give him an old cell phone – but he wanted a dirt bike.
“I got to the dirt bike and I told myself, ‘If I can get here, where else can I get?,’” Ortiz told KTLA.
Ortiz kept trading up, – sometimes down – acquiring a MacBook Pro, a 1987 Toyota 4Runner, and eventually a 1975 Ford Bronco. The Bronco, considered a collectible, scored him the Porsche.
Like any smart businessman, Ortiz does his research. He says that he spends five to six hours a day searching Craigslist for the right kind of swaps.
“I get so many people who say, ‘Can you trade my phone for a car?’ I just say, ‘Yeah, it’s not that easy,’” Ortiz told the Pasadena Star-News.
Ortiz knew that he had a collectible in the Ford Bronco. However, he went through with the Porsche trade because he was searching for the allure and respect of being a 17-year-old with a Porsche. The allure has quickly worn off as the upkeep of the Porsche has become too much. He is setting his sights on obtaining a new car.
“At 17, paying $1,200 for a tune up on a Porsche. I can do a lot with $1,200,” Ortiz said.
