Alpine Buick GMC
Alpine Buick GMC in Greater Denver replaced auction dependency with a true private-party buying system, empowering salespeople to source locally, turn faster, and average $2,500 front-end gross on every street purchase.
Problem
Buying at auction meant thin margins, long transport times, and inconsistent quality. The used car manager was stretched between desk work and online bidding, chasing inventory that often cost more to recondition than it was worth.
Strategy
They centralized private-party leads inside VETTX, built a daily workflow around follow-up, and trained their sales team to source and buy directly from local sellers.
Results
Cars now come from driveways instead of auction lanes, with faster turn times, better stories, and higher gross. Even new salespeople are acquiring clean, single-owner units and earning bonuses for every successful buy.
Key Metrics
$2,500
Average Front-End Gross/Vehicle
10–15
Purchases/month
The Pivot: From Loss to Profit
The team’s mindset flipped from survival to strategy.
“it was a difference of like, well, how much profit can I make versus how much can I afford to lose… and that’s something that really made a difference for us.”
Instead of guessing at auctions, Sergio’s team began buying locally through VETTX. They could see every scratch, touch the paint, and control the margin before the car ever hit recon.
“you get to see how deep that scratch is, how bad those tires really are… you can actually see and touch. It just makes a big difference, I think.”
“when I was buying cars at the auction, I was looking at, well, how much can I afford to lose on the front end… whereas when I’m buying cars with Fedex… I’m like, well how much profit can I still potentially make.”
Sergio Aleman | Used Car Manager
Building a Daily Acquisition Machine
Each buyer runs a simple routine: clean out junk listings, pull VINs, send offers, and follow up until they close.
“I’d say about 90% of the people are are open to that… even if if you don’t buy the vehicle from them, they’re still open to getting your appraisal.”
“just because they said no that first time… eventually gets to the point like, hey… Let’s do this. And it’s a nice quick process after that to come in. Half hour later they’re leaving with a check.”
VETTX became their daily CRM.
“the platform basically becomes like it’s own CRM… it allows us to put cars in what I like to call buckets… In the Works… set appointments… follow up with these people.”
Cleaner Cars, Higher Confidence
Auction cars felt like guesswork. Private-party cars came with stories and pride of ownership.
“we’re able to find some hidden gems… a really nice Corvette Z06… only got 6000 miles on it… You don’t get to see that in the auctions.”
“I can install a lot of confidence in my salespeople… these vehicles are single owner car faxes… Colorado vehicles… It installs a lot of confidence.”
That confidence carried to the showroom. Salespeople now sell what they helped buy, turning inventory faster and telling real stories customers believe.
“there’s some sort of excitement that’s created when the salesperson that bought that car is almost wanting to sell that car… they know the car… it just builds a little bit of excitement. So I think that’s what helps move the car a little bit faster.”
Culture Shift: From Participation to Ownership
Alpine created structure and incentives to drive buy-in.
“if we purchase a vehicle, we can get $200… Now we have a street purchase and that’s $500. Um, significant money change.”
Salespeople embraced the program, and management started planning for dedicated buyers.
“as of right now, all I have is salespeople. We are planning on expanding the program… hiring just buyers, people that will just be dedicated to buying inventory.”
Results: What’s Happening in Denver
- $2,500 front-end average on cars purchased through VETTX
- 10–15 street purchases per month from dedicated users
- Faster turns driven by internal excitement and story-based selling
- Zero transport or auction fees, with cleaner local units
- Repeat sellers and referrals fueling new inbound opportunities
The Road Ahead
Private-party buying has become part of Alpine’s identity — a repeatable, scalable system that beats the auction both in profit and process.
“I would say it’s definitely a tool that’s been helpful for us… you’re going to acquire more cars… at a better price… cars that are here locally that you don’t have to pay transportation for is just better overall.”
Hoblit Family Dealerships
$200,000+
Gross First 90 Days