As a financier of dealership purchases, I look at several dealership buy/sell agreements, often called APAs (Asset Purchase Agreements). After seeing so many of them prepared by various attorneys, it's apparent mot all APAs are created equal. Some...
I've addressed the subject of new-vehicle inventory management numerous times over the years. Based on the conversations I'm having with dealers, the time is right to readdress it. First, as a qualifying statement, this article will not include...
A new Mercedes-Benz dealership, RBM of Atlanta North in Alpharetta, GA, is using radio frequency identification (RFID) to track inventory. It is among the first dealerships to do so. Microchips put on dealership vehicles beam signals so staffers...
Maybe it's because of the hot summer with temperatures pushing past 100 degrees, or maybe because I've been suffering rising interest expenses and falling interest in domestic cars. But I'm predicting a record rise in the divorce rate. No, not...
If your used-car department consistently has vehicles sitting on the lot for longer than 45-60 days and finds itself wholesaling more vehicles than you'd like, then shame on you your dealership is behind the times. And you'd better catch up or you...
The parts supply chain has become very efficient. Higher order fill rate from manufacturers and (for many dealers) the ability to place daily stock orders have minimized the need for a lot of safety stock dealers must carry.
When it came to hitting the market with a slew of software applications for car dealerships, Scott Barrett says his 88-year-old boss, Jim Moran, taught him something important: patience.
I am at my desk on Sunday, a day we are closed, alone in an otherwise empty dealership, drinking reheated coffee. We didn't sell many cars yesterday. I'm thinking it's my fault, although like most ego-driven retail types, I would rather point the...