This was the strongest November in history for certified used car sales. Plus, Manufacturers’ certified volume is rising. Fleets are older than they have been in the past. Manufacturers are getting more aggressive with year-end incentives. And all of this is coming at a great time because it puts the buying public in a win-win situation. The value of a used vehicle coupled with a certified warranty makes sense to a lot of customers who just don’t want to lose the new vehicle depreciation dollars when they drive off the lot.

Many dealers are taking the advice of finance and insurance companies and developing their own brand of certified vehicles so that every used car on their lot can be backed with some kind of warranty. This is a no brainer when you think about it. Create your own brand of certification so customers feel safe and do not have a letdown if they buy a used car that is not certified. Talk to your finance and insurance providers and marketing partners if you need help figuring out how to start this type of program.

The ultimate thing that a more comprehensive used car approach can lead to is a well-rounded advertising plan. I noticed in a meeting last week that the manufacturer’s new car guidelines were really strict. So we decided for this particular dealership that we could be more effective by advertising their own brand of certified used cars. We packaged the benefits to the customer starting at a certain price point. After doing this, I am confident the traffic count from the used car creative will be higher than the new car creative.