| “What vehicles are you trying to buy?” is a prevalent question that our Purchasing team gets asked when they begin working with new rebuilders. The answer is simple, we are trying to buy the cars that are hot right now – we call them our ‘desired vehicles’. |
For example,
a builder recently asked me this question and I told him I wanted to buy several Toyota trucks, both the Tundra & the Tacoma. Their response was, “Any Tundra or Tacoma?” I explained that while these two trucks are a permanent fixture on our desired vehicle list and we’re always shopping for them, we do however have some self-imposed guidelines to make sure we’re buying the very best vehicles.
Let me explain the initial screening that our team does when working with a new builder on buying units:
1. Model Year
To keep our inventory fresh, we limit the age of the model for every Make/Model we buy. We only buy 2011 or newer when acquiring a Tundra or Tacoma. We buy older vehicles for some models, and on some, we only go back a few years.
2. Mileage
This is directly tied to the age, but we want to make sure every vehicle we buy has less than 80,000 miles. This ensures that we can maximize the life and value of the vehicle.
3. Drivetrain
AutoSavvy has 20 retail locations in 11 states. This footprint means that we have customers who live in varying climates. Some are dealing with snow for several months of the year, and others are wearing shorts and sandals all winter long. While the demand for AWD/4WD trucks is high everywhere – we can also acquire RWD trucks to fill our Southern state stores.
4. Variable Options
Besides Year, Make, Model, we also consider Trim & Packages. Higher trims add value. Manufacturer options and add-ons can also add a certain value. We consider all that information when purchasing vehicles. We also consider smaller details like paint color. Black, White, Silver, or Red is preferred to colors such as Neon Green, Yellow, or Gold.
I ended up buying a Toyota Tacoma and a Toyota Tundra that day. I’m always shopping for more though. Reach out here if you have some vehicles you’d like to sell or if you want to know more about our desired vehicle list.
Happy Building!