Twelve guides on the parts of the job that cost money when you get them wrong: what an auction lot really costs, the number you can actually bid, the forms the DMV rejects, the tax you collect, and the money that pays for inventory. Written for Utah dealers. Getting licensed is Utah Dealer School's subject — these start the day after.
Buying at auction
What a Copart or IAA lot really costs, and the number you can actually bid.
The fee ladder, the internet bid fee, the adders, and the payment clock after you win.
All-in under 60% of clean retail, a $2,000 profit floor, and the math worked backwards to a bid.
After the sale
The paperwork that has to be right the day the car leaves the lot.
When to issue one, the 45-day title clock it starts, and the disclosure that gates it.
Utah's notice of sale is form TC-928, due the 10th — including the months you sold nothing.
21 days for the title, no temp permit, and the TC-928 row that needs his dealer number.
Running the lot
The disclosures, the files and the rules that apply to every car you retail.
Every document one sale generates, what the buyer gets, and what never goes to the DMV.
Display it before you offer the car, hand over the final form at closing, and get Spanish deals right.
The rate is your location, you collect and remit it, and no customer may pay it at the DMV.
TC-814 before you negotiate, the ad rule with per-car penalties, and the 10-day duty you own.
Money and financing
Floor plan, carrying your own paper, and what year one actually costs.
Line size, advance rate, curtailments, audits and title custody — the mechanics before you sign.
The state notification you file first, the contract blocks, and the terms Utah limits.
The licensing line, the auction pipe, and the per-car costs that decide whether a lot pays.
Free to start, no card. Utah Dealer School grads: your grad code unlocks 30 days of Pro.
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