GoCarBid — Used Car Manager Survey

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Thank You!

Your responses have been submitted. We really appreciate your time — this directly shapes how GoCarBid is built for used car managers like you.

Profile

Process

Recon

Financial

Tool Fit

Your Name (optional)

Date

How are we speaking?

Dealer Profile

About Your Role

Q1.1

What is your role at the dealership?

Used Car Manager Pre-Owned Director General Manager Buyer / Acquisition Specialist Other:

Q1.2

What franchise brand is your dealership?

Ford / Lincoln GM (Chevy, Buick, GMC, Cadillac) Stellantis (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram) Toyota / Lexus Honda / Acura BMW / Mercedes / Audi Other:

Q1.3

How many used vehicles do you acquire at auction per month?

Under 10 units 10–25 units 25–50 units 50+ units

Q1.4

Which auction channels do you primarily use?

Manheim ADESA ACV Auctions (online) OPENLANE / OVE Dealer trade / direct wholesale Manufacturer programs (CPO, lease returns) Other:

Q1.5

What software tools do you currently use for used car operations?

vAuto DealerSocket Dealertrack CDK Drive Reynolds & Reynolds Lotpop Spreadsheets only Other:

Bidding Process

How Do You Acquire?

Q2.1

Walk me through how you decide what to bid on a used vehicle at auction.

Q2.2

What tools or data sources do you use to estimate reconditioning cost before bidding?

Experience / gut feel Auction condition report Call service department vAuto or similar tool Look up parts prices manually Flat recon budget per unit

Q2.3

Do you have a set reconditioning budget per unit approved by management?

Yes — strict limit I cannot exceed Yes — soft guideline with flexibility No — I approve each case individually No — GM approves all recon spend

Q2.4

What information do you wish you had at bid time that you currently don't?

Recon & Parts Pain

Where Does It Break Down?

Q3.1 KEY
Tell me about the last time a parts backorder or recon delay significantly hurt your margin on a used unit. What happened?
Include: vehicle year/make/model, the part, where you sourced it, how long it took, what it cost in floor plan and lost margin.

          Full story

Q3.2

Where does your service department source parts for used car recon?

OEM parts department (in-house) Aftermarket distributors Salvage / used parts (Car-Part, yards) eBay Outside body shop or vendor Other:

Q3.3

Are there specific makes or models you've learned to avoid at auction because parts or recon are unpredictable?

Q3.4

How often does a used unit sit in recon longer than expected due to parts availability?

Rarely — a few times a year Occasionally — about once a month Regularly — almost every week Constantly — it's an ongoing problem

Q3.5 KEY

If you had known the recon cost and parts availability BEFORE bidding — how would that have changed your decision?

Passed on the unit entirely Bid lower to protect margin Flagged it to GM before bidding Set a hard avoid rule for that make/model Other:

Financial & Accountability

The Numbers That Matter

Q4.1

What is your target front-end gross per used unit?

Under $1,000 $1,000–$2,000 $2,000–$3,000 $3,000+ Set by GM / varies by unit

Q4.2

What is your target days-to-frontline — and what actually happens?

Target days to frontline

Actual average

Q4.3

What does your dealership's holding cost run per vehicle per day (floor plan + overhead)?

Under $30/day $30–$50/day $50–$80/day $80+/day I don't track this

Q4.4 KEY
Are you measured / held accountable by your GM for used car recon time or days-to-frontline? How does that affect your decisions at auction?

Tool Fit

What Would Actually Help?

Q5.1

What's missing from your current tools (vAuto, DMS, etc.) when it comes to auction acquisition decisions?

Q5.2 KEY

If before you bid, a tool showed you real-time parts availability, estimated recon cost, and a risk flag for makes with known parts problems — would that change how you bid?

Yes — I'd use that heavily, it would change my bids Yes — but only if it's accurate and fast Maybe — depends if it integrates with vAuto/DMS Probably not — I already have enough tools

Q5.3

Would you need your GM or dealer principal to approve a new tool, or can you make that decision yourself?

I can approve tools under $100/month myself I can recommend but GM has to approve All tools go through the dealer principal Part of a dealer group — corporate approves

Q5.4

Rate how valuable each feature would be at bid time (1 = not useful · 5 = essential)

Real-time parts availability signal (in-stock vs. backordered)

Not useful

Essential

Automated recon cost estimate from VIN + damage notes

Not useful

Essential

Make/model backorder risk flag (e.g. "Stellantis — high parts risk")

Not useful

Essential

Days-to-frontline impact calculator (holding cost on margin)

Not useful

Essential

Q5.5

What would your dealership pay per month for a tool that measurably reduced recon delays and improved used car gross?

Nothing — should be covered by our DMS Under $100/month $100–$300/month $300–$500/month $500+/month if ROI is clearly demonstrated

Q5.6

Anything else about used car acquisition, recon, or auction bidding that you wish was easier or better?

Your answers go directly to the GoCarBid research team.
No account needed. Responses are confidential.