Stocking My Used Car Lot?
The average cost of a new car has gone up in the last couple of years and that trend doesn’t look to be decreasing anytime soon, especially with future fuel economy standards. At the same time, lending standards have gotten tighter, thus credit availability to the average new car buyer is tougher to get, and a bit more expensive. Due to these factors, some new car buyers are turning to used cars, which, at the same time, have gotten pricier. And in order to meet this increased demand for used product, more and more dealers must turn to “alternate” sources of cars and credit to take care of their customers.
Defining the used rental car sales dilemma.
Dealers all around the nation continue to face difficulties stocking their lots with good used cars. Most “nearly new” car dealers want their stock to come from rental companies, and since manufacturers–particularly domestic–limit fleet sales to rental companies, those rental companies have fewer off rent units to sell. Also, even though the economy continues to recover at a conservative pace, the travel business is showing signs of improvement, which means lessening the pressure rental companies have to sell off rent units quickly.
It’s ironic that increased business means decreased fleet remarketing. The savvy used car manager must therefore significantly broaden their search for decent used rental car fleet sales, and national wholesalers are a good place to turn to.
Wholesale used cars and wholesale fleet sales in bulk?
Many dealers in the US have the financial resources to buy cars one, two or three truckloads at a time. Generally, these dealers have excellent processes in identifying sources of “bulk” used cars, and, just as importantly, have processes in place to process those units once they’re bought – from transportation to receiving off the trucks, to making reconditioning decisions, working their way thru advance marketing efforts with “deals of the week,” and getting retail finance sources in place to take care of their customers. The sharp dealer will think through all of these issues–or find a good supply partner who can help them–before making the significant financial commitment to buying in bulk.
Where do I find used rental car fleet sales?
An experienced used car manager usually knows what’s going on in their market within 100 miles of their store. To that, they might add a heftier component of online buying, but that tends to be quite time-consuming. The sharp manager, in order to continue to maintain or grow their used car business, has to be open to more creative ways to source cars, and leverage the experience and talents of those more versed in “nationwide” used car inventory and fleet disposal searches.