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  1. ruggles

    Beepi and Vroom and Carvana - will they make a DENT?

    There is no viability regardless of how one pronounces their name. Their only impact on the market is in the individual markets where they have their loosing locations. Real dealers have to compete with them until they run through the sucker money that funds the company.
  2. ruggles

    Beepi and Vroom and Carvana - will they make a DENT?

    Yes, CarMax went public long ago, although initially it was merely a tracking stock under the Circuit City heading. And it floundered initially. They sent rookie buyers out with lists of vehicles to buy. And they always came back with the cars, although they often paid retail for them. They...
  3. ruggles

    Beepi and Vroom and Carvana - will they make a DENT?

    Re: "Publicly Traded." It allows for an enterprise to grow rapidly, which can create the impression of "success." Success in my world is measured by profit. For those who think growth is success I can suggest buying some Tesla stock. Year to year store performance is a better way to measure...
  4. ruggles

    Beepi and Vroom and Carvana - will they make a DENT?

    First, CarMax wasn't built organically. It was built from the sale of stock. That is why it grew so fast. This is not to say that haven't done a good job, but there is an important distinction between growing by selling vehicles and through retained earnings versus raising capital through...
  5. ruggles

    Beepi and Vroom and Carvana - will they make a DENT?

    So you educated SOME consumers. That's a far cry from "educating the market." If you claim "no negotiation," you'd probably better do it that way. No concessions. The CarMax methods are a mirror image of the store I was hired into in 1970. AS I mentioned, this is nothing new. I might...
  7. ruggles

    Beepi and Vroom and Carvana - will they make a DENT?

    Of course they walk some deals. And the drop price amd make other concessions. "Educate the Market?" Now that's funny. Are you sure you read Tom Hudson's piece? "One Price isn't just about CarMax. I worked in a One Price store in 1970. It's not a new thing. It's a method to sell and make gross...
  8. ruggles

    Beepi and Vroom and Carvana - will they make a DENT?

    If you say so. I'm sure you believe that. Camax has made may price concessions over the years BOTH monetary and by throwing stuff in. If you monitor social media you'll find Carmax is getting a reputation for high prices AND for being the place to go to sell a car with problems. I guess Tom...
  9. ruggles

    Beepi and Vroom and Carvana - will they make a DENT?

    There really is no such thing as "One Price." Its a marketing strategy. Are you really going to walk a deal over $100.? There there is: http://www.autodealermonthly.com/article/story/2014/05/no-haggle-no-problem-or-not.aspx
  10. ruggles

    What ways could dealers be more transparent, IDEAS anyone?

    I fail to understand what the big deal is. Consumers don't deserve transparency. Does anyone think we should know the raw wholesale price of a head of lettuce at the grocery store? So what if consumers answer survey questions that aren't complimentary to us. Which is more important. They...
  11. ruggles

    What ways could dealers be more transparent, IDEAS anyone?

    Great article be I respectfully disagree with the following statement: "Our (Yes another opinion) feeling is that transparency doesn't need to end or grow, it needs a redefining." Despite efforts by the self serving in our business, the definition of "transparency" NEVER changed. It was...
  13. ruggles

    Beepi and Vroom and Carvana - will they make a DENT?

    Keep buying Carvana blue sky if you want. Hell, you can even buy their stock if your so sure they'll thrive. If they survive and thrive you can tell everyone "I told you so." Until then they are losing massive amounts of cash, possible only because of the stupid money they received from...
  14. ruggles

    Beepi and Vroom and Carvana - will they make a DENT?

    Sad to see what happened to Beepi and speculate that the same will fate will be Carvana's. Frankly, I don't see what is sad about the failure of Beepi. Real dealers suffer when one of these hair brain start ups comes in to his/her market, at least until they fail. CarMax has proven to be a...
  15. ruggles

    Beepi and Vroom and Carvana - will they make a DENT?

    RE: "What keeps these startups from being successful?" Actually, they ARE successful at bilking millions from stupid investors while the "founders" walk away with all kinds of loot. Its the Scott Painter MO. In a macro sense, the market limits what people will pay for a vehicle. Lenders...
  16. ruggles

    Nationwide Bank partners with TrueCar for "Single Stop"

    There is no doubt Chip Perry has improved TrueCar's fortunes. But it is well known that every part of TrueCar's business is a loser with the exception of ALG and their affinity programs. Some of their "research" is actually handy, but most is completely self serving. I'd like to see some...
  17. ruggles

    What ways could dealers be more transparent, IDEAS anyone?

    Wanna be transparent? Quote your triple net cost, then negotiate the margin. That'll work, right?
  19. ruggles

    Online Shopping to Online Buying

    Having more information is not the same as "knowing" more BUT if you think it is a productive thing to do, what is keeping people from putting a shopping cart on their site? Answer: Small details like trade ins, negative equity, and complex credit issues? Why would anyone establish a sales...
  20. ruggles

    Online Shopping to Online Buying

    Its like drinking through a fire hose to the consumer... and to our staff.
  21. ruggles

    Online Shopping to Online Buying

    We bury consumers under information these days. They can't sort through the complexity. Before I left "the road" I sometimes visited 6 dealerships a day... most days it was three. I saw the same thing play out over and over again. Sales people were meeting consumers for the first time and...
  22. ruggles

    Online Shopping to Online Buying

    Perhaps YOU understand that our biggest issue doesn't have a tech solution amd vendors can't make money off of the real solution.
  23. ruggles

    Online Shopping to Online Buying

    Likewise. The only thing that doesn't change is human nature.
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