Service Drive Pre-Owned
Acquisitions Cheat Sheet
As ongoing chip shortages fuel inventory shortages, consumer demand for both new and pre-owned
vehicles has risen. At the same time, both the lingering effects of the pandemic and the ongoing
shortages have driven the average age of light vehicles in production in the U.S. to new highs.
With an aging fleet fueling additional service visits and
rising pre-owned values prompting more customers to
consider trading up, dealers have a prime opportunity
to acquire in-demand trades while flipping their existing
inventory in their service drive.
But with service customers typically not yet in-market and
dealership loyalty at an all-time low, its critical dealers
get ahead of their customers and the competition to
profitably acquire in-demand makes and models.
GET STARTED WITH THESE CONSIDERATIONS:
Determine Your Best Opportunities
From different volumes of inventory and unique customer bases to certain OEM requirements and more,
every team has its own set of challenges to consider when developing a service acquisition strategy.
To determine the best acquisition opportunities for your market coming through your
service drive, consider:
� Which vehicles have sold the best – and the gross of those sales – over the last 30-90 days
� Incoming deliveries against available inventory on-hand, accounting for any delivery delays
� Incoming buybacks and customer trades
� Incentivizing your service team to acquire in-demand acquisitions – and how this will be
communicated to your service and sales teams
IHS Markit, June 2021
The average age of light
vehicles in production
has risen to 12.1 years,
increasing by nearly
two months in 2020 due
to the pandemic.
