Credit Acceptance Corp. announced consolidated net income of $71.5 million for the three months ended March 31, compared to consolidated net income of $49.8 million for the same period in 2014.
CPS Enters New Credit Agreement
Consumer Portfolio Services Inc. entered into a new twoyear revolving credit agreement with Fortress Credit Co., LLC. The new agreement replaces a revolving credit agreement that CPS has used since December 2010.
America’s Car-Mart Adds Dealership
America’s Car-Mart, Inc. announced the opening of its 141st dealership. The dealership is located in Glasgow, Ken. Glasgow is the 12th dealership in Kentucky and the 7th new dealership opening for fiscal year 2015. The company’s Rolla, Missouri location opens this month.
Industry Seeks Ways to Improve Recall Process
TO THE SERVICE SHOP?: Millions of vehicles, like this Ford Fiesta, will be spending time in service shops thanks to the high number of recalls issued in the past year. The federal government and industry officials are seeking ways to increase recall completion rates.
Both the federal government and an industry group are looking at ways to improve recall completion rates.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Trafc Safety Administration hosted its Re-
tooling Recalls event, a oneday workshop that brought together leading transportation ofcials, automotive industry representatives, safety advocates, and researchers to examine the topic.
“Recalls are only success-
ful and can only save lives if they end up getting the cars fixed, but we know that 20 percent of vehicles that are recalled – and possibly more than that – go unrepaired,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “This is a safety risk to the drivers
of those vehicles and all the people they share the road with, too.”
NHTSA marked a record year in 2014, with the highest number of vehicle recalls in more than three decades. There were 803 vehicle reContinued on page 10
Dealer Jailed for Using Certificate to Dodge Sales Tax
By Sheila McGrath
A 60-year-old used-car dealer in suburban Baton Rouge was arrested on charges that he used his Louisiana Revenue Department resale certificate to avoid paying sales tax on two classic cars.
Joseph Wayne Leone, of Metairie, was jailed April 7 on felony charges of theft, injuring public records and failing to account for state tax monies.
The charges arose out of two transactions, but Louisiana Used Motor Vehicle Commission Executive Director Derek Parnell said further investigation into Leone’s activities is underway, and more charges are pending.
Investigators with the Louisiana Department of Revenue allege that Leone bought a 2006 Ferrari from a Florida dealer using his state resale certificate, which allows sales-tax exempt purchases of items intended for resale to customers.
He bought the Ferrari for $124,000, but when he registered it with the Louisiana Ofce of Motor Vehicles, he listed a taxable value of $5,000. He then sold it to himself for that amount, paying $479.75 in state sales tax. State ofcials say he owes $6,885.48 in taxes, penalties and interest.
“Our anti-fraud initiative with the Department of Revenue has resulted in dozens of arrests of individuals whose actions negatively impact the hard-working taxpayers of Louisiana,” Attorney General Buddy Caldwell said in a statement.
EXTENDED ARBITRATION
Now through July 31, 2015
When you purchase eligible inventory on ADESA DealerBlock and use CarsArrive Network to transport, your arbitration window will be extended to 48 hours after vehicle delivery.
è Eligible inventory includes off-lease, rental, dealer, feet and repo vehicles posted in the open sale from an offsite location.
Moving inventory the smart way: 1.7M cars transported each year...and growing!
è Select CarsArrive for transportation at time of sale.
Extended arbitration applies to eligible vehicles purchased on DealerBlock and transported by CarsArrive Network: Buyer has 48 hours from the delivery date on bill of lading to arbitrate. Type 1 transport only; buyer must select CarsArrive at time of sale. Transaction must be paid within three (3) days of sale; sale date equals zero. Offer applies to offsite vehicles only; ADESA “at auction” units are not included. Valid through July 31, 2015.
Family Car-Selling Tradition Began During World War I
By Jenny King
Cars have been a part of Robbie Collier’s family ever since his great-grandparents Josiah and Matilda Collier bought a Maxwell back in 1902 - the first car in Wayne County, N.C . Josiah Collier became an agent handling Fords and Studebakers during World War I.
Grandfather David Collier sold Willys-Knights and Whippets at his dealership in Pikeville before the Great Depression wiped out his business. More recently the Collier name was fixed to Rambler Motors and Collier American Sales, and Collier Motors AMC.
“My father, Bobby Collier, opened a Nash dealership
in the family’s automotive garage in 1954, after working a few years at Western Electric and Blalock Chevrolet,” said Robbie Collier.
Today Collier runs Collier Motors, a used car dealership outside Pikeville, a town of about 700 in east central North Carolina. Collier Motors’ reputation as a
source of collectible AMC products and parts has put the tiny burg on the map for old car enthusiasts from around the globe as well as for those who just want to have a look at a business that resists the march of time.
The Collier inventory, spread over a large piece of land with one building and a trailer, numbers some 300
Collier Family Through The Years
Josiah and Matilda Collier had the f rst car in the county, a 1902 Maxwell.
In the 1915 era, Josiah was an agent to sell Fords and Studebakers as featured in the local school’s yearbook.
David Collier had a Willys Overland dealership in Pikeville in the Twenties. He sold Willys-Knights and Whippets.
During the Great Depression the dealership went broke and started from scratch again.
In the Forties, Bobby’s f rst car was a 1929 Plymouth Roadster.
vehicles, Robbie Collier said. The dealership sells 25 to 30 cars a year.
Several are restorable. Many are better suited to parting out, though Collier prefers to keep them intact.
“Everything is for sale here,” Collier said. “We have two decent AMXs and three or four that are restorable.
Continued on page 6
1954, after a brief stint in the Navy and having worked a few years at Western Electric and Blalock Chevrolet, Bobby Collier, opened a Nash dealership in the family’s automotive garage. They moved from downtown Pikeville in 1973 into the current location.
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
Hudson Cook LLP announced the addition of Trisha Cacciola as a partner in its Long Island, N.Y., ofce.
ofce, practicing in the Corporate, Commercial Loan, Project Finance and Bank Regulatory departments.
arts from Villanova University and a bachelor of arts from Gonzaga University.
Cacciola brings over 25 years experience in consumer and commercial auto finance law. She will support the firm’s auto finance and compliance practices. From 1998 to 2015, Cacciola served as assistant general counsel and executive director of Chase Auto Finance. Her responsibilities at Chase Auto Finance included regulatory exam management, manufacturer partnerships, fair lending, originations, servicing, collections, defensive litigation, and other responsibilities.
From 1993 to 1998, Cacciola served in the legal department of Bank of America’s predecessor financial institutions, Barnett Bank and NationsBank Prior to Cacciola’s inhouse experience, she was an associate for five years with the law firm of Winston & Strawn in their New York
Cacciola is a graduate of New York University School of Law and New York University Stern School of Business and is admitted to the Bar of the State of New York.
CarMax Inc. announced that its board of directors has elected Marcella Shinder to membership on the board, bringing its total board membership to 11.
Shinder will serve on the audit committee.
Shinder is chief marketing ofcer of Nielsen N.V. where she has been since 2011. Previously, she spent 18 years at American Express, serving in a variety of executive roles Shinder holds a master of business administration from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business of New York University, a master of
KAR Auction Services Inc. promoted Jay Bahel to vice president of strategic initiatives, efective immediately.
In this role, Bahel will play an instrumental role in developing and executing KAR’s growth initiatives, implementing technology to simplify internal and customer-facing processes.
Bahel joined KAR’s Automotive Finance Corp. unit in 2011, serving as vice president. In this role, he led a process improvement program which automated and standardized processes.
For years, Bahel has led strategy development and process improvement engagements for public and private companies across a variety of industries including financial services, manufacturing, distribution and legal services. Before joining AFC, he served as chief information ofcer for a division of Brunswick Corp. and as a consulting group leader with Project Leadership Associates.
He holds a master’s degree from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and a bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University.
Black Book announced that Barrett Teague has joined the company as vice president of lender solutions. A 20-year automotive finance industry veteran, Teague is responsible for overseeing strategic operations to help Black Book’s automotive lender clients leverage vehicle data and collateral analytics for profitable portfolio management and expansion.
Prior to joining Black Book, Teague was a group vice president, consumer-banking manager for SunTrust Bank’s Dealer Financial Services Division. In this role he was responsible for managing the credit underwriting team for the Indirect Dealer Services group.
By General Media LLC
Charles M. Thomas - Founder (1947-2002) Lynda R. Thomas, Publisher Colleen Fitzgerald, General Manager
Contributing Writers: Ed Fitzgerald, Jenny King, Sheila McGrath Columnist: Tony Moorby
Used Car News is published the first and third Monday of each month.
Subscribers: We print advertisements as sent to us by auctions and other advertisers. It is not possible to verify the correctness of listed vehicles in auction ads. Most lists are partial and all lists are subject to last minute changes by auto auctions, so before travelling a long distance for a particular auto auction event, contact the auction by telephone for a fax of vehicles in the sale.
Used Car News assumes no guarantees or liabilities concerning the accuracy of
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Average Used Vehicle Transaction Prices Continue to Rise
Wholesale used vehicle prices (on a mix-, mileage-, and seasonally adjusted basis) fell 0.5 percent in March.
March’s decline pushed the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index to a reading of 124.5, which was virtually identical to its year-ago reading of 124.4.
Although wholesale prices fell in the final two months, the average level for the first quarter was 1.6 percent higher than the fourth quarter of last year and 1.3 percent above the year-ago quarter. Wholesale pricing has remained slightly above trend level due to continued strong profit opportunities on the subsequent retail sale.
The seasonally adjusted annual selling rate bounced back in March from a weather-dampened 16.2 million pace in February. March’s strength was concentrated in foreign nameplates due to higher incentives (possibly allowed by exchange rate movements) and the closeout of the fiscal year for Japanese companies.
Average transaction prices continue to rise across the
board (up 3.5 percent over the past year to $33,280, according to Kelley Blue Book), and incentive spending was flat in March (down for domestic brands, and up for foreign nameplates).
“On the used inventory side, it will be important to see if dealers placed the right money on the slightly higher-than-expected number of trade-ins they received in March,” said Manheim chief economist Tom Webb. “Auction activity in the coming weeks will tell that story.”
Retail used unit sales by franchised and independent dealers appear to have been level with a year ago both in March and for the quarter, Webb said. Dealers retailing units in the $18,000 and above range did better than those selling lowerend units. CarMax posted a strong 7 percent increase in same-store retail used unit volumes and an average transaction price of $19,297 for their fiscal quarter ending Feb. 28.
Manufacturer CPO sales also continued their record pace, up 8 percent in March
and 11 percent year-to-date.
Dealers selling lowerpriced units were likely hampered by a less-thanstellar tax refund season.
Since the start of February, the level of tax refunds has fallen below the year-ago amount in seven out of eight weeks. Through March, total refunds were down 1.1 percent, or $2.3 billion, from
a year ago.
Pricing for rental risk units eases from a year ago. Auction prices for rental risk units sold in March jumped up from February, but the seasonal movement was less than last year’s spike.
As a result, prices – although still strong – were down 4.2 percent from a year ago, adjusting for mile-
age and broad changes in mix. On a sales-weighted basis, rental risk prices in the first quarter of 2015 were down 2 percent from 2014’s first quarter. Auction volumes for rental risk units were up significantly both in March and for the quarter as a whole. Conversion rates were better than average.
Collier - Continued from page 3
“Those include an AMX that once belonged to the late (Arizona) Senator Barry Goldwater,” Collier said.
When Collier learned the Goldwater car was for sale, he and his father Bobbie flew out to California, bought the AMX and drove it back to Pikeville.
“We bought the Goldwater car a couple of years before the Senator’s death - around 1995,” Robbie said.
“I contacted his office because I had read he had a stroke, and concluded that if he still had the car, he probably wasn’t driving it.”
Goldwater’s staff put the Colliers in touch with the Senator’s family in California.
“After about a month of negotiations we struck a deal on the car and bought round trip tickets to Los Angeles to see it and finish paying for it,” Collier said.
John Holt, the grandson, lived in Newport Beach, Ca. The Colliers were very impressed with the condition of the AMX.
“We decided it was worth a try driving it back home,” Collier said. “The car gave us no trouble except for a fuel pump around Mississippi,” said Collier.
“We also drove the car to Daytona for the 30th anniversary of the AMX, where they graciously let us lead a procession of cars in a lap around the track
The Goldwater AMX is one of the few vehicles to find sanctuary in a building.
The lot’s trailer, Collier said, serves as his business office. Remaining inventory must take its chances outside.
Although they are subject to the vagaries of weather in east central North Carolina, some have fared well enough.
Collier said the business had a 1977 AMX on the front line for 20 years.
When it eventually was gassed up, the car was driveable.
“We get calls every day about AMCs,” Collier said. His sales are not limited to that make, he said. Last fall he sold two Nash-Healey coupes.
“One was very nice, the other wasn’t,” he said. “We still have a Nash-Healey roadster and a Nash-Healey parts car.”
Collier Motors once sold a yellow hydrogen-powered Gremlin that had been modified by Barris Customs. It had been in the Harrah collection, he said.
“It had a 351 Ford engine in it and about 3,000 miles on it,” Collier said. It was built for an alternative fuels competition.
“There was a problem with water collecting in the engine compartment, he said.
Other unusual cars from the past have found their way to the lot.
Those include: a 1984 K-5 Blazer with removable hardtop; a 1962 Ford Ranchero that Bobbie Collier put an axle on only a couple of years ago; an AMC Rebel convertible, and a 1970 Mark Donahue Javelin. “We actually sold that Javelin to a little old lady, but it was too much (power) for her and someone bought it from her,” he said.
Collier, who years ago sold a 1967 GTO to finance his wedding and honeymoon, works full time for UPS, leaving few hours for the car business.
Even so, inquiries and visitors continue to find their ways into the dealership.
Collier continues to buy vehicles he figures people want to own and restore. Honda coupes and older VWs, he said True, many of his products are not in the best condition, but, he said, they have not been relegated to the scrap yard.
But for Collier Motors, “many of these cars would be crushed by now,” he said.
NABD CONFERENCE PREVIEW
TECHNOLOGY, EFFICIENCY NEEDED TO BOOST MARKET SHARE
By Ted Craig
Following the same process will not bring the same results.
That is the message of this year’s National Alliance of Buy-Here, Pay-Here Dealers conference.
deeper into the credit pool. This costs buy-here, payhere dealers some of their best customers.
Some of the inflow of cash has reached the buy-here, pay-here business, of course.
Shilson said there is still considerable interest from pri-
The deep subprime market has become very competitive in the past 18 months, said NABD founder Ken Shilson.
The quest for yield has flooded subprime lenders and credit unions with cash and they have gone
vate equity firms and hedge funds to provide capital.
One of the key lessons being taught this year is how to maximize cash flow to take advantage of opportunities.
Shilson said the focus of
this year’s conference is winning back that market share and using technology to improve efciencies.
“Dealers are reluctant to change, but they’re going to have to,” Shilson said.
An example of how dealers must change is their approach to tax season.
Today’s tax season is much shorter. Dealers can no longer expect to sell a majority of their vehicles at the start of the year.
The highlight of the event will be a panel of all the living members of the NABD Hall of Fame, including this
year’s inductee, Don Foss.
“This is the time we really need them to share their thoughts,” Shilson said.
These are the type of operators who have created the biggest change Shilson has seen since the first con-
ference in 1998 - the growing respectability of buy-here, pay-here.
“Do we still need to make progress?” Shilson said. “Absolutely. But I’m very proud of what the industry has achieved.” achieved.”
DEALERSOCKET ACQUIRES AUTOSTAR SOLUTIONS
DealerSocket has acquired AutoStar Solutions, a comprehensive automotive dealer management system for buy-here, payhere and used car dealers.
“AutoStar Solutions delivers extreme value and expertise to the buy-here, pay-here and used car retailers,” said Jonathan Ord, CEO of DealerSocket.
“The people at AutoStar are passionate about the used car retailing world. Together, our goal is to equip buy-here, pay-here dealers with the most advanced and innovative next generation technology at the best possible value for their day-to-day operations.”
AutoStar Solutions provides a variety of products and services while tailoring its solutions for buy-here, pay-here and used car dealers. AutoStar’s dealer management system adds significant value by optimizing processes for finance, whole-
sale and leasing. AutoStar’s solutions include Web-based DMS, PortalPay, CollectorPro, Insight Reporting, Leasing, AccountLink, NetLink and more.
“We’re excited to announce this partnership with DealerSocket,” said AutoStar’s president and CEO Allen Dobbins. “DealerSocket’s deep commitment to providing their customers with next-generation technology aligns perfectly with our value standards, technology, and opportunities for automotive dealers.”
“This is an excellent opportunity for our company to evolve our product offering into an even more powerful platform and essential tool for Independent and buyhere, pay-here dealers,” said AutoStar’s Chief Revenue Officer Antonio Rajan. “The future is brighter more than ever with this partnership.”
Recalls - Continued
calls involving 63.9 million vehicles, including two of the ten largest vehicle recalls in history.
The Retooling Recalls workshop focused on public education of the recall process; customer and dealership outreach; parts production challenges and recall repair rates. The input gathered by the working groups will be used to identify best practices and new approaches for improving the recall process.
From Page 1
rates, and we brought everyone to the table to help spread those lessons and develop new approaches to the recall process.”
Meanwhile, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers announced research is in development to help improve recall completion rates through a better understanding of the actions of vehicle owners upon receiving a recall notice.
Currently, the average completion
“To keep Americans safe, the problems we find have to get fixed.”
Mark Rosekind
“While NHTSA has worked hard to improve our processes for identifying vehicle safety defects, simply identifying problems isn’t enough. To keep Americans safe, the problems we find have to get fixed,” said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind.
“Recent high-profile recalls have taught us important lessons about the obstacles to higher completion
rate for passenger vehicle recalls is 75 percent, however that rate varies markedly depending on the age of the vehicle recalled.
For newer vehicles, the completion rate averages 83 percent, while that rate falls almost in half to 44 percent for vehicles 5-10 years old.
The completion rate drops again to 15 percent for vehicles older than 10 years.
City Amends Rules on Price Displays
The New York City Council has amended the city’s administrative code to require that price displays advertising a used car for sale at a car dealership accurately reflect the total selling price of the vehicle, exclusive of any taxes or fees for securing a registration or certificate of title.
This change is designed so that an advertised price that attracts a customer into a dealership reflects the complete price of the vehicle being advertised. The bill would require that the price be displayed on the dashboard of the vehicle or on a sign displayed alongside the vehicle.
In addition to requiring clear dis-
play of the total selling price of the vehicle, the change requires that the dealership display the costs of any add-on products that are available for purchase with the used car and disclose that the purchase of such add-on products is optional. A first ofense violation of this law would be subject to a penalty of $500. A second ofense committed within one year of the first ofense would be subject to a penalty of up to $750. A third or other subsequent ofense committed within one year of the first ofense would be subject to a penalty of up to $1,000.
The local law will take efect 120 days after enactment.
Dealer Fined over Mailers to Military
A Tennessee auto dealer has agreed to immediately change its advertising practices and pay the State of Tennessee $50,000 following a marketing campaign aimed at service members.
The agreement between Wholesale Inc. and state agencies centers around two advertising mailers sent to would-be customers. One of the mailers specifically targeted service members living near Fort Campbell.
After reviewing a service member’s complaint filed at Fort Campbell, the state alleged that
the defendant made numerous false representations in violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act.
According to the state, a fictitious lender called “CreditAble Auto Funding,” which claimed to be “by military, for military” was ofering a limited amount of loans to military personnel.
Under the settlement, Wholesale Inc. is required to maintain proof to support all advertising claims and will be required to include the company name on all advertisements sent to consumers.
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Feds Side with Toyota in Acceleration Case
DETROIT (AP) - U.S. safety regulators have rejected a Rhode Island man’s request for an investigation into low-speed unintended acceleration problems with Toyota Corolla compact cars.
The National Highway Trafc Safety Administration, in documents posted on its website, said it put over 2,000 miles on a 2010 Corolla owned by Bob Ruginis, of Bristol, R.I. But the agency’s Ohio test lab could not find any problems with the throttle or transmission systems. The lab also found that the brakes could keep the car stationary even at full throttle.
The decision is a victory for Toyota, which has been dogged by complaints of unwanted acceleration since 2009. The complaints brought investigations and recalls totaling 10 million vehicles, as well as multiple lawsuits and a $1.2 billion penalty for hiding information from NHTSA.
Most of the recalls were for faulty brakes, sticky gas pedals and floor mats that could trap the accelerator. But allegations of problems with its electronic throttle controls lingered.
Ruginis, an engineer who specializes in consumer electronics, petitioned the agency in September 2014 seeking an investigation of
nearly 1.7 million 2006-10 Corollas. He alleged that the Corolla driven by his wife, Kathy, surged at low speeds several times, and a Toyota dealer couldn’t find the cause.
In June 2014, the Corolla surged as Kathy Ruginis was making a slow right turn into a street parking space in Bristol, and crashed into an unoccupied Jeep, Bob Ruginis said. The brakes, he said, failed to stop the car in time to prevent a crash. No one was hurt. He said the car’s event-data recorder showed the gas pedal was in the idle position when the car crashed, yet the speed at impact was 7.5 miles per hour.
But NHTSA said the recorder showed the brakes didn’t come on until immediately after impact, and that even though the data recorder didn’t show it, it was possible that the gas pedal had been depressed. Testing showed that short and rapid pressing of the gas pedal might not be recorded, the agency said.
“Vehicle testing demonstrated that acceleration would not occur if the brake pedal had been applied with any meaningful force,” NHTSA’s investigators wrote.
Investigators also checked 163 similar unwanted acceleration complaints filed with NHTSA involving Corollas but found that in most cases, drivers pressed the gas instead of
the brake, pressed both the gas and brake, or braked too late.
Ruginis also alleged that computer software problems unearthed by an expert witness in an Oklahoma City lawsuit could have caused the Corolla to accelerate unexpectedly.
But NHTSA rejected that as well, saying the computer in Ruginis’ Corolla was made by a diferent company from the one in the Oklahoma City case and used diferent software.
The agency also rejected an assertion by Michael Barr, the expert witness in the case, that Toyota’s engine control computer could
become overloaded and cause the throttle to stick. Barr said he caused the fault to happen in software testing.
But NHTSA said neither its Ohio research center, nor Toyota, nor the maker of the computer controls has been able to identify conditions needed to cause the fault or reproduce it in vehicle testing.
Ruginis said he had not yet evaluated the NHTSA documents, but said the lab tested his Corolla at colder temperatures than the 74 degrees at the time of his wife’s crash. Barr also said he was evaluating the documents.
Ally Sees Boost in Consumer Loans
Auto finance remains the strong suit for Ally Financial Inc.
The company reported strong operating results in the franchise dealer segment and higher auto originations in the first quarter.
The bank’s Dealer Financial Services generated pre-tax income totaling $409 million for the quarter. Auto financing originations for the quarter grew to $9.8 billion, increasing 9 percent from the previous quarter and 7 percent yearover-year, driven by strong performance in the Growth and Chrysler channels.
Excluding General Motors Co., lease originations, consumer auto originations increased 27 percent year-over-year. Moreover, new and used originations from Growth dealers grew 54 percent compared to the prior year period.
by becoming the preferred financing source for Mitsubishi Motors in the U.S., replacing the brand’s captive finance company, Mitsubishi Motors Credit of America Inc.
The agreement broadens the existing relationship between Ally and MMNA, continuing to make Ally’s full suite of automotive financial products and services available to all Mitsubishi dealers and their customers.
Through the agreement, Ally will provide its services and product offerings, including retail and lease financing, wholesale financing, remarketing and insurance oferings, at Mitsubishi’s nearly 380 dealerships across the U.S.
Overall, Ally reported net income of $576 million for the first quarter, compared to net income of $177 million for the prior quarter and net income of $227 million, for the first quarter of 2014.
“The auto finance business remains at the heart of what we do, and we will continue to grow that business,” said Ally CEO Jefrey J. Brown.
One way Ally is continuing to grow its auto finance business is
“Mitsubishi Motors has seen a resurgence in sales with five quarters of year-over-year sales increases. We have accomplished this by bringing new models to market and, in large part, thanks to a loyal dealer network that has stayed with us during good times and bad,” said Don Swearingen, executive vice president, MMNA.
“As we pursue our growth plans in this dynamic landscape, we are pleased to have a financial partner like Ally that can support us with the products and services that our dealers need and that will be integral to our success.”
Convicted NFL Star’s Truck for Sale
WRENTHAM, Mass. (AP) - A Hummer owned by former New England Patriots star and convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez has been found for sale at a used car lot. Hernandez was convicted last month of the 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd. Lloyd’s mother is suing him, and her lawyers have been trying to find Hernandez’s assets. At the time he was arrested, Hernandez had a $40-million contract with the Patriots.
WFXT-TV found the 2005 Hummer H2 Luxury for sale at Central Motor Sales in Wrentham for $30,900 and traced it to Hernandez using the vehicle identification number and court documents. Hernandez bought it in May 2013, the month before Lloyd was killed in an industrial park near Hernandez’s home in North Attleborough. An online listing said it had 35,665 miles on it.
He also said he was worried the same person has access to Hernandez’s money. He declined to name anyone who may have control of Hernandez’s assets.
Shef said he plans to subpoena witnesses to testify under oath about the Hummer and other assets in the wrongful death lawsuit proceedings.
Hernandez’s lawyer, Michael Fee, did not return a message seeking comment. Hernandez is serving a life sentence.
A woman who answered the phone at the lot said the Hummer was no longer for sale. She wouldn’t comment when asked why it was removed from sale or how the car lot got it.
Police seized the Hummer after they found it parked at an apartment Hernandez rented in Franklin. Inside, police found a magazine for .45-caliber ammunition, the same caliber as the gun used to kill Lloyd. The murder weapon was never found. But the judge threw the magazine out as evidence and would not allow it to be used at trial. She allowed the vehicle to be returned to Hernandez in December, not long before his case went to trial.
Lloyd was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancée. The motive for the crime has never been explained.
Hernandez is still facing two counts of murder in Boston, where he is accused of gunning down two
Dealer Busted for Clocking
rections, with the sentence suspended pursuant to completion of a five-year term of supervised probation and completion of 30-days shock incarceration in the Greene County Jail.
the actual mileage of vehicles ofered for sale by his Excel Auto Group in 2011 and 2012.
Last year, Bolton pled guilty to two class D felony unlawful merchandising practices charges, admitting to misrepresenting the mileage on two vehicles.
In January, Bolton was sentenced to four years in the Department of Cor-
The terms of his probation include paying restitution, suspending any involvement in automobile auctions, prohibit acting as a licensed automobile dealer or an agent for a licensed automobile dealer, and having no involvement in automobile title transfers.
The defendant was taken into custody April 27 to begin serving his 30-day shock incarceration.
Failure to meet the terms of probation could result in the execution of the prison sentence.
Apps, Autos Stay Connected
With nearly 2.7 billion smartphones in the hands of global consumers today, and more than 5.5 billion projected by 2018, it’s no surprise that consumers are increasingly more aware of and opportunistic about them integrating seamlessly in their vehicles, according to recent research from IHS Automotive.
A new report, Apps in the Car 2015, includes highlights from a recent consumer study conducted by IHS Automotive. More than 4,000 vehicle owners intent on purchasing a new vehicle within the next 36 months were surveyed, representing four key automotive markets – the U.S., China, Germany and the United Kingdom. While results varied by region, key findings shed light on consumer preferences that manufacturers and apps developers can use to best address market needs as they develop new products for the global marketplace.
The report covers a number of categories, including vehicle purchase intentions; respondent profiles, Apple CarPlay/AndroidAuto/ MirrorLink research, smartphone, mobile carrier and data plan information, apps, navigation and music.
“Among new car intenders, nearly 90 percent of those surveyed currently own a smartphone,” said Colin Bird, senior analyst, automotive software, apps and services at IHS Automotive. “Not surprisingly, these devices have wide implications for consumer behavior while driving and influence consumer expectations on how vehicles and apps should integrate with them.”
In 2014, approximately 132 billion mobile apps were downloaded worldwide, with revenue of more than $25 billion, according to IHS
research. iOS developers brought in more than $10 billion alone. Approximately 90 percent of the revenue is generated through in-app purchases or subscriptions, while the remaining 10 percent is attributed to consumers who bought apps for personal, social or business use.
The majority of responders (93 percent) indicated they had downloaded apps to their device, and 53 percent reported having paid for apps in the past. Price points for apps varied by region, with most respondents having spent an average of $12 to $22 on their most expensive app. These findings represent the ongoing need and demand for continued development and identify significant revenue opportunity for developers and OEMs in the future.
In the coming years, IHS expects significant growth by vehicle manufacturers to integrate apps into their vehicles for various consumer connectivity as well as increased partnerships among OEMs and apps integrators.
In the coming years, IHS expects significant growth by vehicle manufacturers to integrate apps into their vehicles for various consumer connectivity as well as increased partnerships among OEMs and apps integrators.
The majority of consumers (nearly 70 percent) surveyed indicated a strong desire for continued listening of music via AM/FM radio and CD options in their vehicle. However, a similar number of respondents prefer listening to music stored on their mobile devices, and internet/streaming radio, satellite radio options and a desire for music stored on an in-vehicle hard drive also were listed as options.
ADESA Boston June 5, 12, 19
508-626-7000
ADESA Charlotte June 11, 25
704-587-7653
ADESA Cincinnati/Dayton June 9
937-746-4000
ADESA Golden Gate June 9, 23
209-839-8000
ADESA Houston June 10, 24
281-580-1800
ADESA Indianapolis June 9, 23
800-925-1210
ADESA Kansas City June 9, 23
816-525-1100
ADESA Lexington June 25
859-263-5163
ADESA Tulsa June 12
918-437-9044
ADESA Washington DC June 3
703-996-1100
America’s AA-Chicago June 10
708-389-4488
Brasher’s Salt Lake AA June 16
801-322-1234
Columbus Fair AA June 10, 17
614-497-2000
Manheim Atlanta June 11, 24, 25
404-762-9211
Manheim Dallas June 3, 17
877-860-1651
Manheim Denver June 3
800-822-1177
Manheim Detroit June 11, 25
734-654-7100
Manheim Fredericksburg June 4, 18
540-368-3400
Manheim Milwaukee June 3, 17
262-835-4436
Manheim Minneapolis June 24
763-425-7653
Manheim Nashville June 10, 16, 17
877-386-5004
Manheim Nevada June 12
702-361-1000
Manheim New Jersey June 3, 17, 24
609-298-3400
Manheim New Orleans June 17
985-643-2061
Manheim Ohio June 16
800-477-6446
Manheim Orlando June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
800-337-8491
Manheim Pennsylvania June 11, 12, 25, 26
800-777-2053
Manheim Phoenix June 4, 11, 18, 25
623-907-7000
Manheim Pittsburgh June 3
724-452-5555
Manheim Riverside June 2, 4, 30
909-689-6000
Manheim Seattle June 24
206-762-1600
Manheim Southern California June 11, 25
909-822-2261
Southern AA June 3
860-292-7500
ADESA Boston June 12 508-626-7000
ADESA Golden Gate June 23 209-839-8000
Manheim Atlanta June 24 404-762-9211
Manheim Dallas June 3 877-860-1651
Manheim Milwaukee June 3 262-835-4436
Manheim Nashville June 10 877-386-5004
Manheim Ohio June 16 800-477-6446
Manheim Orlando June 2, 30 800-337-8491
Mazda Capital Services
ADESA Boston June 5, 19 508-626-7000
Manheim Pennsylvania *June 11, 25 800-777-2053
Manheim Riverside June 4 909-689-6000
Choose Chase on ADESA.com and OVE.com for quality bank-sourced vehicles. Contact auctions directly for current sale information.
ADESA Golden Gate June 9 209-839-8000
ADESA Kansas City June 23 816-525-1100
Columbus Fair AA June 17 614-497-2000
Manheim Detroit June 11, 25 734-654-7100
Manheim Fredericksburg June 18 540-368-3400
Manheim Milwaukee June 17 262-835-4436
Manheim Nashville June 17 877-386-5004
Manheim Atlanta June 25 404-762-9211
ADESA Boston June 19
508-626-7000
Brasher’s Salt Lake June 16 801-322-1234
Columbus Fair AA June 10 614-497-2000
Manheim Dallas June 17 877-860-1651
Manheim New Jersey June 3, 17 609-298-3400
Manheim Orlando June 9
800-337-8491
Manheim Pennsylvania June 12, 26 800-777-2053
Manheim Pittsburgh June 3
724-452-5555
Manheim Riverside June 2, 30 909-689-6000
Manheim Seattle June 24 206-762-1600
Manheim Detroit June 11, 25 734-654-7100
Manheim Fredericksburg June 4 540-368-3400
Manheim Milwaukee June 3 262-835-4436
Manheim New Jersey June 17 609-298-3400
Manheim Denver June 3 800-822-1177
Manheim Orlando June 2, 30 800-337-8491
Manheim Pennsylvania June 12 800-777-2053
Manheim Pittsburgh June 3 724-452-5555
Manheim Seattle June 24 206-762-1600
Manheim Southern CA June 11 909-822-2261
Southern AA June 3 860-292-7500
Customer Retention Vital to Buy-Here, Pay-Here Success
By Jeffrey Bellant
LAS VEGAS – In the struggling economy, customer retention remains critical for buy-here, payhere dealers, said a moderator during the recent Buy-Here, Pay-Here World Convention.
Dave Brotherton, a twenty group moderator with the Leedom Group said customer interaction; vehicle repairs and a proactive efort to retain customers are critical to success in this market.
Brotherton said the issue of retaining customers in today’s buy-here, pay-here marketplace is a common question in his twenty groups.
“We lose accounts,” he said, “and lately we’ve been losing accounts at a higher rate. Why? What are some of the underlying causes?”
The answer that pops up frequently is the subprime lending business. Brotherton said subprime has eaten into the buy-here, pay-here market and hurt its dealers.
It results in voluntary surrenders – where a customer brings the car back and walks away, or payofs, where a customer goes to another dealer and trades for another car.
Subprime is “the 800-pound gorilla in the room,” Brotherton said.
Banks are buying deep and it’s not going to change tomorrow, he said.
Dealers have to prepare the worst and address the problem from that vantage point.
“Assume that you’re under siege,” Brotherton said. “But the question is, what can we do about it?”
Some things are hard to fight. A customer may just find a subprime dealer that can fund a better car than a buy-here, pay-here dealer can. Brotheton said it’s hard to fight it when a customer can get a better car for close to the same payment.
“Buying another car somewhere else is very easy,” he said. “(Plus) customers think there are no consequences for turning a car in.”
He calls it a “rental car” mentality.
Brotherton believes that in many cases, these situations may involve an undisclosed mechanical problem.
Part of the problem is that with electronic payments and other advances, customers are not in front of dealers anymore. They are at “arms-length” which hurts the relationship.
Brotherton said the dealer often doesn’t even remember the customer – typically, because that customer was probably a good paying customer.
“The collectors didn’t know who they were because they paid on time,” he said. “So we lose a car
from a customer that we can least aford to lose.”
Dealers don’t know their customers until one surrenders their car and walks away. They have to change that, Brotherton said.
“There is no substitute for that weekly face-to-face, eye-to-eye contact that we used to take for granted,” he said. “We don’t see our
customers any more.
“As a rule, we only talk to customers who have a problem in the (repair) shop or they’re late on their payments.”
Very rarely has Brotherton found a dealership that has regular faceto-face interactions with their good-paying customers.
Continued on next page
Photo by Jeffrey Bellant
CUSTOMER SERVICE: Dave Brotherton, of The Leedom Group, discusses the importance of customer retantion for the buy-here, pay-here market during a recent conference.
RETAIL MARKETS
Mike Turner, owner, Turner Auto Sales, Greenwood, Miss.:
“I’ve been in business for 31 years.
“We have two locations, both in Greenwood.
“We carry about 150 (vehicles). We’ll buy them from wholesalers and we go to auctions.
“We sell around 500 cars a year.
“We might be a little ahead of this time last year.
“We sell buy-here, payhere. We’ve got two finance companies that we use and we use local banks, too.
“Buy-here, pay-here makes up about 25 percent of our business. That’s pretty consistent. We’ll take as little as 10 percent down all the way up to 30 percent. It depends on the car price and on the customer.
“I’m going to say the average mileage is going to be around 100,000. We have some lower and we have some higher. The range may be 80,000 to 120,000. It’s what you find nowadays. If you get a three-year-old car it may have 100,000 miles.
“My regular sales (cars) will be anything from 2002 up to 2012 or 2013.
“I used to sell a lot more cars than trucks. But then SUVs started taking over. So we probably sell 30 percent cars, 40 percent SUVs and about 30 percent trucks.
“On cars, we carry a lot more imports. On trucks, I usually sell more domestics.
“As far as reconditioning, we probably spend $400 or $500 once we get the car here. It’s getting higher every year because parts have gotten so stupid high.
“For advertising, we’re on about five radio (stations), we’re on the Internet and we’re in Tradewinds (classi-
“In-house deals are usually about 24 months (term length). Longer terms would be for higher-priced cars, but then I’d want to do them through a finance company. I don’t want to be calling for 40 months on a car.
fied) magazine. We do a lot of advertising.
“I’m noticing that fourdoor pickups are strong right now. When it comes to buy-here, pay-here financing, you usually don’t have any trouble with somebody that buys a pickup. They pay their truck payments a lot better (than the car buyers).
“I recently sold a 2005 Chevrolet Avalanche. It had 157,000 miles. We financed that for $9,995.”
Kim Bradshaw, owner, First Nations Auto Sales, Burlington, N.C.:
“I’ve been here since 1997, but I’ve owned it since 2008.
“We have one lot. We normally try to keep about 60 cars. That’s about the same as last year.
“Mainly, we get our cars from dealer-only auctions. We don’t go to public sales.
“We average about 30 (sales) a month. That’s the same (pace) as last year.
“Tax season was pretty good. The last couple of
years have not been as good as they used to be, though. But it was pretty decent this year.
“We do everything from buy-here, pay-here to bank financing.
“I’d say we do about 40 percent buy-here, pay-here, 10 to 15 percent would be prime financing and the balance would be subprime.
That hasn’t really changed from last year.
“On buy-here, pay-here, we get a minimum $1,000 down. Term lengths are usually 24 to 36 months.
“We use starter-interrupt and GPS devices on our buy-here, pay-here cars. We’ve done that for the last 10 years. It’s helped a lot.
“Average model years are four to five years old. For mileage, we try to stay under 125,000.
“I used to be one who wouldn’t buy high-mileage stuf. When I say ‘high mileage,’ I’m saying 150,000 or 170,000. I would not touch it.
“I carry about 60 percent cars and 40 percent trucks and SUVs.
“Most of my (vehicles) are domestics.
“When a car comes in, I add $500 across the board to cover (reconditioning). It might be low compared to a lot of dealers I talk to. We do that work in-house.
“Our service department does outside work, as well. It is doing really well. In fact, our stuf is probably being put on the backburner because we’re so busy with outside work.
“We have our own website. We also use Cars.com and the local newspaper.
“Small SUVs are doing well right now.
“We sold a 2005 Buick LeSabre and it had 70,000 miles. I sold it for $7,400.”
“But I noticed that some of my competitors were buying those higher mileage cars at the auctions. So I’m thinking, ‘If they’re buying them and they’re selling them, then I can buy them and sell them.’ You’ve got to compete.
WHOLESALE MARKETS
MISSOURI
Doug Doll, owner/general manager, KCI Kansas City, Kansas City, Mo.:
“We opened up in Kansas City 2008, but we’ve been in business for 36 years.
“We’re running six lanes. Our volumes have been good. We’re running between 800 and 1,000 cars a week. That’s up from last year. We’ve added some national fleet accounts. We’re also getting a lot more dealer business.
“Percentages are holding firm.
“I’m going to say we get between 500 and 600 dealers. That’s up from last year. I think it’s because we have a little bit better consignment coming in now. We’ve got more new-car trades. We’ve also picked up the Toyota Financial account and are selling those once a month. That’s a big boost for us.
“We also have the Kia factory sale which has helped tremendously.
Compiled by Jeffrey Bellant
“We also have Westlake Financial, Caprock, Consumer Portfolio Services, Avis and Hertz. And we sell for ARI and TitleMax. TitleMax is a big customer of ours.
“We are probably 65 to 35 split between dealer and (commercial/fleet) business.
“Our local retail dealers’ business has been decent, not great. But they have still been up from last year’s numbers. The buyhere, pay-here business was very good in the first quarter, dropped back in April, but is coming back strong now.
“It was a steady tax season. We didn’t see the big spike like we normally have seen.
“We also have an equipment sale on the last Thursday of the month. They can be anything from bucket
“On May 21, we’re going to run Kia and Toyota on the same day. It’s a big sale. That’s a first. We typically run Toyota on the second Thursday and Kia on the third Thursday.
trucks and backhoes to digger derricks or box trucks. We’re run between 40 and 60 a month.
“The average price (of our regular sale) is right around $7,500.
“I think the volumes are going to be up this year around 15 percent. We’re up about 30 cars a week compared to last year. I think conversion rates are going to be a little bit tougher.
“Online sales are way up over the last two years. We’re actually doing condition reports on every car that hits our lot. Our online sales have gone up tremendously since we’ve done that.
“Minivans were soft in March, but they started coming back a little during the last couple of weeks in April. They’ll be strong from here on out.
“The older car market –the higher mileage cars – is not doing that well.
“We’re in a promotional season, but our big event Aug. 26 to 27 is our Gui-
tars & Stars concert. It’s going to be David Nail, a country artist.”
WISCONSIN
Rick Lallemont, Western Wisconsin Auto Auction, owner/general manager, Chippewa Falls, Wis.:
“We started here in 2005, so we hit our 10-year mark.
“We’re a three-lane auction. We run between 250 and 300 cars on an average week.
“We’ve picked up a few more accounts, although the numbers are about the same (compared to this time last year).
“But we’ve had higher conversion rates, so we’re selling more cars. Our conversion rate is 65 percent.
“We’re drawing about 150 dealers in the lanes. We also have simulcast in the lanes so we have online sales with AWG.
“A lot of the dealers said that tax season never really took of this year. It had a little blip in February and a little bit in March, but that was kind of it.
“We’re probably close to 85 percent dealer consignment. That’s pretty much the same as last year.
“We’ll get a small amount of (non-dealer) cars from local lease companies. Most of it is repos, some title loan cars and some from credit unions. We have a couple of national accounts, like ARI and Easy Money (Group).
“In the lanes (overall), the average price is about $4,000. That’s pretty much in the same ballpark as last year.
“We also have a GSA sale that’s starting up soon. Last year we sold a little more than 700 units for GSA. This year we should be around 500. They will typically run 130 units (at a sale). They are lower-mileage units, a big mix of cars and trucks.
“I think overall the market is status quo compared to last year.
“But it’s still a spring market. It’s still going well. I think we’re going to have a good year. “
“When Spireon’s competitors reach out to gain our business, I always say that no matter how cheap the price, we will never receive the same level of customer service that Amber at Spireon provides. She’s friendly, easy to understand and patient. She goes above and beyond to make sure our company is fully satisfed.”
to making our 9,000 vehicle
happy! For friendly experts you can trust, call 1-866-655-8825 or visit GoldStarGPS.com
Certified Pre-Owned Retail Sales
Dent Wizard Adds Staff, Expands to Multiple Channels
Automotive reconditioning service provider Dent Wizard International continues its aggressive expansion.
The company recently changed owners, with Gridiron Capital LLC buying Dent Wizard from H.I.G. Capital.
Dent Wizard also made a flurry of hirings in the past few months as it expands its business in multiple channels.
Mike Black, the company’s chief operating ofcer, said the expansion reflects the company’s investment in its customers.
“A recent customer satisfaction survey shows nine out of 10 current customers would absolutely recommend our company,” he said.
“We’re very proud of that. It continues to be in the 90s. Our latest was 90.3. We’ve been as high as 91.7, which is something to be very proud of.
“It really states that we are delivering to our customers what our promise is in our value proposition.”
Black recently spoke on where Dent Wizard is headed.
UCN: What is behind all the recent growth?
Black: Between 2011 and 2014, our compounded annual growth rate has been 17 percent within our core services.
We define our core services as paintless dent removal, wheel repair, minor paintwhich includes chip and scratch repair, interior repair, locksmith services and catastrophe hail services.
We look at our business in two ways; the services we provide and the channels we serve. We categorize our business into five channels. The dealer, rental, auction, and F&I, which really plays into the dealer channel. But, since it’s a niche market, we separate F&I and have a dedicated team of professionals leading that charge.
Lastly is the hail market, which includes insurance and body shops and afects all other channels.
You’re seeing a lot of announcements as we continue to bring talented people into our organization. These folks will either help us originate or fulfill our new/existing business.
We’re always looking for talented people.
I serve as COO of the company. Terry Koebbe is our president and CEO. We have an unbelievable senior team of leaders that respect and like each other and work well together. We have a special team that lead our field operations that clearly understand how to deliver exceptional results.
We invest heavily in training our people, making sure we improve our processes as we go, and ensuring we have the right stafng and tooling. Combine that with a committed group of managers and you have a recipe for success.
We continue to work hard to improve. We couldn’t be more excited about the future for Dent Wizard and our people.
UCN: How hard is it to recruit talent?
Black: When we decide to go after a talented leader or manager, we go after them hard and we spend the necessary time to invite the right people into our organization.
That’s not been a huge problem. We are the largest automotive reconditioning service provider in North America. We have a very solid brand. We have just over 1,700 employees today. When we had originally completed the carve-out in late 2010, the company had about 800 employees. So we’ve gone from 800 to 1,700 inside the last fourand-a-half years.
We are very active in the trade conferences. We’re very well known and, quite frankly, we have a lot to offer our customers through innovative programs designed specifically for each channel.
UCN: Tell us about your new ownership situation.
Black: Originally, Dent Wizard started out as a franchise organization. Under Manheim’s ownership (in the 1990s), they rolled all of their franchises together to create one company. In 2010, there were three of us that went to the private equity market to do a leveraged buyout and carve Dent Wizard out from Manheim. Manheim was a great owner for Dent Wizard and remains a great partner for
us today.
We believed Dent Wizard is best as a stand-alone entity and explored an opportunity to carve Dent Wizard out. I played a small part on the team that tackled that challenge. We were purchased by H.I.G. in late 2010 and they were a great partner for 41/2 years. They helped us tremendously. We expanded the business to a level that both management and HIG felt it was time to market the business. We went through the process and Gridiron came out as the winner on April 7.
Gridiron Capital has come out of the gate utilizing what I call a partnering approach. There are specific guys at Gridiron that have been unbelievable over these last few weeks. Those include Tom Burger, Kevin Jackson and Will Hausberg. These guys love the oppor-
ment and passion each of our people possess relative to performance. We love what we do. We love serving our customers. We’re excited about what’s in front of us. We look for the Gridiron team to add tremendous value. They’re excited about our strategy and our people. They realize we’re a people business and, quite frankly, they have a lot of resources that can add value and help get better as a company. We’re excited about the future.
UCN: How can dealers best utilize Dent Wizard?
Black: First of all, dealers are very smart operators. They understand what they’re looking for and they understand that having a true reconditioning partner adds a lot of value to their businesses.
tunity that’s in front of Dent Wizard. It’s new, but they are engaged and checked in.
We have a quarterly review meeting with our senior team from all six regions and all departments that we host every quarter. Burger, Jackson, and Hausberg all attended.
We have about 30 managers involved in these quarterly meetings and our new partners certainly walked away with a great feeling about how we approach our business and the commit-
reducing holding costs. The investment that the dealer makes in reconditioning provides a compelling return on their investment. What dealers will tell you is this: ‘With every dollar invested, we’re seeing a $1.50 or $2 returned. Therefore, our gross profit is growing on a per unit basis.’
The other thing I’ll tell you – as part of our value proposition – is a simplified reconditioning process makes it easier for our customers to do business. A one-vendor approach providing all of their cosmetic services makes it very simple for our dealerships. What I’d close on is that our value proposition is about simplification, speed and high quality repairs. All of that is delivered through a committed group of highly trained technicians and
We provide our customers fully integrated reconditioning programs. Those reconditioning programs simplify what dealers call the ‘retail-ready’ process. By simplifying that retailready process, we provide enhanced profitability. Our programs increase the speed by which vehicles are reconditioned. Speed matters. Time matters. Time and speed results in selling cars faster and for more money. That’s the primary economic driver. It’s about
managed by very efective leaders.
UCN: What is the makeup of your customer base?
Black: We serve over 5,000 customers. It’s a mix between the dealer, rental and auction channels. This is a $2.6-plus billion market in terms of the services we provide today. What separates us are our people, scale and geographic footprint. We are in the top 48 of the top 50 markets across the country.
DISCONNECTED JOTTINGS FROM TONY MOORBY
I haven’t been to the U.K. for five or six years to visit family, as health issues have precluded too much travel. It ends up being a ‘good news
Tony Moorby
• 40-year veteran of the industry
• President from 1997–2000 of ADT Automotive
• Served as ADESA’s executive vice president of sales and marketing
• Moorby & Associates 2006–present
• Awarded the Ring of Honor by NIADA
• NAAA Hall of Famer
amount of ofcers stand around picking their noses with nothing better to do.
Airlines know and publish their in-bound and outbound schedules months in advance so it wouldn’t seem too tough to apply a little planning and load management to accommodate the peaks and troughs. It ain’t rocket science and we’re paying through the nose for a government department to perform at less than stellar levels. What else is new?
– bad news’ sort of thing. Regular readers know what I think of airline services today and I can only report that things don’t change. Except the price, that is. An ordinary fare from Nashville to Heathrow is around $1,280 – $745 of which is for governmentimposed taxes and fees. I assume that’s supposed to fund the TSA. It surprises me that they don’t seem to load up additional staf at airports during their busy times, when most needed, causing long lines and delays through the security checkpoint bottlenecks. It seems at slow times an inordinate
CR R O O S S W D
By Miles Mellor
My connection through Chicago was a disaster, having been assured twice that I had sufcient time for the international transfer. We were early getting in but a gate wasn’t available, making us 20 (precious) minutes late. I walked (I can’t run) as fast as I could to catch a transfer bus, a half a mile hike in its own right, from terminal 3 to terminal 5 only to be told that the service had finished for the day 15 minutes prior.
Another sweat-inducing rush to the train got me to the gate as they were calling my name for the flight. I looked (and probably smelled) like a drowned rat.
Once aboard I was shoehorned into a seat befitting a goblin or hobbit. Only one person had room for the armrest so I spent the best part of eight hours as a practicing contortionist. Just to add insult, there was a boxed gizmo under the seat in front of me, allowing access for one foot at a time, so I spent the time doing a minor jig
Sponsored
that the person next to me was probably convinced of some Irish decent on my part.
Mealtimes under these circumstances are for the brave of heart, both for content and the dexterity with which you have to handle the accoutrements of eating from a tray that bumps into the next-door neighbor’s, with elbows tucked into hips and a tray table that’s half the size of the tray. Pouring a miniscule bottle of wine is a real adventure so I ended up rudely drinking from the bottle. I must have looked like a desperate sot. Ordering a couple of bourbons for after dinner and sleep inducement only confirmed the view.
Reading with the light on during an overnight flight was an imposition on my neighbors that I thought it unfair to exert, so I watched
a few episodes of “Wolf Hall” with an earpiece that rendered total silence if I even thought of touching it.
I did, at last, manage a couple of catnaps and was awoken with “breakfast”. Not the full Monty English type – this was British Airways, after all. It was an indescribable brick of something akin to fruitcake, heavy enough to sink the Titanic with no aid from an iceberg. The English can’t make cofee and it tasted like an acidic mouthwash. In fairness, it’s only eight hours out of life and I write this in the comfort of my brother’s ofce overlooking the town of Cobham in Surrey. ‘It is better to travel than to arrive’ goes the saying. Pife and hogwash! Being here is wonderful. They’ve just had elections here and voted the Tories back in. Some things are right with the world. Pun intended.
Compact crossover model
Range Rover _____
NASCAR track 11. Porsche cars
12. Juke or Pathfnder
14. VW supermini
16. It’s added to the car’s price
17. Frisco footballer
19. Eco-friendly cars
21. Kia compact
25. ____wing door
28. Midsize Kia
29. Lubricate
30. Hardtop convertible from Volkswagen
Send a message
They are used for football parties
Insult, in slang
Concert venue, often
Often part of a dealer’s offer
Truck fuel
Noah’s boat
Rarely used greenback
Title word from 2008
Classy Bugatti
Luxury saloons
Moderately priced cars made in the 1920s
Maker of the xB and tC
Saturn model
Fish story 18. Spanish for it is
Crankcase rod
Internet laughter symbol
Clubman, for one
Negotiates terms
Obtain
RX 350 and GX 460
AROUND THE BLOCK
AUCTION HOSTS NAAA TRAINING
Dealers Auto Auction of the Southwest hosted the National Auto Auction Association’s Auction Standards Training and participated in a fundraising event for the Children’s Cancer Network.
On March 23 and 24, DAA of the Southwest hosted NAAA Auc-
tion Standards Training, a crossindustry event that trains auction employees in the key areas of arbitration and condition report writing standards.
“We were pleased to welcome 23 of our colleagues hailing from auctions throughout the region to the two-day training seminar,”
said Jim DesRochers, auction vice president and past NAAA president. “An accurate vehicle inspection process is vital to the remarketing industry, and the NAAA training program, taught by Matt Arias, provides two days of invaluable education, which includes classroom curriculum as well as hands-on training.
“Education of this kind is critically important to our industry, for it affects buyers, sellers and the auctions themselves. It’s also an important factor in strengthening initiatives like Auto Grade and simulcast bidding.”
Following the NAAA training, the auction sponsored and supported an event for the Children’s Cancer Network at the Phoenician Resort, Scottsdale, on March 28. Stephanie Gingras, general manager of DAASW, and Bobby Dehler, one of the leading auctioneers, took part in the event.
Consignor Honors Top Remarketers
U.S. Bank honored three Manheim auctions and two other sales with its Auction of the Year awards recently.
Manheim Pennsylvania was named Highline Segment Winner; Manheim Milwaukee earned the Lease Return Segment Award and Manheim Riverside was selected as Retail Repo Segment Winner.
Other winners included: Brasher’s Northwest Auto Auction in the Marine/RV Segment and ADESA Kansas City which won the Director’s Award (for overall excellence and partnership).
“It is a wonderful honor that these three locations were selected for their great accomplishments in 2014,” said Rich Coutu, vice president of commercial sales for Manheim. “U.S. Bank is a great partner and we are very pleased to have been recognized.”
We invite news items and top-quality photos from our readers to be considered for “Around the Block.” Please include the name of a contact person and a telephone number. Send items and photos to: Jeffrey Bellant. Mail: Used Car News, 24114 Harper Ave., St. Clair Shores, MI 48080. Fax: (586) 772-9400 e-mail: jeff@usedcarnews.com
“I opened my business in 1998 with about 15 diferent lenders and selling around 30 cars a month. In 2004 most of the lenders dried up and so did my volume and cash fow. My frst Portfolio Proft Express check was $47,000. Credit Acceptance not only saved my dealership, it’s allowed me to increase my sales. The program has been life-changing for me and my customers.”
Kaisk
CHARITY: Bobby Dehler and Stephanie Gingras of Dealers Auto Auction of the Southwest, participate in a fundraising event for the Children’s Cancer Network.
MOR IF THERE WAS A WAY TO WAIVE THE DOWN PAYMENT, OR DELAY IT FOR FEW WEEKS? I’M IN NEED OF A CAR, BUT WON’T BE ABLE TO SUPPLY HUGE DOWN PAYMENT TILL THE 7TH OF MAY. ABOUT HOW MUCH MONEY REQUIRED DOWN. WHAT ABOUT IF YOU DON’T HAVE THAT GREAT OF CREDIT? ALSO I HAVE A CAR THAT I’M CURRENTLY STILL PAYING BUT OWED ABOUT 3,000 WOULD CAN I TRADE IN. HELLO WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO TAKE $2000 DOWN? I AM IN A VERY BAD SITUATION. SOMEONE RAN INTO MY MUSTANG LAST WEEK & BASICALLY TOTALED IT. I AM ON THE VERGE OF LOSING MY JOB IF I DON’T GET A RIDE SOON AND I WANT SOMETHING WITH MILES THAT AREN’T SKY HIGH. PLEASE GIVE ME A CALL OR EMAIL THANK YOU. WHAT IS THE LEAST DOWN PAYMENT AND WHAT IS THE PAY
RE
WAYS FOR CUSTOMERS TO FIND YOU.
Give shoppers information that matters to them most — details about your dealership, inventory listings with photos, video, down payments, weekly/monthly payments — all the right options that can get them into a car from your store. It’s easy to use, it’s geo-targeted for local searches and you can even use the BHPH Center as your website.
MENTS LENGTH AND TERMS. I DO NOT HAVE FANTASTIC CREDIT AT ALL HUSBAND RUINED MY CREDIT AND AM LOOKING FOR A WAY TO REBUILD MY CREDIT I HAVE A GOOD JOB LIVED IN SAME PLACE FOR 5 YEARS AND TRULY LOVE THIS CAR. I WANTED TO KNOW HOW MUCH I WOULD HAVE PUT DOWN FOR THIS 03 NISSAN MAXIM AND HOW MUCH MY CAR NOTE WOULD BE A MONTH. I AM 20 WITH 2 JOBS AND ABSOLUTELY NO CREDIT SPEAK OF BUT I’M HOPING TO WORK AROUND THAT AND GET A VEHICLE. SINCE I DONT HAVE CREDIT IVE BEEN TURNED AWAY BY EVERYBODY INCLUD ING CREDIT CARD COMPANIES WHEN TRYING TO ESTABLISH CREDIT. I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT IF EVEN THOUGH I DO NOT HAVE CREDIT COULD MAKE PAYMENTS ON A VEHICLE WHILE I HAVE IT. SINCE I AM STILL CURRENTLY LIVING WITH MY FAMILY I HAVE ESSENTIALLY NO BILLS TO PAY UNLESS I HAVE TO WHICH LEAVES MY MONEY TOWARDS PAYMENT IF YOU WERE TO PUT ME ON A PAYMENT PLAN. THE DOWN PAYMENT COULD BE WORKED OUT REGARDLESS BUT AS FOR THE MONTHLY I WILL NEED TO BETWEEN 200 AND 250 JUST IN CASE I NEED TO PAY A BILL AGAIN BUT IN THAT RANGE YOU WILL BE GUARANTEED ON TIME PAYMENTS. WHETHER YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO WORK WITH ME OR NOT PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I DO NOT ANSWER I AM MOST LIKELY AT WORK SO PLEASE LEAVE A MES
SAGE. HI, I AM INTERESTED IN THIS CAR AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE DOWN PAYMENT IS AND WHAT THE PAYMENTS ARE AND FREQUENCY OF PAYMENTS. I AM A PART TIME COLLEGE STUDENT WITH A FULL TIME
Find the right cars, out of thousands — in a
glance. Pull the trigger before the competition. Never do homework, guesswork or extra legwork again.
When you’re purchasing wholesale used cars, you need fast, easy access to the condition reports and values you trust. The dealers who get to the best deals frst use AuctionGenius — in the lanes, on the lot and on the go. Now you can rely on AuctionGenius for support at auction and in your dealer networks. It puts the industry’s most trusted values at your fngertips, so you can work faster and more efciently in every setting.
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