CARY, N.C. -

When FIAT Chrysler Automobiles shared its top 10 certified pre-owned dealerships for 2015, we noticed something interesting: Three of the top five stores were in Phoenix.

Bill Luke Chrysler Jeep & Dodge topped the list with 2,252 CPO sales last year, Airpark Dodge Chrysler Jeep was fourth with 1,041 CPO sales and AutoNation Chrysler Dodge Jeep was fifth with 985 certified sales.

So, what about this market makes it particularly viable for CPO? That's the question Auto Remarketing posed for its “Best CPO Dealers in the United States” issue.

“I believe Phoenix is strong in CPO because of the nature of our dealerships there — they are so process-oriented. All these stores are very organized, very modern, very efficient in the way they do business,” said Eric Swanson, head of certified pre-owned vehicles at FCA.

“It’s a highly-competitive market, and all these guys like to compete! I also appreciate the fact that these guys all look for ways they can improve and get better as opposed to spending on time coming up with excuses about why they can’t sell certified,” he said.

Don Luke — the dealer principal of the aforementioned No. 1 FCA CPO store, which was Auto Remarketing’s 2015 CPO Dealer of the Year, presented by NCM Associates — shared his thoughts as well: “The Phoenix market has large, high-volume dealerships and a huge recovering used-car market.”

Meanwhile, at Airpark Dodge Chrysler Jeep, used-car director Nathan Schwan said:  “In our view, CPO sales have thrived because of our processes that we’ve put into place. There are two crucial elements we have implemented: One, possessing the right mix of inventory. Two, sales professionals that believe in the CPOV program. This can create success in any market.”

FCA's complete list of top 10 CPO dealers, based on full-year 2015 certified sales, is as follows:

1. Bill Luke Chrysler Jeep & Dodge | Phoenix 2,252

2. Stew Hansen Dodge City Jeep | Urbandale, Iowa 1,191

3. Cherry Hill Dodge Chrysler Jeep | Cherry Hill, N.J. 1,168

4. Airpark Dodge Chrysler Jeep | Phoenix 1,041

5. AutoNation Chrysler Dodge Jeep | Phoenix 985

6. Steve Landers Chrysler Dodge Jeep | Little Rock, Ark. 981

7. Huntington Beach Chrysler Dodge | Huntington Beach, Calif. 931

8. Yark Chrysler Jeep Dodge | Toledo, Ohio 924

9. Westbury Jeep Chrysler Jeep Dodge, Inc. | Jericho, N.Y. 917

10. Grogan’s Towne Chrysler Jeep | Toledo, Ohio 892

To read more from top CPO dealers throughout the country, check out the Feb. 15 edition of Auto Remarketing.