Articles by Kimberly Long - Assistant Editor

It’s not unusual for a visitor to Jennifer’s Auto Sales and Service, an independent dealership in Spokane Valley, Wash., to find Dealer Jennifer Johnson in her facility’s fully-equipped kitchen cooking up a pot of spaghetti or baking cookies for her staff and customers

“Sean does a great job. His paperwork is really clean … and his funding is great. We have learned so much about special finance in terms of how to run it the right way, and he’s a big part of that.”

“Sean does a great job. His paperwork is really clean … and his funding is great. We have learned so much about special finance in terms of how to run it the right way, and he’s a big part of that.”

“Sean does a great job. His paperwork is really clean … and his funding is great. We have learned so much about special finance in terms of how to run it the right way, and he’s a big part of that.”

“Sean does a great job. His paperwork is really clean … and his funding is great. We have learned so much about special finance in terms of how to run it the right way, and he’s a big part of that.”

Dwight Cope has spent the majority of his life being involved with special finance in some capacity. In order to learn a little about our inductee, it is necessary to also take a look at the company with which his entire life has been inextricably entwined. While he’s been officially on the company payroll for over 30 years, Cope’s history with Western Funding goes back much, much further.

The tightening of the credit market has turned many traditional auto retailers’ eyes toward buy here pay here as an attractive option to consider as a supplement, maybe even an alternative, to their retail business. However, those dealers often have the misguided impression

There’s no denying the Internet has truly changed the face of car sales. Most dealers know by now that it’s a great way to expose inventory to a wider audience, but the Internet’s reach can work to a dealer’s advantage in a different way.

The mortgage meltdown, the shrinking of the subprime credit market and the tightening of credit across the board have been bad news for many in automotive retail. However, buy here pay here dealers seemed to be in the perfect position to reap some benefits from the effects of the credit crisis.

Otis has always believed special finance could be a lucrative profit center at Ideal Auto, despite not seeing much success with previous efforts. A few months ago, he made the decision to hire an outside SF consultant to help Ideal restart a department that never truly made it off the ground...