FOR CHICAGO-AREA DEALERS.
BirdDog finds private sellers near your store whose cars fit your Buy-Box Sticker, confirms the details, asking price, and permission to be contacted, and books them at your dealership. You appraise. You offer. You buy.
Founding Pilot: $1,500 per month, flat; month-to-month; cancel by email; no per-car fees.
Illustrative example · not BirdDog inventory
Vehicle opportunity
$22,400 asking
Meets this example store’s model, year, and mileage criteria.
VIN, title, history, condition, and dealer appraisal.
The market
$27,239
Average used listing price · Aug 2026 · highest since Dec 2022
29 days
Supply under $15,000
−25.9%
Under-$15,000 supply year over year
Cox Automotive analysis of vAuto data, Sep 11, 2026.
The cars that make your front line profitable are disappearing. Plenty are sitting in driveways near your store.
The sourcing workflow
The Founding Pilot tests local private-party sourcing around your Buy-Box Sticker.
Source nearby vehicles offered directly by their owners.
Compare available listing details with your dealership’s Buy-Box Sticker criteria to identify a potential fit.
BirdDog checks the listing details and asking price provided and verifies the seller’s permission to contact. This is not a vehicle inspection and does not verify title or vehicle condition.
If the seller agrees to be contacted and the listing fits your Buy-Box Sticker, BirdDog can book an appointment at your dealership. The dealer appraises the vehicle and decides whether to make an offer or buy. The dealer handles negotiation, payment, title transfer, and paperwork. BirdDog does not buy or sell vehicles.
Your dealership controls whether to appraise or buy. No dealer match, appointment, purchase, or other outcome is promised.
Request a pilot callRead the dealer field guide: How the dealer sourcing process works
The weekly readout
A quick comparison
Estimate auction buy fees and transport for your monthly volume. This is auction cost, separate from BirdDog’s flat monthly service fee.
Negative or invalid values count as zero. This estimates auction costs only.
What we do: find, verify, book.
BirdDog finds private sellers near your store whose cars fit your Buy-Box Sticker. BirdDog checks the listing details and asking price provided and verifies the seller’s permission to contact. This is not a vehicle inspection and does not verify title or vehicle condition. If the seller is willing and your dealership is available, BirdDog can book a possible appointment at your dealership. The dealership makes its appraisal and purchase decisions. No dealer match, appointment, purchase, or other outcome is promised.
Founding Pilot
Share your dealership and the inventory you want to source. This request starts a conversation about the Founding Pilot; it does not reserve an appointment.
Day 90 is an evaluation milestone, not a minimum term. The scorecard reports actual outcomes; it does not promise purchase volume, profit, or savings.
BirdDog serves Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane, and McHenry counties in Illinois, plus Lake County, Indiana.
A note from the founder
BirdDog started with a problem familiar to anyone who has worked a used-car desk: knowing what you want to buy is easier than finding the right cars.
We’re building a sourcing service around the dealership’s buy box, with clear seller information, practical follow-up, and reporting for dealer review and any decision it makes.
The Founding Pilot will test that process with participating dealers. Your dealership stays in control of the appraisal, offer, and purchase decision.
Justin, founder. Built from the dealer side of the desk.
The field team
Great noses. Terrible appraisers.
They handle morale. Your dealership handles the cars.
Frequently asked questions