Car Dealership Guy Podcast

This episode is brought to you by: KEYper Systems - Key Management Simplified. ⁠⁠Fullpath⁠⁠ – Discover Automotive's Leading Customer Data and Experience Platform. In this episode, I'm speaking with Brett Morgan, CEO of Morgan Auto Group. 00:00 - Intro 02:48 - Brett’s background 08:20 - Succession & raising kids in generational wealth 13:51 - The journey to becoming CEO 29:53 - What Brett looks for in an acquisition 50:50 - Toyota and EVs 1:02:00 - Has dealership profitability peaked? 1:07:39 - Brett’s message to Ford CEO Jim Farley 1:11:37 - Raising capital through private equity 1:20:08 - Finding the best people 1:28:45 - Wrapping up Follow Brett: X LinkedIn Morgan Auto Group Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠the website⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more and follow me on X ⁠⁠@GuyDealership⁠⁠! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Drop us a line ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I’m speaking with Scot Wingo, Founder & CEO of Spiffy. 01:09 - Scot’s background 04:50 - The hardest business meeting ever 07:05 - Being a serial entrepreneur 15:41 - Trick to hiring technicians 20:08 - Leveraging custom software to drive process efficiency 25:30 - How Spiffy makes money 32:38 - Consumer behaviors around auto repair 35:00 - Where the industry is headed 46:24 - Wrapping up Follow Scot & Spiffy: @scotwingo on X Spiffy's website Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠the website⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more and follow me on Twitter ⁠⁠@GuyDealership⁠⁠! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Join the sponsor waitlist ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Cliff Banks, Founder of The Banks Report. 00:00 - Intro 01:38 - Cliff’s background 08:30 - The Fate of Carvana 16:40 - What’s next for the used car dealer? 34:10 - Are new car prices sustainable? 39:36 - Talking public auto stocks 44:25 - How automotive media is changing 56:30 - Wrapping up Follow Cliff: ⁠Twitter⁠ ⁠The Banks Report⁠ Please take a moment to visit this episode's sponsor: ⁠⁠Fullpath⁠⁠ – Discover Automotive's Leading Customer Data and Experience Platform Turn your first-party data into customers for life with ⁠⁠Fullpath⁠⁠. Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠the website⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more and follow me on Twitter ⁠⁠@GuyDealership⁠⁠! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Join the sponsor waitlist ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Alan Haig, President & Founder of Haig Partners, LLC. 00:00 - Intro 01:51 - Alan's background 10:07 - The journey to founding Haig Partners 20:21 - The state of dealership M&A 50:11 - Best & worst brands for consumer experience 59:36 - Will this hot market continue throughout the decade? 1:03:54 - The independent dealer market of the future 1:20:57 - Wrapping up Follow Alan: LinkedIn Haig Partners Please take a moment to visit this episode's sponsor: ⁠Fullpath⁠ – Discover Automotive's Leading Customer Data and Experience Platform Turn your first-party data into customers for life with ⁠Fullpath⁠. Check out ⁠⁠⁠the website⁠⁠⁠ for more and follow me on Twitter ⁠@GuyDealership⁠! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Join the sponsor waitlist ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Brad Parker, Founder & CEO of ⁠PrivateAuto⁠. 00:00 Intro 01:05 Brad's background 04:55 What inspired Brad to build a P2P marketplace 16:25 Inside PrivateAuto's business 32:05 Why most transactions are still private party 43:10 Wrapping up Follow Brad: ⁠Twitter⁠ ⁠PrivateAuto⁠ Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more and follow me on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠@GuyDealership⁠⁠⁠! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Send us a note ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I'm speaking with John Hayes, co-founder and CEO of Ghost Autonomy. 00:00 - Intro 01:12 - John's background 05:19 - What is Ghost? 09:34 - The Levels of Autonomy 23:13 - Ghost's business model 29:13 - OEM adoption & benefits 39:33 - The future of AVs & commuting 44:11 - Wrapping up Follow John: Twitter LinkedIn Ghost Autonomy Check out ⁠⁠⁠the website⁠⁠⁠ for more and follow me on Twitter ⁠@GuyDealership⁠! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Join the sponsor waitlist ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Danielle DiMartino Booth, CEO & Chief Strategist of QI Research. 00:00 Intro 01:20 Danielle's background 08:00 Understanding the Federal Reserve 13:20 Dealing with labor shortages 17:10 How QI Research conducts research and analysis 19:25 What's next for inflation? 29:10 The state of auto lending 36:20 Will car prices come down? 42:25 What's next for interest rates 49:20 Best & worst signals in the market right now 53:00 Wrapping up Follow Danielle: Twitter QI Research Check out ⁠⁠⁠the website⁠⁠⁠ for more and follow me on Twitter ⁠@GuyDealership⁠! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Join the sponsor waitlist ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Joel Bassam, President of Easterns Automotive Group. 00:00 - Intro 02:03 - Joel's background 05:15 - Easterns business model 13:06 - Weathering the current market 20:19 - Unit economics & Sourcing 30:37 - CDG's gov't auction story 36:21 - Revenues & Margins 42:28 - Marketing strategy 54:12 - Growth & Expansion 59:23 - Wrapping up Follow Joel: @jbassam2 on Twitter. Joel's LinkedIn. Easterns.com. Please take a moment to visit this episode's sponsor: ⁠Fullpath⁠ – Discover Automotive's Leading Customer Data and Experience Platform. Turn your first-party data into customers for life with ⁠Fullpath⁠. Check out ⁠⁠⁠the website⁠⁠⁠ for more and follow me on Twitter ⁠@GuyDealership⁠! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Join the sponsor waitlist ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Brian Beers, President of Prenlyn Automotive Group and Host of Business with Beers. 01:18 - Brian's background 06:48 - Franchise Pros & Cons 11:07 - How Brian sources shops 18:48 - Handling staffing for a group of shops 20:43 - Overhead, Returns, and Tax Sheltering 24:08 - Best and Worst Deals 27:48 - Margins & Marketing 32:13 - Best way for consumers to maximize dollars spent 35:48 - Dealing with inflation 39:43 - Auto Repair / EV predictions 47:18 - What's next for Brian and his group 50:38 - Wrapping up Follow Brian: brianbeers.com Business with Beers Check out ⁠⁠⁠the website⁠⁠⁠ for more and follow me on Twitter ⁠@GuyDealership⁠! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Join the sponsor waitlist ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Kelly Stumpe, founder and CEO of The Car Mom. 00:00 - Intro 01:22 - Kelly's background 05:52 - Starting and growing The Car Mom 14:42 - Learning to monetize a media brand 19:07 - Which channel has been the most profitable 27:07 - Kelly's best car-buying tip 30:27 - Kelly's important trade-in tip 34:00 - Fixing the perception of dealerships for the future 35:52 - Wrapping up Follow Kelly: Instagram @the_car_mom YouTube Channel The Car Mom website Check out ⁠⁠⁠the website⁠⁠⁠ for more and follow me on Twitter ⁠@GuyDealership⁠! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Join the sponsor waitlist ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Pat Ryan, Founder and CEO of CoPilot. 00:00 - Intro 01:13 - Pat's background 10:33 - Family entrepreneurship 14:22 - Building & selling two companies 20:26 - Founding CoPilot 25:47 - How CoPilot makes money 31:05 - Breaking into a competitive market 39:41 - Who is CoPilot for? 48:13 - Trends that Pat's observing 54:00 - Evolving with AI 57:09 - Wrapping up Follow Pat: Pat’s Twitter & LinkedIn. CoPilot’s website. Check out ⁠⁠⁠the website⁠⁠⁠ for more and follow me on Twitter ⁠@GuyDealership⁠! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Join the sponsor waitlist ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Scott Painter, Founder and CEO of Autonomy. 00:00 - Intro 02:03 - Elon's "thought exercise" for Scott 07:47 - Scott's entrepreneurial journey 15:12 - The Softbank Saga 23:06 - Inspiration & The Innovator's Dilemma 30:25 - Building Autonomy 39:46 - The economics of a subscription-based model 50:40 - Autonomy's ideal customer 57:22 - What does Scott drive? 01:00:53 - Wrapping up Follow Scott: Scott's Twitter & LinkedIn. Autonomy's website. Please take a moment to visit this episode's sponsor: ⁠Fullpath⁠ – Discover Automotive's Leading Customer Data and Experience Platform Turn your first-party data into customers for life with ⁠Fullpath⁠. Check out ⁠⁠⁠the website⁠⁠⁠ for more and follow me on Twitter ⁠@GuyDealership⁠! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Join the sponsor waitlist ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Chad Cunningham, aka WholesaleChad, an exotic car buyer with GiveMeTheVIN. 00:00 - Intro 01:49 - Chad's background 05:48 - How wholesaling works 13:31 - Achieving consistent profitability 17:17 - The "vibe" factor at auctions 23:47 - Becoming a top-performing wholesaler 29:14 - How Chad appraises cars 35:30 - Which cars to stay away from 40:38 - Navigating trade-in offers & used car prices 45:45 - Wholesale Car Club 56:45 - CDG face reveal? 59:52 - Wrapping up Follow Chad: Chad's website. Give Me The VIN's website. Wholesale Car Club on Facebook. Please take a moment to visit this episode's sponsor: Fullpath – Discover Automotive's Leading Customer Data and Experience Platform. Turn your first-party data into customers for life with Fullpath. Check out ⁠⁠the website⁠⁠ for more and follow me on Twitter @GuyDealership! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Join the sponsor waitlist ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I’m speaking with Alex Vetter, co-founder and CEO of Cars.com. 00;00 - Intro 01:25 - Acquiring *the* domain 02:44 - 25th year anniversary 05:13 - Company background 09:08 - Keeping up with the pace of tech 12:03 - Tailwinds & headwinds 13:24 - Where are we headed as an industry 18:38 - EV search share 21:38 - Direct-to-Consumer 26:07 - Wholesale and Retail 36:31 - Leaning into AI 40:13 - The Future of Cars.com Find Alex on Twitter @tavetter. Check out ⁠the website⁠ for more and follow me on Twitter @GuyDealership! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Join the sponsor waitlist ⁠here⁠. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Aharon Horwitz, co-founder and CEO of Fullpath. (00:00) Intro (01:23) Fullpath's story (03:45) What Fullpath does for dealers & consumers (06:20) Leveraging 1st-party data (13:56) Business metrics (16:56) Best/worst marketing strategies (22:20) How AI can help dealers & consumers (33:34) CDG's vision for AI-powered car-buying (41:54) Wrapping up Learn more about Fullpath. Check out the website for more and follow me on Twitter @GuyDealership! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Join the sponsor waitlist here. his podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Jonathan Smoke, Chief Economist at Cox Automotive. (00:00) Intro (00:51) Our unique market environment (04:12) Jonathan's background (08:45) The Great Digitization (11:46) That time CDG bought 50 Chevys at auction (13:40) Are we in a K-shaped recovery? (18:45) Domestic vs International supply constraints (26:00) When do we get back to 2019 price levels? (33:45) Forecasting new vs used car prices (38:19) Advising a new car buyer (41:42) Jonathan's take on EVs (47:38) DJ Smoke's recommended listening You can find Jonathan here: Twitter @SmokeonCars Smoke on Cars insights at Cox Automotive This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. Check out dealershipguy.com for more and follow me on Twitter @GuyDealership! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Join the sponsor waitlist here.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Jake Lebowitz of Raceway Auto Group in New Jersey. We talk about how much he makes as a dealer, his secret method for acquiring 15 car dealerships, the most profitable customers, why he won't touch Ford dealerships, and tricks to get the best car deal. (00:00) Intro (01:08) Raceway Auto Group (02:40) M&A activity (06:47) Sourcing strategies (13:32) Jake's best deal (17:13) Delegating operations (21:45) Best and worst customers (25:09) Jake's thoughts on used cars (30:23) The uphill battle for small dealerships (32:42) Which car brands are on the decline (43:00) How consumers can find good deals (46:17) Forecasting car prices (52:42) Wrapping up This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. One quick favor! Help me grow this podcast by liking this episode, leaving a review below, and subscribing to the channel :) Check out dealershipguy.com for more and follow me on Twitter @GuyDealership! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Join the sponsor waitlist.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Scott Case, co-founder and CEO of Recurrent. (00:00) Intro (00:56) EV battery reports? Recurrent's story (02:37) What happens when your EV's warranty expires (06:15) The truth behind EV battery range (08:52) Scott's take on EV % of market share by 2030 (11:20) How changing Tesla prices are impacting dealerships (16:06) The Recurrent Flywheel (20:45) When does an EV lose most of its value? (24:01) Investment opportunities in the EV space (31:48) Operational changes for dealerships (33:54) The bear case for EV adoption (43:57) Wrapping up This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. One quick favor! Help me grow this podcast by liking this episode, leaving a review below, and subscribing to the channel :) Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠dealershipguy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more and follow me on Twitter @GuyDealership! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Join the sponsor waitlist ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Chris Coleman, co-founder and Head of Product at WithClutch. (01:10) Chris' background (03:21) Carlypso origin story (07:11) Carvana acquires Carlypso (13:11) Transitioning post-acquisition (18:27) What is Carvana's edge? (24:56) Pros & Cons of working with credit unions (34:42) Founding and growing WithClutch (44:37) Does Carvana survive? (46:37) Conclusion This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. One quick favor! Help me grow this podcast by liking this episode, leaving a review below, and subscribing to the channel :) Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠dealershipguy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more and follow me on Twitter @GuyDealership! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Join the sponsor waitlist ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Steve Greenfield, Founder/CEO of ⁠Automotive Ventures⁠ and author of the book "⁠The Future of Automotive Retail⁠." (0:00) Intro (1:33) What will car-buying look like in 5-10 years? (11:22) Are smaller dealerships at risk of extinction? (14:12) Will auto-makers go direct-to-consumer? (24:22) Investment opportunities in the EV space (33:45) Trends that Automotive Ventures is focused on (51:35) What has Steve changed his mind about in the last 5 years? This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. One quick favor! Help me grow this podcast by liking this episode, leaving a review below, and subscribing to the channel :) Check out ⁠⁠⁠dealershipguy.com⁠⁠⁠ for more and follow me on Twitter @GuyDealership! Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Join the sponsor waitlist ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.