1st Pencil Reviews

Vehicle Acquisition Network (VAN) is an automotive software platform built to help car dealerships acquire high-quality used vehicles directly from private sellers—without relying on auctions. As wholesale prices rise and vehicle availability tightens, VAN empowers dealers with tools to source inventory faster, more profitably, and with greater control. VAN aggregates local FSBO (for-sale-by-owner) listings, applies real-time market data to assess profitability, and automates communication with sellers at scale. Buyers can manage leads, track seller conversations, and streamline acquisition workflows through an intuitive CRM-style dashboard designed specifically for dealership teams. For dealers who don’t have dedicated acquisition staff, VAN offers a Managed Buyer program, pairing stores with expert buyers who actively source, engage, and negotiate with private sellers on their behalf—saving time and boosting acquisition volume without internal hiring. VAN is trusted by hundreds of dealerships across North America—from independent rooftops to franchise groups—looking to beat Carvana and CarMax at their own game. It's the smarter way to buy cars.

CDK provides a unified, SOC 2-compliant dealership software solutions designed to simplify dealership operations, improve profitability and create a better customer experience across every department. Instead of relying on disconnected tools for Sales, Service, Inventory and Accounting, CDK brings everything together in one place through the CDK Dealership Xperience Platform. CDK offers six connected suites inside the Dealership Xperience Platform, each one solving for a specific area of dealership operations: • Foundations Suite: Ideal for enterprise and multistore dealers, this suite delivers advanced Accounting, DMS functionality, centralized management and CDK SimplePay for smooth deal workflows. • Fundamentals Suite: Created for independent dealerships and smaller franchise operations, the Fundamentals Suite offers streamlined core tools with the same data connectivity as the Foundations Suite. • Vehicle Inventory Suite: Uses AI and real-time market insights to help dealers source, price and manage inventory more effectively and profitably. • Modern Retail Suite: Combines CRM, Digital Retailing and F&I workflows so customers can start buying online and complete the process in the dealership without rework. • Fixed Operations Suite: Supports Service and Parts departments with communication tools like video and texting, accurate estimates and to-the-penny Service pricing. • Intelligence Suite: Brings advanced analytics, forecasting and performance visibility across departments so decision-making is faster and more data-driven. Dealers choose CDK for its ability to connect once-separate systems, support day-to-day operations, and provide measurable improvements in efficiency, profitability and customer satisfaction.