What is a dealer management system (DMS)?
A dealer management system — a DMS — is the software a car dealership runs its vehicles, deals and paperwork in. You will also see it sold as dealer management software or a dealer management platform (DMP). All three names describe the same kind of product. GARAGEBIRDS calls itself a dealer management platform; if you were searching for a DMS, you are in the right place.
DMS, dealer management software, DMP: is there a difference?
Not in what they do. "System" is the oldest term, and the one the industry still shortens to "the DMS". "Software" is how most dealers search for it. "Platform" tends to mean a cloud product you sign into from a browser, rather than a server installed at the dealership. What actually separates one DMS from another is the kind of dealership it was built for.
What a franchise DMS covers — and a small lot doesn't need
The DMS most people have heard of was built for franchise new-car dealers. Around the car sale it runs a whole business: a parts department, a service department with repair orders and technician time, manufacturer reporting, lender e-contracting and the dealership's books. It is usually bought through a sales call, with a contract and an implementation project.
An independent lot running 10 to 75 used cars has a narrower set of jobs — and they are the ones a spreadsheet stops handling well:
- Know what each car really cost: the purchase price, auction fees and transport, then every reconditioning dollar.
- Keep one current record per car — VIN, specs, photos, status and asking price.
- Get the car in front of buyers where they already look.
- Work out the deal — price, fees, tax, trade-in and, if it's financed, the payment — and see the gross before you close it.
- Print the sale paperwork without typing the buyer's name three times.
What to look for in DMS software for an independent dealer
- Profit per car you can trust. If acquisition and recon costs live outside the DMS, the gross it shows you is a guess.
- Enter it once. The VIN, the buyer and the price should flow from the vehicle record into the deal and onto the forms.
- Your paperwork, filled in. At minimum the title application and the bill of sale — and a way to use the contracts you already have.
- A price you can see before you talk to anyone, and a plan small enough to start on today.
Where GARAGEBIRDS fits
GARAGEBIRDS is dealer management software for independent and small-lot dealers, organized around the five stages every car goes through on the lot: Buy, Inventorize, Restore, Display, Sell.
- Free, forever: inventory management and listings, cost tracking with true profit per vehicle, VIN decode, cash desking with a per-deal margin view, built-in state forms for all 50 states (title, registration, bill of sale and more) with auto-fill, contacts, and unlimited users.
- Pro: finance desking with amortization tables and multiple deal structures, Smart Print Forms for your own contracts and documents, assisted Facebook Marketplace posting, leads linked to contacts, contact history, starting a deal from a contact, and contact notes and follow-up dates.
Each one is described on the features page, and the two plans are compared in the pricing section.
What GARAGEBIRDS does not do
It is not a franchise DMS, and does not try to be one:
- No parts or service department. Restore tracks recon costs and receipts, not repair orders or a shop schedule.
- No accounting or general ledger, and no manufacturer integrations.
- Finance desking computes the figures; it does not send a credit application to a lender or take a payment.
- No auction feed or sourcing workflow. Buy records what a car cost you, not where to find the next one.
If you need lender access or buy here pay here from day one, see how GARAGEBIRDS compares with DealerCenter and Frazer. Just licensed? Start with dealer software for new dealers, or see what a free dealer management system covers.
Questions
Is GARAGEBIRDS a DMS?
Yes. GARAGEBIRDS is a cloud-based dealer management system (DMS) for independent and small-lot car dealerships. We call it a dealer management platform; it is the same category of software.
What does DMS stand for at a car dealership?
Dealer management system — also written as dealer management software. It is the software a dealership uses to manage its vehicles, deals, customers and paperwork.
What is a DMP?
A dealer management platform. It is another name for a DMS, most often used for cloud software you sign into from a web browser.
Is there a free DMS for independent dealers?
GARAGEBIRDS has a Free plan that is free forever with no credit card: inventory management and listings, cost tracking with true profit per vehicle, VIN decode, cash desking with a per-deal margin view, built-in state forms for all 50 states (title, registration, bill of sale and more) with auto-fill, contacts, and unlimited users. Pro adds finance desking, Smart Print Forms for your own contracts and documents, assisted Facebook Marketplace posting, and leads and contact history.
Do I need to install anything?
No. GARAGEBIRDS runs in a web browser at app.garagebirds.com. The one optional install is the Posting Assistant, a Chrome or Edge extension used for assisted Facebook Marketplace posting on Pro.