BORN TRADER FINDS THAT DEALS ARE ALL PART OF A DAY'S WORK

GORDONVILLE -- Deals are all in a day's work for Gordonville used-car salesman Greg Sparkman.

A born trader, the 30-year-old Sparkman is equally at home whether he's selling horsepower or horses.

"We'll trade for anything," said Sparkman, who owns and operates Sparkman Auto Sales. "I traded a '73 Chevy for six pigs and one calf," he recalled.

Recently, a customer traded a car with 140,000 miles on it and a mare, and borrowed money from a bank to buy one of Sparkman's used cars.

At any one time, about 150 cars and pickups are crammed onto the Sparkman Auto lot, situated along Highway 25 in Gordonville. Vehicles are parked everywhere, virtually surrounding the building, which houses Sparkman's office and his Circle S Saddle Co., which sells saddles and tack.

Country music plays on the radio in the auto shop behind the office and saddles share space with cars that are being worked on. The saddle company is a relatively new venture; Sparkman started selling new and used saddles and tack last fall.

The bearded and mustached Sparkman is a busy man. With a staff of only three, counting himself, Sparkman handles everything from selling cars to saddles. "I'm out there selling cars and cleaning cars," he said.

Often he can be found on the telephone, talking to potential customers who have called looking for a good deal on a used car.

"Most of the (used) cars come from new car dealerships and lease companies," explained Sparkman, who sells cars for prices ranging from $500 to $3,500. By comparison, Sparkman's saddles cost on average about $500.

"I just stick with affordable cars," said Sparkman. "I keep a large selection of pickup trucks."

Sparkman grew up in Cape Girardeau and graduated from high school in 1979. He started out working in construction while fixing cars and selling them on the side. "I always liked buying and selling cars," he said.

In 1984, he opened Sparkman Auto Sales, ignoring the advice of friends, who questioned the wisdom of selling cars in Gordonville. "Everybody told me I'd starve to death," said Sparkman. "I was discouraged by a lot of people; they all made fun of me."

But seven years later Sparkman is still selling cars, and his business has grown. "I started out with four cars and I just kind of rolled with it," he said.

"We don't guarantee any of our cars, but we try to do what's fair," said Sparkman, who lives in Gordonville with his wife, Lisa, and their two children.

Customers, he said, have told him that they expect car dealers to cheat them. He disagrees with such stereotyping. "Car dealers, they have the worst reputation. They're supposed to be more crooked than politicians," he quipped.

Green cars are hard to sell, said Sparkman. "Green is a bad color. Nobody wants to buy a green car."

Cars may be his business, but Sparkman's real love is horses. "These cars don't mean anything to me. A car is just another car; it will get me from Point A to Point B," said Sparkman. "Now a horse is a different story."

Sparkman owns a number of horses. "I have race horses and riding horses. My grandfather owned a farm, and I grew up with horses," said Sparkman. "I always have a horse for sale."

The used-car dealer has been in the horse-racing business for about three years now. "I've switched from quarter horses to thoroughbreds." The pay off is bigger with thoroughbreds than quarter horses, said Sparkman. Quarter-horse racing "is just dying out," he said.

Sparkman owns a thoroughbred and leases four others. Under the lease arrangement, Sparkman pays for upkeep of the horses and their training. He gets 60 percent of any prize money, with the owner taking the other 40 percent.

The thoroughbred Sparkman owns is a 2-year-old gelding named Majestic Master, who comes from a championship line. "Both his grandfathers were Kentucky Derby winners," Sparkman pointed out with pride.

But he's also fond of his old riding horses. "The best horses have been the old, ugly ones," he said.

In addition to horses, Sparkman owns some mules. "I have a mule that I ride," he said. He uses a mule in his television commercials. "Other dealers have called me wanting to use a horse or a mule" in their commercials," said Sparkman.

Sparkman talks of opening a saddle and western-gear store at a different place. Space is at a premium at his used-car lot. "I don't have enough room even for the cars," said Sparkman. But for now, saddles and sedans seem to go together at Sparkman's, where a trade is always in the making.