Stop Copying Headlines: Build a Local Used-Car Playbook
Every week, dealers are bombarded with national headlines: “Used values softening,” “Inventory at 2025 highs,” “Demand shifting again.”
Helpful? Sometimes.
Dangerous? Absolutely—if you copy those headlines into your strategy without checking your local market.
Take California as an example. The California New Car Dealers Association’s Q3 2025 Auto Outlook indicates that new light-vehicle registrations are expected to increase slightly this year, with certain segments still growing, even as others cool.[1] Meanwhile, national forecasts from Cox Automotive predict that used-vehicle sales will increase by about 2% in 2025 overall.[2] Depending on your rooftop and zip code, your reality may be tighter, looser, or even hotter than the national story.
1. Why National Headlines Can Mislead Your Store
When you run your used-car department off national talking points alone, three things happen:
- You overreact or underreact: You cut prices because “the market is softening,” even though your core segments are still turning fast.
- You miss pockets of demand: Your region might be strong in hybrids, compact SUVs, or work trucks, while national commentary is focused on something else.
- You ignore your own data: vAuto, auction lanes, and your CRM are screaming one story while the news screams another.
Headlines are a backdrop. Your local data is the playbook.
2. Build a Local Used-Car Snapshot
Start by treating your market like its own mini report. Each month, pull:
- Local days’ supply by segment: compact cars, midsize sedans, small SUVs, 3-row SUVs, trucks, EVs.
- Average listings and prices: What are similar units listed for within your key radius?
- Turn and gross by segment in your store: Which buckets are quietly becoming your “profit engines” or “problem children”?
Tools like vAuto/Stockwave, marketplace data (Autotrader, Cars.com), and local auction reports all help you see where your market is not following the national script.
3. Turn Local Intelligence Into a Real Playbook
Once you see the gaps between headlines and your reality, write your own rules:
- Acquisition targets: Double down on segments where turn and gross are strong locally—even if the national story says that segment is “cooling.”
- Risk segments: For segments that are long-turn or or over-supplied in your market, demand more margin at acquisition and tighter exit rules.
- Pricing guardrails: Use your local listings as the anchor, not national averages. Price where you can win today, not where a headline suggests you “should” be.
- Story and merchandising: Highlight features, use-cases, and payment stories that fit your community (commuter corridors, families, tradespeople, etc.).
The best playbooks are built from your zip codes, not your news feed.
4. Revisit Your Playbook Every Quarter
Your market doesn’t stand still. Supply, interest rates, OEM incentives, and consumer confidence all move. Use a simple quarterly rhythm:
- Update local data: Days’ supply, average prices, turn, and gross by segment.
- Review winners and losers: Which segments over-performed or under-performed your expectations?
- Adjust targets: Add or retire acquisition lanes, floor pricing rules, and turn goals based on what actually happened.
5. Take the National Story as a Starting Point — Not the Finish Line
National data is a useful context. It tells you what’s happening “out there.” Your job as a used-car leader is to translate that into “right here” and design a plan your team can execute every day.
When you stop copying headlines and start building a local playbook, you:
- Buy more confidently.
- Price with a purpose.
- Protect margin while competitors chase the news cycle.
Join the Conversation
Do your local trends match the national story right now—or are they telling a different tale? Share what you’re seeing in your market, or connect with me on LinkedIn, and we’ll compare notes.
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