At Used Car Week 2025, a panel of industry leaders including Doug Hadden and John Coles of ACV, Danny Papakalos of #1 Cochran, and Jamison Rohrbeck of Luther Automotive Group came together to discuss one of the most pressing challenges facing dealerships today: how to acquire, price, and sell used vehicles more effectively in an increasingly data-driven and consumer-informed market. While technology and AI were part of the discussion, the conversation repeatedly returned to a more fundamental truth. Better outcomes start with better decision-making, clearer processes, and stronger conversations with customers.
The Appraisal Problem Is Really a Confidence Problem
One of the first themes to emerge was the growing challenge around appraisals. Panelists pointed out that used car managers today often have less tenure than in previous years, and many entered the industry during or shortly after COVID. That combination has created a lack of confidence when it comes to pricing and appraising vehicles.
When managers are unsure, fear creeps in. That fear often leads to conservative or misguided decisions, especially when relying too heavily on generalized market pricing tools. The panel emphasized that many appraisal mistakes stem from misunderstanding what the data is actually saying, not from a lack of data itself.
Instead of leaning on broad market averages, dealers were encouraged to focus on transactional data. Transactional data reflects how vehicles actually perform within a store or group, not how they are merely listed elsewhere. When dealers understand how specific vehicles have sold historically, how long they sat, and what gross they generated, they can make more confident appraisal decisions in the moment.
Market Data vs. Transactional Data
The panel drew a clear distinction between market data and transactional data. Market data, while useful, is inherently aggregated. It tells a high-level story but often masks the individual reasons why a specific car is winning or losing.
Transactional data, on the other hand, tells dealers how their own inventory performs. It answers questions like whether a vehicle sells within 30 days, whether it consistently generates gross, or whether it tends to age. That level of insight allows dealers to listen to what their stores are actually telling them, rather than blindly following a perceived “market price.”
Several panelists argued that an overreliance on so-called market pricing often creates a race to the bottom. When every dealer prices off the same listings, vehicles simply age together. The only market that truly matters, they noted, is the one where transactions actually occur.
Pricing Mistakes Happen on Day One
Another major takeaway from the discussion was that pricing errors usually happen the moment a vehicle is acquired. How a car is priced on day one often determines its entire lifecycle. Dealers who wait 30 or 60 days to adjust pricing are already behind.
The panel offered a helpful analogy: pricing cars is like baseball. Some vehicles are home runs. Others are doubles, singles, or even sacrifice plays. The mistake many dealers make is treating every car like a home run. Not every vehicle deserves 60 days on the lot.
Understanding which vehicles will perform quickly and which will not allows dealers to price more aggressively upfront when needed. Measuring success in dollars per day, rather than total gross, was highlighted as a critical mindset shift. A vehicle that sells quickly with modest gross often outperforms one that ties up capital for weeks while incurring holding costs.
Activity, Not Age, Should Drive Repricing
When it comes to repricing, the panel strongly discouraged calendar-based rules. Vehicles should not be repriced simply because seven or fourteen days have passed. Instead, repricing should be driven by activity.
Dealers were urged to look at shopper engagement, leads, views, and interactions. If customers are looking at a vehicle but passing it over, the data is signaling an issue. Before cutting price, managers should confirm that the vehicle is merchandised correctly, in the right location, and in proper condition. If those boxes are checked, price is often the remaining variable.
The modern competitive set is no longer defined by geography. A dealer’s true competition is only a mouse click away. If shoppers are moving on, the data will show it, and pricing decisions should follow.
Winning Trades Requires Transparency, Not Tactics
The conversation then shifted to trade-ins and acquiring vehicles directly from consumers. The panel agreed that trades and street purchases consistently deliver higher ROI than auction inventory. However, success depends on how dealers engage customers during the appraisal process.
Today’s consumers arrive armed with information. They have researched values and expect transparency. The panel emphasized that the goal is not to “tell” customers what their car is worth, but to show them why.
The most successful dealers move from transactional conversations to collaborative ones. By walking customers through recon needs, vehicle condition, and real data, dealers level the playing field. When customers feel included in the process, they are far less likely to feel taken advantage of.
Importantly, panelists stressed that every vehicle has value. Whether a car is destined for retail or wholesale, dealers should be willing to appraise and explain its worth. Excluding customers or dismissing their vehicles only reinforces mistrust.
Where AI Fits and Where It Does Not
AI was a frequent topic, but the panel offered a grounded perspective. AI should not replace judgment or customer conversations. Instead, it should help distill complex information into clear, defensible explanations.
Used properly, AI can synthesize vehicle history, condition data, service records, and market performance into concise talking points that help managers explain value to customers. Where AI becomes dangerous is when it operates without guardrails or context. Structure matters.
The future, according to the panel, is not about removing humans from the process. It is about reducing uncertainty so managers can focus on the customer in front of them, rather than second-guessing every decision.
Build a Smarter Used Car Operation with ACV MAX
As the panel discussion at Used Car Week 2025 made clear, winning more used cars is not about chasing market averages or relying on outdated processes. It’s about using better data, improving appraisal confidence, and creating clearer, more transparent conversations with customers.
ACV MAX helps dealers put those principles into action. By combining transactional data, appraisal insights, and inventory performance analytics in one platform, ACV MAX empowers used car managers to price vehicles correctly from day one, respond to real shopper activity, and make data-driven decisions with confidence.
Schedule a demo today to see how ACV MAX can help your team improve appraisals, move inventory faster, and compete more effectively in today’s used car market.
