How To Buy In 5 Minutes
In this video, we’ll show you how easy it is to start buying vehicles with Auction Central™.
1. Pre-Auction: Proxy, Like/Dislike, Comment
2. Vehicle Detail Page (VDP) Tools
3. RunList / Live Auction
4. Post-Auction: Closed Negotiations / Countering
5. Accepting An Offer & Retrieving Invoice
Triple Checked Condition Reports
Condition Reports are the most crucial component in every auction. We’ve all been there…buying a car based on a condition report that was inaccurate or incomplete. That’s why we have implemented the concept of a triple validation process. Each listing gets reviewed by three different people before getting posted.
1. We send an Auction Central™ employee to do the initial report. They take pictures of the entire vehicle and capture any problem areas. They start the vehicle, drive it on the lot, perform a 70 point inspection, and get the OBD readings.
2. Once complete, the condition report is automatically sent to our Arbitration Department. Why the Arbitration Department you ask? Well, because most arbitration claims are the result of poor condition reports. Having the Arbitration team review the condition reports in advance will help them identify potential problems.
3. Then, the selling dealer has a chance to review the report. This gives them a chance to point out potential issues with the report and highlight items they feel the buyer may want to know. They are also responsible for ensuring that the vehicle is described accurately. Once they are done, the Arbitration Department performs one last review and gives their stamp of approval.
Chat Directly With Sellers
One of our most recent platform additions is our chat feature that allows buyers and sellers to have conversations on specific vehicles after they’ve run. With this tool, dealers will be able to chat in-depth about the particulars of a vehicle, including their price points, and streamline communication to assist with negotiations.
To start a chat, go to the ended tab to view post-auction vehicles. If “Make An Offer” is shown on the search page, you are able to start a conversation with the seller by clicking into the VDP and hitting “See Conversations.” Current or past conversations may be accessed by clicking on the chat bubble located at the top right of the header page.
Advanced OBD Technology (VinTel)
VinTel diagnostics are included with every Auction Central™ listing!
VinTel reads the major systems of a vehicle including powertrain (engine/transmission), ABS, SRS, ADAS, and body control. With the flexibility of the Blue Tooth Low energy network, over-the-air updates to include OEM specific systems are constantly being added to your existing OBD module. This flexibility allows common problems and new systems to be added easily in the field.
VinTel tells you everything from what is wrong with the vehicle, with a parts & labor estimate, down to how much fuel is in the tank!
For more on VinTel: Click Here
Transportation
Auction Central™ has chosen Crestline Auto Transportation as our preferred transport solution. When arranging for transportation on our platform, you will receive the following Crestline benefits:
- Real-time shipping quotes
- 1-3 Day shipping windows
- Customized real-time transportation updates
You will be able to get quotes and arrange for transportation on our platform even if you’ve never used Crestline before. When you place your first order, the Crestline team will reach out to you and get you squared away on their system. It’s that easy and the beauty of it is, you can talk to Crestline directly. Or, if you’d prefer, you can check the status on their portal.
Team Buying Support
Gone are the days where you are bidding in a vacuum – with Auction Central™ your entire acquisition team will know which vehicles are in play and where they are in the bidding process. If you have ever experienced the following situations you will know how valuable team buying support can be.
- Bidding against someone else in YOUR dealership
- Not knowing if another co-worker already placed a proxy on a particular vehicle
- Wishing you could ‘share’ a particular vehicle with someone else on your team
With our Team Buying support – these issues disappear. You have complete visibility to all activity across your team. Seems like this should be a standard feature, right? We thought so too. That’s why we included this capability within our core platform. Whether you have a dedicated acquisition team or just spread the responsibility of buying cars across multiple staff members, we think you will love this feature.
Integrated Tools
That’s right – we’ve included MMR (Manheim Market Report) valuation data along with a full AutoCheck report for every vehicle – at no cost to you!
MMR is the leading indicator of wholesale prices throughout the nation. Transactional history is updated in real-time which gives buyers the opportunity to see the most recent sales of a particular unit!
AutoCheck®, has industrial-strength data backed by Experian, showing you information pertaining to DMV records, auction and collision history, service and maintenance records, current warranties and more!
We also integrate with your CARFAX account to pull full CARFAX reports for every vehicle on our platform. Simply log in to your account and hit “View CARFAX Report” on any VDP.