Car Dealership Guy✓

Why This 50-Year Dealer Group Grows by Shutting Down Stores & Why It Works @samdarc's conversation with @_JHealey, Chief Marketing Officer at @HealeyBrothers: 1:25 Grandfather Still Checks Numbers At 94. 2:30 Small Markets Force Repeat Business. 3:10 Buy The Right Store, Not The Next One. 3:40 Buying Points Just To Shut Them Down. 6:40 AI Is Not Just A Lead Source. 11:20 A Tool Set Appointments While Closed. 13:00 Customers Shop At 10 PM After Kids Sleep. 16:15 25% Of Service Calls Get Put On Hold. 17:30 12-Month Lapsed Customers Came Back Fast. 19:00 BDC Got Pay Raises, Not Layoffs. 22:20 AI On Untrained People Is A Train Wreck. 32:35 Transparency Rules For Social Media Ads.

Wilkins on VinSolutions, Dortch on Processing Rates, Strong on VW | Daily Dealer Live

NEWS | CPO opportunities are emerging as supply rebounds from Q1 lows: CPO inventory has rebounded since hitting a low of 205,000 at the start of 2026, reaching 223,000 at the end of the third quarter, per Catalyst IQ data. This year, CPO sales are up 10% year-over-year, and CPOs had an 8% greater turn rate than used vehicles. But in a 90-day period ending in mid-October, inventory growth outpaced sales. "CPO inventory has grown by 4% in the past 90 days, but vehicle movement has increased by just 1%," said Rick Wainschel, Vice President of Analytics at Catalyst IQ. Bottom line: As shoppers are looking for affordable options with a warranty, CPOs present an opportunity for dealers. Read today's top automotive stories, presented by @lotlinx : (Source: Catalyst IQ / CDG Interviews)

“Sometime this weekend” is killing your show rate. A soft appointment (“sometime this weekend”) shows 25% of the time. A firm appointment (“Friday at 9:00am”) shows 75% of the time. That’s triple the show rate… just by setting a specific appointment. The right word track can make the difference between a customer who shows and one who doesn't. Which playbook is your dealership running?

Data via @CarWars_ | Download the full word tracks guide: 8 Word Tracks Built from Real Dealer Calls here:

NEWS | Temp Check: What 61 dealer comments are telling us about October traffic, sales: Showroom traffic looks a bit weaker this October, but sales are mostly holding steady, according to 61 dealers we sourced across X, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. • 47.5% commented that October traffic is down from last year. • 34.4% noted that traffic is up. • 18% said flat or mixed. Still, at least four dealers shared that, despite fewer leads and/or traffic, shoppers who come in are ready to buy. Timing matters: The mixed picture isn't too surprising, given what dealers are navigating right now with rates, gas prices, price hikes, California's CARS Act, and the election cycle. A few dealers told us this is just a typical Q4, election aside, and I can also get behind that. Either way, a slow month or quarter shouldn't change how hard teams work.Stay on offense, use the quiet time to fix what's been bugging staff, and let the rest play out. Read the full Market Pulse, together with @getimpel : (Source: CDG Temp Check of dealers on X, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn)

This dealer tripled its sales team after acquiring a store selling fewer than 300 cars a year. Why? Ben Stapleton, GM at McGraw Ford, says Ford’s sales-effectiveness data showed the market could support far more volume than the store was capturing. “We're marching towards 100% sales effective. And we think that the store can do 200 plus units, new and used combined, in the relatively soon future.” Daily Dealer live hosted by @samdarc — listen to the full episode here: - Thank you to our partner @CarMax! Check them out by visiting:

"We've got a lot of technicians that are on guarantees, pay plans that aren't quite rewarding the productivity like it used to be." Tech shortages are starting to show up in dealership financials. Korey Pulluaim, Vice President at Pocket20, says unapplied labor is creeping higher as guaranteed pay outpaces technician productivity. Daily Dealer live hosted by @samdarc — listen to the full episode here: - Thank you to our partner @CarMax! Check them out by visiting:

NEWS | Kia is keeping pricing for EV6 at $37,900: Kia America is holding the 2027 EV6 at the 2026 model's starting MSRP of $37,900, a rare move this model year. That bucks the trend: 117 updated models have seen an average jump of $1,067 so far, per Catalyst IQ's Q3 industry report. The freeze covers all seven EV6 trims, topping out at $53,000 for the GT-Line all-wheel drive, plus the $1,545 destination fee. It comes as Kia is coming off its best quarter in sales, which saw a 60% increase in EV sales with the launch of the EV3. Big picture: The announcement of the EV6 pricing follows Kia's previous debut of the new EV3 SUV for 2027, with a starting price of $29,890. Read today's top automotive stories, presented by @getimpel : (Source: Kia announcement / Catalyst IQ)

A busy service drive may be hiding a retention problem. Jay Healey, CMO of @HealeyBrothers, explains why full shops can still lose touch with after-sale customers. The fix? Using @getimpel to keep the conversation going after delivery.

➤ Stream the latest episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast now on your favorite platform—brought to you by @lotlinx, CDG Circles, and @getimpel Youtube: Apple Podcasts: Spotify:

NEWS | Used SUV prices hit $25,000 for first time: The average used SUV price jumped $170 in October to $25,125, topping $25,000 for the first time, per the CARFAX Used Car Index. SUV prices are up 4.4% year over year, and CARFAX Editor-in-Chief Patrick Olsen attributed the rise to inflation. SUVs weren't alone: vans and minivans topped $24,000 for the first time, by $1, and are up 12.9% year over year. But overall, used vehicle prices were mostly stable during October, moving 0.1% or just $2. Looking ahead: Finding SUVs under $25,000 may become increasingly difficult as the average price moved into new territory. Read today's top automotive stories, presented by @getimpel : (Source: CARFAX)

The used EV is having a moment: Value vs. last year: EVs: +6.8% Everything else: +1.3% High gas prices did what tax credits couldn't… The catch: more off-lease EVs are hitting the market, and EV values slipped 0.7% in early October. (Source: Cox Auto)

This dealer group is getting used cars frontline-ready in ~3 days. Kip Miles, Director of Automotive Operations at Tom Wood Group, says faster recon and moving vehicles between stores are helping the group turn the same amount of inventory faster. “Our time to line, we're down to almost true time to line, not BS time to line. We're about three days.” Daily Dealer live hosted by @samdarc — listen to the full episode here: - Thank you to our partner @CarMax! Check them out by visiting:

NEWS | Cox Automotive confirms VinSolutions cyber incident, says activity was contained: Ransomware hackers with the Scarlett Group claimed Friday (Oct. 23) to have breached VinSolutions, allegedly compromising the data of 214 users, per HudsonRock. "The activity was quickly contained, did not involve any encrypting malware, and there was no disruption to our customers' ability to use VinSolutions," a Cox spokesperson said. Cox says VinSolutions is the only platform affected and is working with outside cyber experts to determine the scope of any data involved. But the company believes "a limited subset" of dealers on the platform were affected, and it plans to notify them. The takeaway: Most ransomware intrusions start with a stolen password or a phishing email, so every dealership staffer needs to understand the risks and how to prevent them. Read today's top automotive stories, presented by @getimpel : (Source: HudsonRock)

@samdarc @_JHealey @HealeyBrothers Watch it on X, or stream it on your favorite platform: Youtube: Apple Podcasts: Spotify:

Chinese car brands just passed Japan in Europe for the *first time*: Q3 share of registrations: Chinese brands: 12.7% Japanese brands: 11.9% Five years ago, Chinese brands had barely 1%. Toyota has been selling cars in Europe since 1963. Insane... (Source: Dataforce via Bloomberg)

"Even though internal labor grew explosively, we were cannibalizing the gross profit.” Used-car recon is running 12 points below customer-pay labor at one dealership. Ben Stapleton, GM at McGraw Ford, explains how discounted internal rates are creating the margin gap. Daily Dealer live hosted by @samdarc — listen to the full episode here: - Thank you to our partner @CarMax! Check them out by visiting:

Internal labor pricing can create a "tug-of-war" inside the dealership. Korey Pulluaim, Vice President at Pocket20, explains why the rate should be agreed on by the whole team upfront so managers aren’t negotiating discounts deal by deal. “I think the internal rate should be set by the team so that they're all in agreeance upon it.” Daily Dealer live hosted by @samdarc — listen to the full episode here: - Thank you to our partner @CarMax! Check them out by visiting:

"Striking an inappropriate balance between expense control and selling cars, basically. We focused on the incorrect things.” Expense control cost this dealer group new-car volume. Kip Miles, Director of Automotive Operations at Tom Wood Group, says the group focused too heavily on cutting costs in Q4, then spent the next few months rebuilding sales momentum. Daily Dealer live hosted by @samdarc — listen to the full episode here: - Thank you to our partner @CarMax! Check them out by visiting: