Dealer Academy
Run a sharper dealership
Free, plain-English guides for independent dealers — licensing, per-car profit, accounting that reconciles, BHPH, titles, and compliance. No fluff, no jargon.
The Buy Here Pay Here Business Model: Economics, Static Pool Math, and What It Really Takes
How BHPH really works: the dealer becomes the bank. Unit economics, down payments, static pool math, the collections reality, compliance basics, and the capital it actually takes.
8 min read · Updated 2026-07-16Dealership AccountingHow Much Do Dealers Actually Make Per Car? Markup, Gross, and the Number Nobody Talks About
Car dealer markup vs gross vs net, with real ranges: typical used-car front gross, back-end income, and why the take-home number per car is far smaller than the sticker spread.
7 min read · Updated 2026-07-16Buying & SellingFloor Plan Financing for Dealers: How It Works, the Curtailment Math, and When Not to Floor a Car
How dealer floorplans really work: advances, curtailments with a worked 90-day example, per-VIN interest tracking, lender comparison factors, and when flooring a car destroys the deal.
8 min read · Updated 2026-07-16Buying & SellingDealer-Only Auctions: How to Get In, What They Really Cost, and How Not to Get Burned
How dealer-only auctions work: AuctionACCESS registration, Manheim vs ADESA vs independents, real buy-fee ranges, condition report grades, and the arbitration reality dealers report.
8 min read · Updated 2026-07-16Start a DealershipDealer Plates Explained: Who Can Drive on Them, What They Cost, and What Misuse Costs
What dealer plates are, who's allowed to drive on them, typical costs, metal plates vs temp tags, and the misuse penalties that get licenses revoked. State rules at a glance.
6 min read · Updated 2026-07-16Titles & ComplianceOdometer Disclosure Statement: When It's Required, the 20-Year Rule, and How to Fill It Out
What an odometer disclosure statement is, which vehicles need one after the 2021 rule change, federal vs state forms, electronic titles, penalties, and a line-by-line walkthrough.
6 min read · Updated 2026-07-16Start a DealershipTexas Dealer License (GDN): Costs, the $50,000 Bond, webDEALER, and the New Plate Rules
How to get a Texas GDN: license types, the $50,000 bond, real costs, premises rules, and what HB 718 changed — metal plates at sale, mandatory webDEALER, no paper temp tags.
8 min read · Updated 2026-07-16Start a DealershipHow to Get a Dealer License: Requirements, Costs, and Timeline (Plain-English Guide)
The five pieces every state requires — entity, location, surety bond, insurance, application — with a real cost table, an 8-week timeline, and the no-lot reality check.
8 min read · Updated 2026-07-16Titles & ComplianceWhat Is a Deal Jacket? Every Document Your Dealership Must Keep (Checklist)
A deal jacket is the file of every document behind one vehicle sale. Here's the full checklist by deal type, how long to keep it, and what auditors look for.
6 min read · Updated 2026-07-16Dealership AccountingHow to Calculate the True Profit on a Used Car (the Math Most Dealers Get Wrong)
Sale price minus purchase price is not your profit. Here's the full per-car costing formula — recon, transport, floorplan interest, pack — with a worked example.
7 min read · Updated 2026-07-16Stop guessing what each car made you
Loturn tracks every cost against every VIN and shows live profit on every car — with real dealer accounting built in. One flat price.
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