GoCarBid · Field Research
Dealer
Interview
Survey
Parts Availability & Auction Bidding · v1.0
Confidential
Research Use Only
April 2026
Est. 15 min
✓
Thank You!
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Profile
Process
Backorder
Financial
Tool Fit
Your Name (optional)
Date
How are we speaking?
01
Dealer Profile
About You
Q1.1
What best describes how you operate?
Independent dealership (retail lot)
Wholesale dealer / flipper (auction to auction)
Individual buyer (no formal lot)
Dealer + wholesale hybrid
Other:
Q1.2
How many vehicles do you buy per month at auction?
1–5 units
6–15 units
16–30 units
30+ units
Q1.3
Which auction channels do you use? (Select all)
Manheim
ADESA
ACV Auctions (online)
OPENLANE / OVE
Local independent auctions
Dealer-to-dealer direct
Other:
Q1.4
What vehicle types do you mostly target?
Domestic trucks / SUVs
Import sedans / hatchbacks
Luxury vehicles
High-mileage / budget ($3k–$8k)
Damaged / salvage title
No preference — opportunistic
Q1.5
Do you use floor plan financing?
Yes — heavily reliant on it
Yes — selectively
No — cash only
02
Current Process
How Do You Decide What to Bid?
Q2.1
Walk me through what you do before you place a bid. What's your process?
Q2.2
How do you currently estimate repair costs before bidding?
Experience / gut feel
Call my shop / mechanic
Look up parts prices on my phone
Use a spreadsheet
Use an app or software
I mostly don't — price to MMR and hope
Q2.3
How much time do you typically have to decide on a bid?
Under 60 seconds (live auction lane)
2–5 minutes
5–15 minutes
As long as I need (online, prebid)
Q2.4
What information do you wish you had at bid time that you currently don't?
03
Parts & Backorder Pain
The Margin Killer
Q3.1
KEY
Tell me about the last time a backorder or missing part killed your margin. What happened?
Include: year/make/model, part needed, where you sourced it, how long it took, what it cost you.
Tell the full story
Q3.2
What category was that part?
Electronic module / control unit (ABS, TCM, ECM, BCM)
Structural / body panel
Mechanical (engine or transmission)
Interior trim or tech feature
Safety system (airbag, seatbelt)
Lighting (headlight or taillight assembly)
Suspension / steering
Other:
Q3.3
Where did you try to source the part?
OEM dealer parts department
Aftermarket (RockAuto, AutoZone, etc.)
Salvage yard (direct)
Car-Part.com
eBay
Facebook Marketplace / groups
Called around to multiple shops
Other:
Q3.4
How often does a car sit waiting on a hard-to-find part?
Rarely — maybe 1–2 times a year
Occasionally — a few times per quarter
Regularly — at least once a month
Constantly — it's one of my biggest problems
Q3.5
Are there specific makes or models you've learned to avoid because parts are hard to find?
Q3.6
KEY
If you had known the part would be hard to get BEFORE you bid — what would you have done differently?
Passed on the car entirely
Bid lower to leave more margin buffer
Confirmed part availability before bidding
Set a hard pass rule for that make/model
Other:
04
Financial Impact
What Does It Actually Cost You?
Q4.1
What's your typical target gross margin per unit?
Under $500
$500–$1,000
$1,000–$2,000
$2,000–$3,500
$3,500+
Q4.2
Target days-to-flip vs. what actually happens?
Target days on lot
Actual average
Q4.3
If a car sits an extra 2–3 weeks on a backordered part, how much margin does that eat?
Under $200 — not a big deal
$200–$500 — noticeable
$500–$1,000 — significant
$1,000+ — it can wipe the profit entirely
Q4.4
KEY
Have you ever broken even or lost money on a car because of a parts delay? What happened?
05
Tool Fit
What Would Actually Help You?
Q5.1
How do you currently track your bids and watch units at an auction?
Q5.2
KEY
If before you bid, a tool showed whether parts are in stock or backordered, and flagged makes with known availability problems — would that change how you bid?
Yes — I'd use that heavily, it would change my bids
Yes — but only if it was fast and accurate
Maybe — depends on how it works
Probably not — I trust my own process
Q5.3
What would make you NOT trust a tool that gives parts availability info?
Q5.4
Rate how valuable each feature would be at bid time (1 = not useful · 5 = essential)
Parts availability signal (in-stock vs. backordered)
Not useful
1
2
3
4
5
Essential
Max-bid recommendation based on repair cost + margin target
Not useful
1
2
3
4
5
Essential
Make/model backorder risk flag (e.g. "Chrysler FCA — high parts risk")
Not useful
1
2
3
4
5
Essential
Floor plan cost calculator (days-to-flip impact on margin)
Not useful
1
2
3
4
5
Essential
Q5.5
What would you pay per month for a tool that reliably helped you avoid bad bids?
Nothing — it needs to be free
$20–$50/month
$50–$100/month
$100–$200/month
More than $200/month if it really works
Q5.6
Anything else about sourcing cars or managing parts that you wish was easier?
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