What if you could chase used inventory with the same firepower that’s been beating you for years?
That’s the question Frank Knox can answer from every seat in the stadium: CarMax buyer → regional purchasing leader → indie group acquisitions boss → now COO at Auto Acquire.
Short version: AI won’t replace your people—but it will give them superpowers.
The Pain (You Know This One)
Scale hurts. Frank’s teams have sourced 500–1,000+ cars a week. Auctions were necessary… and increasingly inefficient.
Pandemic hangover. Auction-first strategies broke under volatility. Consumer-direct buying became the only real hedge.
So what actually changes with AI?
The Shift: Offers at Scale, Precision You Control
CarMax and Carvana didn’t win on charisma; they won on math. Years ago, they began automating offers and continuously tuning them with machine learning. Frank’s play is putting that capability in dealer hands:
Automated, adjustable offers. Your store sets the “dials”—model mix, trim risk, reconditioning realities, turn targets—and the system updates offers in real time.
Whole-garage visibility. With a verified name/email/phone, AI can match the entire household garage, not just the vehicle in front of you. One contact → multiple offers.
Follow-up that doesn’t sleep. Sequenced, compliant touchpoints keep the funnel warm while your people focus on high-intent sellers.
Friction-side help. Transport, ID validation, inspection pre-reads—AI assists across the messy middle so your buyers spend time where margin lives.
The Line That Never Moves: People Make the Calls
Frank’s clear: AI narrows the funnel; humans close the gap.
It can’t feel a transmission, smell flood damage, or read a seller’s hesitation. Your used car manager still:
Tunes the dials (go heavy on Explorers, dial back on Quad Cab Rams).
Owns final inspection and pencils the deal context the model will never see.
Builds trust so a maybe becomes a yes.
The Blueprint (Steal This Week)
Pick 10: Choose ten VIN archetypes you’re best at turning. Set aggressive dials there; play defense elsewhere.
Outreach > Auction: Funnel 20% of this week’s “auction budget” into consumer offers and follow-up sequences. Measure opps created per dollar.
Garage Mining Script: “Mind if I check values on the other cars at your address? Prices are strong today.”
Fast-lane Recons: Pre-negotiate transport and mobile inspections so “yes” turns into “here” in under 72 hours.
Manager Time-Block: Two daily 45-minute blocks where a manager calls only high-score sellers. No interruptions.
The Bottom Line
You don’t need a billion-dollar war chest to win used acquisitions. You need offers at scale, clarity on what you’re best at, and humans who finish the play. Frank’s message to dealers is simple: Put CarMax/Carvana in a box—on your desk—and let your team run it.
