Resources
Guides for the
independent lot.
Practical, plain-language notes on running a small-lot dealership — organized around the same five stages GARAGEBIRDS follows for every vehicle. The hub is new; most categories are still filling in. New to the jargon? Start with what a dealer management system (DMS) is.
Inventorize
Photos, specs and VIN — on the lot and online in minutes.
Restore
Track every recon dollar as it's spent, not after.
Display
Listings, published where your buyers already are.
Sell
Deals and documents, done — without re-typing anything twice.
Running the lot
The business around the cars — guides that cover the whole lot, not one stage.
Cost tracking: how to know your true profit per vehicle
What belongs in a car's true cost, and why the sticker math overstates your profit.
What is a dealer management system (DMS)?
DMS, dealer management software and DMP — and what an independent lot actually needs from one.
True profit per car calculator
Put in one car's real costs and see its true profit next to the sticker math.
Dealer software for new and independent dealers
Just licensed? What software you need for your first cars, what can wait, and four options compared.
Free dealer management software
A free plan, not a trial: what GARAGEBIRDS Free covers, and when a paid DMS is worth it.
A DealerCenter alternative for new and small dealers
When DealerCenter’s built-in lender access is worth paying for, and when to start free instead.
A Frazer alternative that runs in your browser
Windows desktop with BHPH and accounting, or a browser app that starts free: how to choose.
More guides are added as they're written. For what the product itself does, see every feature. Back to home