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When moving from one duty station to another, buying or selling a vehicle can become a large stressor. It can be tough finding transportation to house hunt, run errands or travel during the transition.
The 86th Force Support Squadron Outdoor Recreation resale lot offers incoming and outgoing Kaiserslautern Military Community members the option to buy and sell vehicles to make their transitions a little smoother.
David Green, 86 FSS Outdoor Recreation supervisor, said the process for renting a reserved spot in the lot is simple.
“A customer comes in with their registration and talks with us about reserving a parking space to park and sell their vehicle,” he said. “The customer puts their information in the window of the vehicle so other members of the KMC can come through and see what’s being sold.”
Green said January and July are always busy. The resale lot only has 71 spots so it’s always full during those months.
“There are so many cars for sale during those months that we don’t have enough spaces available,” Green said. “Other times, the lot may not be full but there are always vehicles out there.”
With the large influx of cars for sale during busier months, the employees found the easiest way to take care of their customers is to take them as they come in.
“We do this on a first come, first served basis,” said Sarah Mueller, 86 FSS Outdoor Recreation director. “Some people may ask why we don’t have a waiting list, but waiting lists aren’t the answer either because that becomes an administrative nightmare. We’re trying to keep the process as simple and effective as possible to assist our customers in the best way we can.”
Although many people may know about the lemon lot, or resale lot, sometimes they may not understand the process to reserve a parking spot.
“We do have people who see the lemon lot and think they can just park their car there to sell it,” Green said. “We ask that vehicle owners who wish to sell take the necessary steps and contact us to prevent any inconveniences.”
Employees also have the authorization to write parking tickets for those cars parked illegally.
Renting a parking spot costs a non-refundable minimum of $14 for a week or $20 for two weeks.
“Everything we do and all the money we make goes back to the community,” Green said. “Whether it’s 4th of July Freedom Fest or musicians holding free concerts on Ramstein, that money comes from things like the resale lot. We wouldn’t be able to do those things if people weren’t supporting us.”
Green and Mueller said even though the lot may seem empty during certain parts of the day, it’s typically full.
“One of the misconceptions or frustrations from the customer’s prospective is they see empty spaces, but they are not (empty), they are assigned to someone,” Mueller said. “Many people still use the cars they’re selling on a daily basis.”
The 86 FSS Outdoor Recreation is working to create an outlet to advertise vehicle sales on the 86 FSS website. This will allow more vehicle owners to announce the sales of their vehicles outside of the resale lot.
The resale lot is located in the Northside Chapel parking lot, next to the Passenger Terminal long-term parking. To reserve a parking spot or ask more questions about the resale lot, contact Ramstein Outdoor Recreation at 480-5705 or 06371-47-5705.
