After first starting in 2019, ezcarsale.com was relaunched in August 2021 following a revamp that included putting in place the staffing and advertising needed to maintain it.
It was a little slow to start out, Myers said. Performance Automotive — which has 14 franchised dealerships and two used-only stores in Ohio, Kentucky and Utah — was purchasing 30 to 40 vehicles a month. But since March 2022, the mobile service has generated acquisitions of more than 100 vehicles a month on average, he said.
In 2022 through November, Performance Automotive bought 1,213 vehicles using the platform. A team of up to eight employees handle sales leads, and another three drive to sellers’ locations and pick up vehicles, Myers said.
The group, which retailed about 20,000 new vehicles and 30,000 used vehicles in 2021, tries to “buy everything,” Myers said. About 65 percent of the acquired vehicles join the group’s retail inventory. The other 35 percent are wholesaled.
Performance Automotive joins a widening throng of dealership groups exploring new ways and the use of technology to jump-start used-vehicle acquisitions. Some are getting results buying consumer vehicles via social media, right off the street or even through buying centers established solely for used-vehicle acquisitions.
