Do You Really Need to Sacrifice Volume for the Sake of Gross Profit?

An Automotive News story this past weekend gave me pause. The piece highlighted an apparent strategic decision by public dealer groups and large used vehicle-only retailers to go for gross profit...

ProfitTime GPS in Practice: Knowing When It’s Right to “Roll the Car”

In my most recent post, I shared how dealers, and used vehicle managers in particular, get antsy about meeting their sales volume targets near the end of the month and discount the vehicles they...

Why It’s Time To Tighten Up and Be Ready in Used Vehicles

Two things occurred in the past week that prompt this call for dealers to be ready for a rougher run in used vehicles for the remainder of the year than many, including me, have expected. The...

vAuto Podcast: “Invest right now…so we can pay it forward for ourselves in the future”

How to Capitalize on Digital Shopping Trends

Missing the Import of Current Retail Automotive Conditions

It seems as if nearly everyone in the industry, especially dealers, wants answers to two important questions: When will the current chip shortage, which is affecting new vehicle production levels...

A Remarkable–and Familiar–Time for Used Vehicle Retailing

This is normally the time of year when I caution dealers about their high hopes for a strong spring selling season in used vehicles. The caution relates to the tendency of dealers to speculate...

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Three Principles to Fuel Your Fourth Quarter in Used Vehicles

My phone’s been buzzing with dealers asking for input on how they should manage and stock their used vehicle inventories as 2020 comes to close. The questions come from a confluence of factors...

An Unprecedented Market Teaches Three Important Lessons

Unprecedented times tend to yield unprecedented outcomes. That’s been the story for dealers during the past several months in used vehicles. As I’ve noted here before, many dealers were able to...

Why It’s Time to Get Back to Business In Used Vehicles

Like many dealers, I’ve been amazed by the resilience of the retail market for used vehicles during the past four months. I’ve heard from multiple dealers who set sales records in May, June and...

A Case for Stocking Up Now on Used Vehicle Inventory?

For much of the past several months, I’ve advocated that dealers take a cautious approach to the way they replenish their used vehicle inventories. Last week, I shared how dealers should...

A Calculation to Cross-Check Your Used Vehicle Inventory Levels

It’s been impressive to see dealers retailing more used vehicles despite the smaller inventories many have been forced to carry due to lower-than-usual availability of wholesale supplies. Across...

A Strong Market Exposes Gross Deceptions in Used Vehicles

In my latest book, Gross Deception: A Tale of Shifting Markets, Shrinking Margins and the New Truth of Used Car Profitability, I address several “gross deceptions” that have long been part of the...

Dealers Achieve An Industry First for Inventory Efficiency

It’s almost a tired saying these days: We all must learn to do more with less. But I’d like to point out what amounts to a true-blue, and potentially historic, example of dealers doing more with...