Independent Dealers Podcasts

July 30, 2026

"Values Rose!" The EV Bloodbath That Never Happened (and What Smart Dealers Are Doing Now) | Jimmy Douglas, Founder & CEO at Plug

Today I'm joined by Jimmy Douglas, Founder & CEO at Plug. He breaks down why the top used EV dealers turn inventory in 30 days instead of 59 while selling for 3% more, and shares the arbitrage move of stocking a competitor's EV so you capture a sale that was happening anyway. Topics: 00:47 Tax Credits Killed EV Residuals. 08:20 Selling A Computer On Wheels. 18:29 Live With An EV For One Month. 21:35 Stack Teslas For Massive Arbitrage. 27:25 Detroit's Global EV Future Is B...
June 24, 2025

Behind the Curtain: Winning Strategies from 29 Dealerships (and the Mistakes to Avoid) | Johnny Cantrell, Executive Vice President at Shottenkirk Automotive Group

Today I’m joined by Johnny Cantrell, Executive Vice President at Shottenkirk Automotive Group. We break down his playbook for installing new operators and setting them up to win, the patterns he’s diagnosed across 29 stores nationwide, the tech powering their inventory ops, and more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Impel - Impel AI helps you drive loyalty with proactive, personalized service outreach that scales seamlessly. From service milestones to recall alerts and tailored incentives...
April 20, 2025

Industry Spotlight: Why Tariffs Could Fuel a Used Car Squeeze– And How Dealers Are Pivoting

Welcome to Industry Spotlight—a focused series hosted by Sam D’Arc, highlighting standout dealerships and innovative companies, and exploring the trends driving success in today’s automotive market. Today, Sam sits down with Doug Obenhaus, President Texas Auto Sales, and David Kang, Chief Marketing & Analytics Officer, Copart. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by Copart: Copart – Are you looking to expand your dealership’s wholesale inventory? Finding front-line...
Jan. 23, 2025

Owning 11 Dealerships Was Just the Start: The Dealer-Built Solution Generating $55M/Year | Sam Mahrouq

Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I'm speaking with Sam Mahrouq, CEO of Ikon Technologies where we discuss: Scaling his auto group to 11 dealerships and millions in sales, How an "ah ha" moment at the dealership led him to found a $55M revenue tech company and much more. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: 1. Uber for Business - With Central, you can request a ride on behalf of your customers even if they don’t have the Uber app. If yo...
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Dec. 17, 2024

The Rise and Fall And Rise Again of Carvana | Ernie Garcia Jr., Co-Founder and CEO of Carvana

Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast! In this episode, I sit down with Ernie Garcia Jr., Co-founder and CEO of Carvana. We dive into topics like the greatest comeback story of any public company ever, lessons from selling millions of cars, the future of the automotive wholesale business and much more. This episode is brought to you by: DealNow - The safe and simple way to avoid fraud, sign documents, and instantly transact any vehicle online. Learn more at https://dealnow.com/ CDG Recrui...
Dec. 8, 2024

Industry Spotlight: How Robots Are Changing Car Sales—And What's Next

Welcome to Industry Spotlight, a new show on the Car Dealership Guy Podcast hosted by Sam D'Arc. In each episode, Sam highlights the most compelling dealerships and innovative companies in automotive, diving into key trends, best practices, and insights from those shaping the future of automotive retail. Today, Sam sits down with Ross Tinkham, GTM Leader at Podium, and Alex Lawrence, CEO of EV Auto, to discuss how dealers are leveraging AI to cover busy showrooms and sell more cars. This episo...
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Dec. 5, 2024

The Boutique "Dealership" Selling Supercars to the Ultra-Elite | John Temerian, CEO of CURATED

Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I speak with John Temerian, CEO of CURATED, a Miami-based boutique dealership specializing in rare, vintage supercars and catering to the ultra-elite. We discuss how a lifelong obsession with supercars turned into an impressive business, his wild search for "blue chip" cars, and how he became the go-to car concierge for the rich and powerful looking to build world-class car collections. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is...
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Oct. 29, 2024

Why People Don't Trust Car Dealers… And How to Fix it | Kris Gaerlan, President of Dallas Lease Returns and Sanjiv Yajnik, President of Financial Services at Capital One

Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I'm speaking with Sanjiv Yajnik, President of Financial Services at Capital One, and Kris Gaerlan, President of Dallas Lease Returns where we discuss: Why people don't trust car dealers and how to fix it, Creating unique experiences in the car dealership, Why he's calling buyers looking for things to fix after the sale and much more. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: CDK Global - Empowering dealers w...
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Sept. 17, 2024

#119 Secrets of automotive's most controversial business, Tackling 90% in-house financing, Economics of buy here pay here dealerships | Jeff Watson, Owner of IV Seasons Auto

Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I'm speaking with Jeff Watson, Owner of IV Seasons Auto where we discuss: Secrets of automotive's most controversial business, tackling 90% in-house financing, economics of buy here pay here dealerships and much more. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: DLRdmv - Everyone knows out of state titling is a major headache. It doesn’t have to be this way. Our friends at DLRdmv have created a progra...
116
Sept. 5, 2024

#116 Largest seller of odd and weird cars in America, Making millions from nostalgia, Secrets to becoming a top seller on Bring a Trailer | Andrew Glaser, Founder & CEO of Vantage Auto

Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I'm speaking with Andrew Glaser, CEO of Vantage Auto, where we discuss: How he became the #1 seller of interesting, odd, and weird cars in the US, making millions from nostalgia, striking gold in an Indiana barn and much more. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: Lotlinx - Get the best possible market advantage on every vehicle transaction. Optimize operations and boost profits using artificia...
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Aug. 15, 2024

#110 From PhD to selling teslas, Becoming a top 10 used EV dealer, Decoding Elon to beat the market, Why EV mandates should end | Alex Lawrence, CEO of EV Auto

Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I'm speaking with Alex Lawrence, CEO of EV Auto where we discuss: From PhD to selling Teslas, Why EV mandate should end, Decoding Elon to beat the market and much more. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: DealerOn - Put the power of the highest-converting, fastest-performing website platform in retail automotive to work for you. Get guaranteed results when you switch to DealerOn. Learn ...
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June 27, 2024

#96 The TikTok Dealer: Livestreaming Car Negotiations to 1,000s, How dealers can kill on social media, Is the Cybertruck a flop? | George Saliba, Dealer Principal at J&S Mitsubishi

Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I'm speaking with George Saliba, Dealer Principal at J&S Mitsubishi where we discuss: why he's livestreaming car buying to thousands, how dealers can kill on social media, is the Cybertruck a flop? and much more. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: Car Dealership Guy Industry Job Board - Connecting world-class talent with top-notch companies in Automotive. Find your next role—or start hiring ...
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May 23, 2024

#86 Building a used car dealership empire, $125M in sales in one location, "Cigars and P&L statements", Turning recon into a profit center | Michael Kelley, General Manager of Bourne's Auto Center

Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I'm speaking with Michael Kelley, General Manager of Bourne's Auto Center, where we discuss: How to build a used car dealership empire, Crushing $125M in sales in one location, "Cigars and P&L statements", Turning recon into a profit center and much more! This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: Uber for Business - With Central, you can request a ride on behalf of your customers even if they don’t...
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March 7, 2024

#64 Selling $200M/yr of used cars, Losing money on every car but still profiting, Can he succeed where other dealerships have failed? | Eli Hanna, Dealer Principal of Hanna Cars

In this episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast, I'm speaking with Eli Hanna, Dealer Principal of Hanna Cars where we discuss: Selling his first car behind a service shop, expanding his independent car dealership business into the Florida used car market, whether he can succeed in the same location where another dealership failed and much more. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: Car Dealership Guy Industry Job Board - Connecting world-class talent ...
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Jan. 9, 2024

#48 Buy Here Pay Here secrets revealed, Managing 40% loan default rates, Financing customers that banks avoid, Crazy customer horror stories | Tiger Okeley, President at Oak Motors

In this episode, I'm speaking with Tiger Okeley, President at Oak Motors. This episode is brought to you by: AutoFi's powerful platform helps dealers sell smarter, not harder—online and in the showroom. Learn more at autofi.com/cdg CDK Global - Empowering dealers with the tools and technology to build deeper customer relationships. Learn more @ https://www.cdkglobal.com/dealership-xperience-platform Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Drop us a line here Inte...
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Nov. 10, 2023

#37 Making millions from subprime loans, From the streets to $150K/month, Raising capital at Church, Acquiring stakes in dealerships | Bruce Miller, Owner at Miller Motors

In this episode, I'm speaking with Bruce Miller, Owner of Miller Motors. This episode is brought to you by: Cars Commerce - The platform to simplify everything about buying and selling cars. Learn more at carscommerce.inc Podium - The lead conversion platform for car dealerships. Get 10% of your plan by texting “CarDealershipGuy” to (833) 441-1166 or visit https://bit.ly/48UKr4x Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Drop us a line here Interested in being consi...
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Oct. 20, 2023

#33 Launching a dealership with $40K, Profits and losses, Selling Teslas in the Midwest, Highs and lows of running a small dealership | Brandon Miller, Founder of Miller Auto

In this episode, I'm speaking with Brandon Miller, Founder of Miller Auto. This episode is brought to you by: Podium - The lead conversion platform for car dealerships. Get 10% off your plan by texting “CarDealershipGuy” to (833) 441-1166 or visit www.podium.com/automotive CDK Global - Empowering dealers with the tools and technology to build deeper customer relationships. Learn more @ https://www.cdkglobal.com/dealership-xperience-platform Interested in advertising with CarDea...
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Oct. 6, 2023

#31 Used car auction frenzy, Stumbling upon million-dollar classics, UAW & bankruptcy risk for car companies | John Clay Wolfe, Founder & President @ GiveMeTheVin

In this episode, I'm speaking with John Clay Wolfe, Founder of GivemetheVIN.com. You can check out the full story of John's historic barn find and see the cars they got ahold of here. Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Drop us a line here. Interested in being considered as a guest on the podcast? Add your name here Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:33) - John’s early career in media and auto (00:07:17) - How John's radio career impacted his wholesaling business (00:08:52) -...
Sept. 29, 2023

#29 Secrets to selling exotic cars, Rise of rich crypto buyers, Profits in the exotic business, Selling a company for millions | Jason Putnam, Co-Founder, Tactical Fleet

In this episode, I'm speaking with Jason Putnam, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Tactical Fleet. Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Drop us a line here Interested in being considered as a guest on the podcast? Add your name here 00:00 - Intro 01:00 - Jason's background 05:35 - Attracting exotic clients 11:45 - Selling to Sonic Automotive 14:15 - Unit Economics 25:00 - Scaling, customer profiles, internet money 35:52 - The best "deals" in exotic right now...
Sept. 8, 2023

#26 Secret sauce of used car wholesaling, Biggest threat to used car auctions, Viability of zero-fee auction, Elon Musk and A.I. | Robert Hollenshead, Founder of RH Auto Sales and Accu-Trade

This episode is brought to you by: ⁠KEYper Systems⁠ - Key Management Simplified. Interested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Drop us a line here Interested in being considered as a guest on the podcast? Add your name here In this episode, I'm speaking with Robert Hollenshead, Founder of R. Hollenshead Auto Sales and Accu-Trade. 00:00 - Intro 02:21 - Bob's background 08:27 - Lack of transparency back in the day 13:11 - Creating things the industry needed 35:24 - Accu-Trade, Galves, M...
June 2, 2023

#12 Art of appraising cars, How much money auto wholesalers make, Cars to avoid, Building a 140K-person online car community | Chad Cunningham, Exotic Car Buyer

In this episode, I'm speaking with Chad Cunningham, aka WholesaleChad, an exotic car buyer with GiveMeTheVIN. 00:00 - Intro 01:49 - Chad's background 05:48 - How wholesaling works 13:31 - Achieving consistent profitability 17:17 - The "vibe" factor at auctions 23:47 - Becoming a top-performing wholesaler 29:14 - How Chad appraises cars 35:30 - Which cars to stay away from 40:38 - Navigating trade-in offers & used car prices 45:45 - Wholesale Car Club 56:45 - CDG face reveal? 59:52 - ...