Author Topic: vAuto  (Read 1751 times)

rcjordan

  • I'm consulting the authorities on the subject
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16268
  • Debbie says...
    • View Profile
vAuto
« on: October 06, 2017, 11:45:53 PM »
This, and other software like it, is why there isn't much pricing variance among US auto dealers in your area.  Basically, it does a radial scan of inventories and tells the sales manager if his vehicle is priced right in his market.  

http://www.vauto.com/franchise/used/products/provision/

I have a very crude algo I use for pricing based on projected mileage. After scanning 50+ dealers and 5 aggregators over a 200-mile radius, I got the feeling that prices were a little TOO homogeneous.  When I applied my algo to my top 3 picks the prices were all within 2.3% of valuation ($563 between pick 1 and pick 3) even though the vehicles were over 200 miles apart.  And that was my **top** picks, the great bulk of them in dealer inventory were so in-line that I grew increasingly suspicious.

The sales manager I dealt with today fessed up and mentioned software like this.

rcjordan

  • I'm consulting the authorities on the subject
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16268
  • Debbie says...
    • View Profile
Re: vAuto
« Reply #1 on: November 16, 2017, 10:29:58 PM »
related:

There Is No Secret Inventory Of Cars For Sale Online

Quote
You scour for hours on every car listing site you can for your dream car that has the perfect combo of options for the right price. Too frequently, what you seek cannot be found, even if you hope against hope that in some secret corner of the internet that car is for sale. I’m here to tell you, that place doesn’t exist.

https://jalopnik.com/there-is-no-secret-inventory-of-cars-for-sale-online-1820503267

> scanning 50+ dealers and 5 aggregators over a 200-mile radius

Now I don't feel like rolling my own search was unwarranted. 

rcjordan

  • I'm consulting the authorities on the subject
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16268
  • Debbie says...
    • View Profile
Re: vAuto
« Reply #2 on: Today at 12:20:44 AM »
>This, and other software like it, is why there isn't much pricing variance among US auto dealers in your area

https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/28/24114991/algorithms-can-aid-price-collusion-doj-ftc-caesars

Algorithms can aid price collusion, even if no humans actually talk to each other, US enforcers say - The Verge