Re:Startup Idea: Used Car Leasing
by gojomo on Tuesday November 05, 2013 @08:41PM
(#6679966)
For such a business, the real competition is the same customer using a loan to buy a used-car, approximating the same up-front, monthly, and end-of-term costs.
So, to succeed, can the business acquire its fleet more cheaply than others? Tricky, especially if trying to keep a uniform fleet of desirable used-cars like the example Honda Civics (which already command a resale premium).
Or, can the business better assess credit/damage risks than established used-car financers? My hunch is those people wanting to lease, rather than buy, a used-car could be uniquely risky.
So it feels double-sided in the adverse-selection dimension: both your fleet and your customers will be rejects from other fairly competitive, evolved systems.
So, to succeed, can the business acquire its fleet more cheaply than others? Tricky, especially if trying to keep a uniform fleet of desirable used-cars like the example Honda Civics (which already command a resale premium).
Or, can the business better assess credit/damage risks than established used-car financers? My hunch is those people wanting to lease, rather than buy, a used-car could be uniquely risky.
So it feels double-sided in the adverse-selection dimension: both your fleet and your customers will be rejects from other fairly competitive, evolved systems.