Passion for cars leads to Carson Auto Sales

“I’m really passionate about cars. I’ve been buying and selling and restoring cars for about 15 years.”

For most of that time, Ron Wilson did it one automobile at a time — buy a car, work on it, drive it, sell it, then start all over with another car that needed refurbishing.

Then, about two years ago, he took an office on Fairview Drive and sold a couple cars at a time from the parking lot.

Now, he and his wife Nicole Merrin own and operate Carson Auto Sales on North Carson Street, where they moved to in March.

The business specializes in selling all-wheel and 4-wheel trucks and cars and the move has allowed them to expand to a lot of 20 to 25 used autos with room in back for more inventory.

The business buys cars at auction or from individuals and then spends 10 to 15 hours prepping each one for sale.

“We do a full inspection, clean it, service it,” said Wilson. “I’m also the mechanic.”

And Merrin steam cleans the cars.

“I’m the detailer,” she said.

They also take trade-ins and offer several financing options.

The lot is off the beaten track from other car dealers on South Carson Street and a handful of used lots on William Street, but Wilson and Merrin are happy to stand out from the pack.

“We’ve been really well received,” he said.

It also places them a few blocks away from Ronald D. Wilson Memorial Park, a city park named after Wilson’s father, a long-serving Carson City undersheriff.

Merrin works full-time at the lot while Wilson continues to drive a route for FedEx, a job he’s had for 22 years.

But he’s committed to Carson Auto Sales — he even sold his 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle to provide the seed money for the business.

“She was blue,” Wilson said.

But it was worth it.

“It’s my dream job. It’s our retirement plan.”