Tough Times Just Seem to Get Tougher : Car Seller Trades In His Lavish Lifestyle

Hard work has helped car salesman Godwin Hui weather the recession.

Last year, at a time when sluggish car sales prompted many of his colleagues to leave the business for good, Hui adhered to a simple philosophy: In hard times, just work harder and spend less.

Hui, who was working at an Acura dealership in Alhambra, coped by nearly doubling his hours and forgoing the finer things in life--such as dining in expensive Chinese restaurants and wearing $500 custom-tailored suits.

The effort has paid off. In July, Hui landed a salesman’s job down the street at Goudy Honda--a plum position that four of his Acura co-workers had sought. Goudy Honda ranks third in sales nationwide and, according to Alhambra officials, is weathering the recession much better than the city’s 16 other car dealers.

Getting the job was not easy. Hui, 32, first had to prove himself by showing Honda managers his paycheck stubs from Acura--evidence that he could, indeed, sell cars.

“It’s very competitive,” Hui said. “All these (salesmen) are very experienced. Eight of them were managers at other dealerships.”

Hui, a bachelor, is earning about the same money selling Hondas as he did selling the more upscale Acuras. But he works a more manageable eight-hour day, five days a week. He was putting in 60 hours a week at Acura.

“When I was at the Acura store, I had to spend time showing and presenting a car, telling people why they have to spend so much money,” Hui explained. “With Honda, it’s different. People come in and know what they want. They make up their minds real quick. They figure that when they see a lot of Accords on the street, they know it’s OK.”

But the job has its down moments. Hui recalled a recent day when a wealthy-looking man parked his brand new Lexus outside the dealership and entered the showroom. The man, a defense attorney, told Hui he was there to buy a car for his daughter.

“I thought for sure he’d buy a $20,000 1992 Accord EX,” Hui said.

Instead, the man opted for a basic Civic hatchback, at $8,000.

“Even the professional people are stepping down a little,” Hui said. “They don’t want to spend too much money.”

But Hui, who admits that he has eased up on his purse strings a bit--even enjoying occasional evenings at karaoke bars--is not complaining.

As car salesmen go, he said, he definitely could be worse off. Much worse.