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Teen Barters Old Cell Phone on Craigslist to Eventually Land a Porsche

by Amar Toor on July 21, 2010 at 10:56 AM

steven ortiz with his porsche
Steven Ortiz, like most high schoolers, used to rock an ancient cell phone. But, in the span of just two years, the teenager magically turned his raggedy old burner into a sleek Porsche Boxster S... with, of course, a little help from Craigslist.

As the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports, Ortiz began scouring through Craigslist's barter section when he was just 15, looking for anyone willing to take his phone in exchange for something else. He finally traded his old mobile for a better one, then traded that phone for an iPod Touch. He bartered the iPod for a dirt bike, and eventually obtained a whole fleet of cars. Among the vehicles that passed through Ortiz's garage was a 1975 Ford Bronco, which is reportedly something of a collector's item. Two years after beginning his barter bonanza, the 17-year-old became the proud owner of a 2000 Porsche Boxster S. The sports car, in fact, was actually worth $9,000 -- about $6,000 less than Ortiz' Bronco. But we're pretty sure that being able to wheel that thing around his high school parking lot far exceeds any monetary loss.

Ortiz's story will likely elicit comparisons to Kyle MacDonald, the Canadian who famously traded a red paperclip, and eventually earned himself a farmhouse in 2006. Ortiz, however, insists that he'd never heard of MacDonald before embarking upon his own Craigslist quest; he just stumbled upon the barter tab on the classified ads site and was hooked. And, while his story has led some (including his own relatives) to brand Ortiz as a con artist, both Steven and his father, Esteban, dismiss all such speculation. "People just make these trades," Steven says, "I am not lying to anyone."
Not surprisingly, Ortiz is looking to trade his new Porsche, as the costs of maintaining his ride have been weighing heavily upon his bank account. So, if you're in the market for a Boxster, you might want to search him out on Craigslist -- but you'll certainly have to bring a lot to the table. [From: SGVTribune, via: CNET]


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Tags: barter, barter-system, BarterExchange, bartering, cars, craigslist, craigslist.org, KyleMacdonald, Porsche, PorscheBoxster, top, trade, web

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