REV #062

Van Horn's Used Car Playbook: Staff Is the Product

BY EMILY KEENAN

May 7th, 2026

Automotive News recently published its Top 100 Dealership Groups for used-vehicle sales. Van Horn Auto Group out of Wisconsin ranked #72 in overall volume — but took the #1 spot for used-to-new sales ratio at 2.42 to 1, more than double the traditional 1:1 industry standard.

The timing is critical. As consumers shift toward pre-owned inventory to find value, Van Horn’s 2.42 ratio positions them at the center of current market demand. We analyzed Widewail’s Q1 2026 reputation data across all 15 Van Horn locations to see how their feedback profile supports this high-volume sales strategy.

Staff positivity is nearly 13 points above the national average. Used car buyers tend to arrive with more skepticism than new car buyers — staff sentiment at this level is consistent with a frontline that's earning trust early.

Van Horn has also mitigated the friction points common in high-volume operations. Their negative feedback rate for the sales department sits nearly 17 points below the industry average, and they've nearly halved communication-related complaints compared to the benchmark. Most notably, a 0% negative rate for honesty in Q1.

For a group operating at this volume, that points toward a process where transparency is either embedded or actively enforced.

Selling at a 2.42 used-to-new ratio requires proving the quality and value of every unit.

Van Horn's data reflects a focus on consumer confidence — an overall negative review rate of just 4.92%, nearly half the industry norm.

Three core sales metrics define their Q1 success:

1. Knowledge: Pre-owned inventory is varied and unpredictable. Van Horn outpaces the industry in positive staff knowledge mentions (17.75%). Buyers are consistently citing it as a meaningful edge when every unit on the lot tells a different story.
   
   

2. Professionalism and Value: Van Horn holds a 5.41% positive sentiment for Deals (vs. the 4.04% industry average) and 23.44% for Professionalism, nearly double the 12.63% benchmark. That combination points to a transaction environment where buyers feel respected and satisfied with the deal, a strong result in a segment where pressure tactics are a common complaint.
   
   

3. Active Engagement: Van Horn's response rate is 98.86%, nearly 30 points above the industry benchmark. That kind of consistency tells prospective buyers that management is paying attention and creates a public record that influences purchase decisions.

When a customer buys new, they're buying the brand. When they buy used, they're buying the dealership. Van Horn's data reflects a group that understands how to scale that trust.

Van Horn vs. The Industry

While Automotive News ranks Van Horn #1 for their sales ratio, Widewail's Q1 2026 Reputation Health Scorecard shows they're backing that volume with top-tier customer satisfaction — landing in the top 25% of the industry for overall reputation health.

A sub-5% negative rate with a near-perfect response rate is hard to maintain at one store. Van Horn is doing it across 15.

Used car reputation is generally considered harder to build than new. The product is less predictable, the buyer more guarded, the margin for error smaller. Van Horn's Q1 profile reflects a group that has figured out how to hold trust at volume.

Google's AI Overviews have changed the research process. Buyers aren't scrolling to your profile anymore — they're reading a machine-generated summary at the top of the page, built from Cars.com, DealerRater, Yelp, and whatever else Google can find. Your reputation is now an everywhere project.

Here's what that means for your dealership.