It was the 1975 Ford Bronco that Steven Ortiz traded last on Craigslist to get his own Porsche convertible. But is started with an old cellphone. The 17-year-old Californian went on Craigslist to turn a used cell phone a friend gave him into a 2000 Porsche Boxster S.
Ortiz spends five to six hours each day searching Craigslist for the right kind of swaps. Over the last two years and 14 trades, he’s had an eclectic assortment of items in his possession, including an iPod touch, various dirt bikes, a MacBook Pro, a golf cart, and a 1975 Ford Bronco. It was the Bronco that allowed him to become the only kid at his high school who drives his own convertible Porsche to class.
Although his parents are proud of him and expect a great future for him in business, Ortiz is sad to report that some of his relatives think he’s a swindler. “People just make these trades,” he told the Whittier Daily News. “I am not lying to anyone.”
More and more people are using the Internet as a virtual swap meet—only one with bigger and more specialized payoffs. For instance, Ortiz ended up with a 1987 Toyota 4Runner at one point because a musician decided he needed the MacBook that Ortiz was offering more than he needed the car.
In fact, when Ortiz made his final swap to get the sports car, he was actually trading down. After driving around the 1975 Ford Bronco—worth around $15,000—for a while, Steven decided to trade it for the renown of being a teenage Porsche owner, even though the Boxster was worth only $9,000.