CARY, N.C. -

It was another scorcher in the certified pre-owned market last year. According to Autodata Corp., dealers sold 1.83 million CPO units in 2012, making it two straight years of best-ever sales.

Dealers have become innovators in pulling in needed used units for their CPO operations; they implemented unique ways to market their certified cars and distinguish them from non-CPO cars on their lots; they have adapted to meet the needs of today’s CPO buyer, adjusted to technological changes and much more.

To honor the leaders of the certified pre-owned pack, Auto Remarketing is presenting our second annual special section on “The Best CPO Dealers in the USA.”

We reached out to automakers across the CPO spectrum and requested their respective top 10 certified dealers based on full-year 2012 sales. Auto Remarketing also connected with many of the dealers on these lists and asked them about the strategies that made them so successful in the CPO market during 2012.

For example, when asked how his dealership conveys  the value of CPO to customers and potential buyers, Matt Lasco of Lasco Ford — one of the dealership's being honored in the feature — pointed to “a complete store buy in.”

“Our sales staff (members) are all certified specialists with strong knowledge of both the CPO warranty and finance terms. We list all of our vehicles online with the CPO benefits as well as a listing of the repairs done … and we 100 percent buy into the reconditioning and delivery process with new wiper blades, full tank of gas, two sets of keys as well as a history of the repairs and maintenance we’ve done to the vehicle,”  Lasco said.

Meanwhile, Mike Wasserman — lead pre-owned sales manager at Park Place Motorcars, a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Dallas that also made the list — shared how increased lease return volume will help drive his store’s CPO sales.

“By having more lease returns, we have the opportunity for more inventory at the dealership. By having more inventory at the dealership, we will be able to offer clients more options; and if the dealers buy as many as they can, we will keep a larger number of cars away from the independents,” Wasserman said.

“We will be able to certify more vehicles and retain clients through the service drive as well.”

So what other dealers were also honored as the best of the best?

Stay tuned to the Feb. 15-28 print edition of Auto Remarketing, which arrives this week.
 

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