We sit down with Jay Feldman to trace how a kid selling cars at 15 becomes the leader of a 25-store dealer group built on discipline, culture, and smart deal-making. We dig into what’s changing in retail automotive right now, from EV swings and digital shopping to FTC uncertainty, fixed ops growth, and AI’s impact on dealership operations. 

• growing up in a Chevrolet dealer family and starting in parts at 12 
• turning around a losing small-town store and building from there 
• scaling through acquisitions, partnerships, and new franchise points 
• adding Toyota and Honda for the first time and what that changes 
• working with Mark Wahlberg and what celebrity reach really does 
• the EV boom, incentives, and the reality of today’s EV mix 
• why he sits out overpriced deals and underwrites with “normal” years 
• the case for single-point dealers and why scale is optional 
• where online car buying works and where it still falls short 
• FTC compliance concerns focused on clarity and consistent rules 
• fixed ops priorities, mobile service experimentation, and daily cadence 
• blending cultures after an acquisition and keeping one-price selling 
• concerns about affordability, Chinese competition, and direct-to-consumer models 
• using AI in service operations and why it will change staffing 
• succession planning and advice for GMs who want to buy in 

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