# "It Could Be a Record Year!" Inside Auto Retail's Biggest Buy/Sell Year Yet & What Top Operators Know | George Karolis, President at The Presidio Group

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/car-dealership-guy-podcast-6241497/it-could-be-a-record-year-inside-auto-retail-s-biggest-buy-sell-year-yet-what-top-operators-know-george-karolis-president-at-the-presidio-group
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/car-dealership-guy-podcast-6241497/it-could-be-a-record-year-inside-auto-retail-s-biggest-buy-sell-year-yet-what-top-operators-know-george-karolis-president-at-the-presidio-group.md
Podcast: [Car Dealership Guy Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/car-dealership-guy-podcast-6241497)
Published: 2026-07-23T09:05:00+00:00
Episode link: https://chrt.fm/track/C6AG88/traffic.megaphone.fm/CREUR8877676752.mp3
Audio file: https://chrt.fm/track/C6AG88/traffic.megaphone.fm/CREUR8877676752.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/car-dealership-guy-podcast-6241497/episodes/it-could-be-a-record-year-inside-auto-retail-s-biggest-buy-sell-year-yet-what-top-operators-know-george-karolis-president-at-the-presidio-group
Duration seconds: 2213

## Resource

Today I'm joined by George Karolis, President at The Presidio Group. George breaks down why the average dealer is over 70 years old with no succession plan, why nearly 18% of dealers now say they want to sell in the next year, and why the biggest groups are trading luxury stores rather than walking away from them entirely. He also unpacks why Toyota stores now trade like BMW and Mercedes dealerships, and why Carvana's rapid new-car growth might not be the experiment dealers think it is. Topics: 02:30 Ernie Garcia's Tight-Lipped Strategy. 03:00 Carvana's 998-Unit Month. 09:00 18% Of Dealers Want Out. 13:00 Lexus Stores Trade Like Gold. 19:55 The Two Porsche Stories. 23:25 Toyota Trades Like Luxury. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Plug - If your dealership is taking EV trade-ins or looking for used EV inventory, you need to check out @ here. 2. Podium - the AI platform trusted by one in three dealerships. Take a closer look @ here. 3. The Presidio Group - The Presidio Group is one of the longest-standing investment banks focused exclusively on automotive. Explore these and other industry insights @ here. Presidio reports mentioned in today's episode: Q2 2026 M&A Market Update / Presidio Valuation Index Midyear 2026 Dealer Direction Survey Q2 2026 Presidio-NCM Average Dealership Performance Benchmark Q2 2026 Drive-In LIVE Check out Car Dealership Guy’s stuff: For dealers: CDG Circles ➤ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cdgcircles.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Industry job board ➤ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://jobs.dealershipguy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dealership recruiting ➤ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.…

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