'Repo Man' was a real job in recession-hit Halifax
Team of two earned $125 to repossess cars when owners defaulted on payments
It wasn't a job that they relished, but it was a job at a time when they were hard to come by.
In 1991, Shawn MacDonald and Larry Scaravelli were two partners in a Halifax bailiff business.
"At night, they repossess cars," explained CBC reporter Paul Withers. "It gives them a street-level view of the economy."
Canada was in the throes of a recession in May 1991, and that meant some people could no longer pay back the loans they'd taken out for their cars.
"The recession's hitting everyone hard," said Scaravelli. "One of the first things to go is payment on your vehicle."
Yachts weren't safe, either
And it wasn't just cars — they'd recently started repossessing yachts, and had to hire a qualified sailing expert to help.
"It's hitting the high end, too," said MacDonald.
The pair travelled the province to carry out their work, and they'd seen all kinds of strategies people tried to prevent it.
The cars would often not be parked where they supposed to be. Sometimes they were hidden in a garage, or at a friend's house.
"Anywhere they can stow it away until they get enough money to pay for it," said MacDonald.
Another ploy was to park a second car directly behind the target car so it couldn't be moved or towed.
Once the car was found, the pair enlisted a tow truck to hitch it up and take it away. And the wait for that truck could be agonizing.
"Three minutes seems like about a day and a half," said MacDonald,
The pair didn't seem to want to go into detail about any confrontations they may have had.
"People have attempted to ram our vehicle and take it off the road," said MacDonald. "That's about as much as I'll get into."
A reporter's repo ride-along
After hearing about how the job worked, it was time for Withers to see it close up.
"After checking a couple of places, they find their repo," said the reporter, as the pair's car pulled up behind a late-model sports car.
The CBC blurred the car and its licence plate at the request of Scaravelli and MacDonald.
The serial number, detectable through the front windshield with MacDonald's flashlight, was a match.
Tools of the trade were key
"After that, it's clear sailing," said Withers. "Thanks to a specially coded key that gives him instant access."
MacDonald climbed into the pixelated repo and drove away, with Scaravelli following in their truck.
"Somebody's in for a big surprise in the morning," said Withers.
The car would be taken to a repossession lot, one of a "half-dozen" in the city, and the pair would earn $125 for their work in securing it.
From there, the car would go to auction, and the creditor would be out by about $6,000.
If Scaravelli and MacDonald seemed unlikely for the job, it wasn't work they'd initially sought out, either.
"I think we're ... a reflection of the economy," said Scaravelli. "I never pictured myself as a repossession, or repo man, as the movie pegged us."
"Opportunities just aren't there. I have a college education, looked for jobs, decent jobs, for a long time."
He said it was "really difficult" to take cars back from people.
"A lot of time it's their livelihood, and we don't really feel that comfortable with it."
Nevertheless, it was good to be busy — and busy they were.
"The phone's ringing, the pager's going off. We're happy."