This feature is part of Auto Remarketing’s upcoming “Beyond the Transaction” edition, which is the May print issue of the magazine. It is available for Cherokee Media Group Premium subscribers now.

Whether determining if a trade-in should be retailed or wholesaled or ensuring that it’s mechanically and/or cosmetically certifiable, used-vehicle reconditioning is the lifeblood of any retail used-car operation, but can’t happen without having good technicians.
And though the struggle to find and keep technicians isn’t new, it’s still very real.

Just ask Greg Cole, dealer principal of Athens Chevrolet in Athens, Ga.

Cole said his Georgia dealership is in “a situation that is unique to me.”

About 20 miles west of his store is Winder, Ga., home of one of Carvana’s inspection and reconditioning centers. That puts Cole’s store in ...