HOUSTON — The first half of 2013 is now in the rearview mirror for the buy-here, pay-here industry, and it's time to look back. Many operators reported lower unit sales versus the same period last year. Two important questions are, "Why?" and "What can be done to improve unit sales during the remainder of the […] [Read More]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department of Justice are probing a pair of captive finance companies looking for the possibility of discrimination, according to a report by Bloomberg. The report indicated the two companies that are being eyed by the CFPB and DOJ include Toyota Motor Credit and American Honda […] [Read More]

PHOENIX — DriveTime Automotive Group continued its expansion as the chain that specializes in selling vehicles to deep subprime buyers has opened two new stores this month and a total of 10 so far this year. The newest location to begin turning metal is located at 2707 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach, Fla. The […] [Read More]

Why does the human touch still matter in the remarketing business that’s becoming increasingly Web-based? This is just one of the questions Auto Remarketing tackles in its special section on Digital Trends, Tools and Strategies in the upcoming October 1-14 issue. [Read More]

Consumer appetite for the latest iterations of the compact crossovers is strong, Black Book says, thanks to the functionality, value and fuel economy these vehicles offer. And shoppers are even responding positively to the fact that these vehicles are bigger than their 2005-2008 counterparts. However, this strength doesn’t appear to have translated over to the […] [Read More]

For Rick Ricart, general manager of Ricart Automotive Group’s Used Car Factory — which averages 635 retail used vehicles sales a month — it’s all about taking care of the employees. In fact, when asked to give an overview of his customer service strategy, Ricart said, “To me it all begins with employee satisfaction,” a […] [Read More]

American Honda and Honda Canada announced recalls on Thursday for more than 400,000 minivans and crossovers in the United States and Canada. Most of the affected units are in the U.S., as the automaker indicated it will recall approximately 318,000 Honda Odyssey vehicles from the 2003 and 2004 model years and approximately 56,000 Acura MDX […] [Read More]

Along with a $2.5 million investment in cash to help build, launch and grow a new site’s pay-per-click advertising platform, Autobytel announced its Dealer of the Month for August. The newest Autobytel Dealer of the Month is Rese Ballou, business bevelopment manager of Hendrick Toyota Scion in North Charleston, S.C. The company’s Dealer Awards Program […] [Read More]

The industry is rallying to fight hunger during Hunger Action Month, as AutoTrader Group and Sheehy Auto Stores both revealed future plans and results from their efforts this week. First up, the AutoTrader Group shared that its Drive Away Hunger Campaign collected more than 33,000 pounds of food and donated more than $67,000 to community […] [Read More]

CARY, N.C. — When gathered amongst themselves, sometimes dealers and finance company executives who specialize in working with customers with checkered credit pasts say they're not in the car business — they're in the collections business. "If you have a weak leg in collections, you're dead. I don't care if your ACV is $1,000," said […] [Read More]