Articles by Tom Langas - Special FInance Director

Déjà vu, all over again. At least once a year, good times or bad, the discussion arises concerning what is the ideal inventory for special finance. I’ve been doing this for more than 20 years, and the answer is always the same: “Sell financing, not inventory.”

Commitment, as defined by Webster, is “an act of obligation.” It is not an act of “maybe.” If special finance was the way to go during boom times, it is still the way to go during tough times.

This month celebrates my twentieth anniversary in special finance. Throughout the years, the economic landscape has changed several times, as have the names of the finance companies that have made special finance a fixture in most successful dealerships.

There was a convention? In Dallas? Really?

When we are as busy as we have been, I become anti-technology and pro-people. I know, some of you hard-core geeks out there are thinking, “Master your technology, have more time for people.”

Tom Langas - Every company out there that does Web site design has their vision of what your site should be to be successful. They are not aware of your market's nuances, quirks and hot spots. It is up to you and others in your company to stick by your guns and make these talented designers see your vision.

Tom Langas - Our greatest opportunities in stocking clean, reliable used cars are through auctions that cater to new car dealers, lease companies and rental car corporations. I can only speak to inventory sourcing from my own perspective.

Tom Langas - Recently, the question was asked by this publication, “Is Special Finance Dead?” The answer was, and is, a resounding, “No!” The same article, however, pointed out that, on many financing fronts, near-prime auto loans are a vanishing breed.