Used Car Manager

Used Car Manager Bob Boyte Honda of Brandon Location: Brandon, Mississippi Department: Variable Operations Reports to: General Manager and General Sales Manager Employment status: Full-time, exempt management position Position Summary The Used Car Manager is responsible for the profitability, quality, acquisition, pricing, merchandising, and turn of Bob Boyte Honda of Brandon’s pre-owned inventory. This leader must maintain the right inventory mix, accurately appraise trades, control reconditioning expenses, eliminate unnecessary aging, and help the sales team maximize both volume and gross profit. The Used Car Manager is expected to be highly visible on the sales floor, actively involved in deal structure, and accountable for every pre-owned vehicle from acquisition through retail or wholesale disposition. Success in this role requires strong automotive judgment, disciplined inventory management, urgency, integrity, and the ability to lead through clear expectations and measurable results. Primary Responsibilities Inventory Acquisition and Appraisal * Appraise all trade-ins accurately, competitively, and promptly. * Establish clear values based on condition, market demand, retail potential, history, reconditioning requirements, and current wholesale data. * Purchase vehicles through customer trades, service-lane opportunities, direct consumer purchases, auctions, dealer trades, and approved digital acquisition channels. * Maintain an inventory mix aligned with actual customer demand, historical sales, market pricing, and dealership objectives. * Avoid overpaying, speculative purchasing, duplicate inventory, and vehicles that do not fit the dealership’s retail strategy. * Track appraisal volume, appraisal closing rate, acquisition source, projected gross, and actual appraisal performance. * Review missed trades and lost acquisition opportunities with the sales management team. Inventory Turn and Aging * Maintain an appropriate days’ supply based on current retail demand and dealership sales objectives. * Review the complete used-vehicle inventory every day. * Establish a written action plan for every vehicle approaching 45, 60, and 75 days in inventory. * Ensure no vehicle reaches 90 days without a documented, management-approved disposition plan. * Recommend timely price changes, manager specials, transfers, wholesale disposition, or other corrective action. * Prevent emotional ownership of inventory. Vehicles must be managed according to market conditions and financial performance. * Balance inventory turn with gross-profit preservation. Pricing and Market Management * Price every vehicle competitively using current market data, comparable listings, condition, equipment, history, and dealership strategy. * Review market position and pricing daily. * Maintain pricing that supports both lead generation and acceptable gross profit. * Monitor price-to-market percentage, competitive-set position, online engagement, vehicle-detail-page activity, leads, and days in inventory. * Adjust pricing before aging destroys gross—not after the vehicle becomes a problem. * Ensure all advertised prices and vehicle representations are accurate and compliant. Reconditioning and Frontline Readiness * Complete an initial condition assessment immediately after acquisition. * Work closely with the service and parts departments to control reconditioning cost and cycle time. * Approve reconditioning according to the dealership’s established authority limits. * Challenge unnecessary repairs while ensuring vehicles meet safety, quality, appearance, and customer-experience standards. * Monitor estimated versus actual reconditioning expenses. * Target a three-business-day-or-less reconditioning cycle whenever parts availability and repair complexity allow. * Ensure vehicles are cleaned, photographed, described, priced, and available online promptly after becoming frontline-ready. * Prevent inventory from sitting unpriced, unphotographed, or unavailable for sale. Sales and Gross-Profit Management * Work deals actively with sales managers and sales consultants. * Assist with vehicle selection, trade evaluation, payment strategy, and deal structure. * Protect front-end gross while maintaining a competitive and customer-focused process. * Train the sales team on used inventory, vehicle stories, competitive advantages, market pricing, and value presentation. * Conduct regular used-inventory walks with managers and sales staff. * Ensure every salesperson knows the priority vehicles and aged-inventory strategy. * Monitor retail volume, front-end gross, total gross, average gross per unit, wholesale performance, and inventory turn. * Take ownership of used-vehicle results rather than attributing performance to market conditions or other departments. Wholesale Operations * Identify non-retailable vehicles quickly and dispose of them through approved wholesale channels. * Avoid unnecessary reconditioning expense on vehicles designated for wholesale. * Maintain complete records supporting acquisition cost, reconditioning expense, book value, sale proceeds, and wholesale gain or loss. * Review all wholesale losses and identify their causes. * Do not hold wholesale units in an attempt to avoid recognizing a loss. * Maintain ethical relationships with auctions, wholesalers, transporters, vendors, and other dealers. * Follow the dealership’s approval requirements for all wholesale transactions. Leadership and Accountability * Set clear daily and weekly expectations for the used-vehicle operation. * Communicate directly, professionally, and consistently. * Coach employees through facts, performance metrics, and specific expectations. * Hold salespeople and managers accountable for product knowledge, inventory presentation, follow-up, and aged-unit execution. * Maintain a solutions-oriented relationship with sales, finance, service, parts, accounting, marketing, and internet departments. * Participate in management meetings and provide accurate inventory and performance updates. * Develop team members who can assist with appraisals, inventory reviews, and deal structure. * Model urgency, honesty, professionalism, and respect. Daily Operating Expectations The Used Car Manager is expected to: * Review the complete used inventory and aging report. * Review all new trades and purchases. * Confirm pricing and market position. * Monitor vehicles in reconditioning. * Identify units missing photos, descriptions, prices, or online listings. * Review aged-vehicle leads, appointments, and sales activity. * Participate in the daily sales meeting or inventory walk. * Support live appraisals and active deals. * Review prior-day retail and wholesale performance. * Communicate immediate action items to the General Manager and General Sales Manager. Weekly Operating Expectations The Used Car Manager will provide a weekly report covering: * Retail units sold * Wholesale units sold * Front-end gross * Total gross * Average gross per retail unit * Inventory count and total investment * Days’ supply * Average age * Units aged 45, 60, 75, and 90-plus days * Written plans for all aged vehicles * Appraisals completed * Trades acquired * Appraisal closing rate * Vehicles purchased from consumers * Reconditioning cost per unit * Reconditioning cycle time * Wholesale gains and losses * Pricing and market-position exceptions * Vehicles awaiting titles, parts, repairs, photographs, or other corrective action Key Performance Indicators Performance will be evaluated using measurable results that may include: * Used retail sales volume * Used-to-new sales ratio * Front-end gross per retail unit * Total gross per retail unit * Inventory turn * Days’ supply * Average inventory age * Percentage of inventory over 60 and 90 days * Appraisal accuracy * Appraisal acquisition rate * Reconditioning cost per unit * Reconditioning cycle time * Wholesale gain or loss * Online merchandising completion * Lead and appointment performance on used inventory * Customer satisfaction and online reviews * Compliance with dealership policies and approval requirements Specific monthly targets will be established by the General Manager based on inventory investment, market conditions, historical performance, and the dealership’s operating plan. Decision-Making Authority Within the dealership’s approved authority matrix, the Used Car Manager may: * Establish trade and acquisition values. * Recommend and execute market-based pricing changes. * Approve ordinary reconditioning expenses. * Select vehicles for retail, transfer, or wholesale disposition. * Purchase vehicles through approved acquisition channels. * Work and structure used-vehicle transactions. * Recommend inventory transfers among Boyte Auto Family locations. * Recommend vendor relationships and process improvements. Purchases, losses, reconditioning expenses, or commitments exceeding established limits require General Manager or dealer approval. Compliance and Ethical Standards The Used Car Manager must: * Follow all federal, Mississippi, manufacturer, and dealership requirements. * Ensure accurate mileage, title, condition, history, and equipment representations. * Immediately disclose known title, structural, flood, odometer, safety, or history concerns to senior management. * Protect customer, employee, and dealership information. * Follow all cash-handling, purchasing, wholesale, title, vendor, and accounting controls. * Never accept undisclosed compensation, referral payments, gifts, or benefits from wholesalers, auctions, vendors, transporters, or other parties. * Never manipulate appraisals, book values, repair estimates, inventory records, or wholesale results. * Maintain complete documentation for every acquisition and disposition. * Report suspected fraud, theft, policy violations, or conflicts of interest immediately. Required Qualifications * Demonstrated success in automotive used-vehicle management, sales management, or inventory acquisition. * Strong appraisal and market-pricing ability. * Working knowledge of retail and wholesale valuation tools. * Ability to understand dealership financial statements and used-vehicle departmental performance. * Proven ability to control aging, reconditioning, inventory investment, and wholesale losses. * Strong leadership, negotiation, organization, and communication skills. * Comfortable making timely decisions and being held accountable for measurable results. * Valid driver’s license and insurability under the dealership’s automobile policy. * Ability to work dealership hours, including evenings and Saturdays, as required. Honda or import-brand experience, high-volume dealership experience, and experience using modern inventory-management and CRM platforms are preferred. Standard of Performance The Used Car Manager owns the result of the pre-owned department. The expectation is not simply to maintain inventory, but to build a disciplined and profitable operation that: * Acquires the right vehicles. * Prices them correctly. * Reconditions them quickly. * Merchandises them professionally. * Sells them before they become aged. * Protects gross without sacrificing turn. * Produces accurate records and predictable financial performance. * Delivers an experience consistent with the reputation of Bob Boyte Honda of Brandon. Equal Employment Opportunity Bob Boyte Honda of Brandon is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, performance, business needs, and other lawful considerations without unlawful discrimination.