Dealer-Mate

Dealer-Mate is dealership management software for retailers of cars, motorcycles, RVs, trucks, boats and equipment. It is best suited to dealerships that want sales, inventory, CRM and service workflows in a single system. Its strongest case is breadth across dealership operations; the choice between cloud and local plans, and the limited demo account, warrant a careful buying decision.

Overview

Dealer-Mate brings deal creation, inventory, customer management and parts and service into one product. It supports in-house, bank, lease and cash deals, with financing and insurance, and connects to Dealertrack for submissions to more than 1,000 lenders, including credit unions. That range makes it relevant to varied dealership types, rather than only car retailers.

Inventory records can be sorted and filtered, then uploaded to dealer websites and other third-party sites. Kelley Blue Book and Black Book integrations support inventory work, while automatic publishing reaches Craigslist, Cars.com, Autotrader.com, eBay Motors and Facebook. These connections can reduce the effort of maintaining listings across multiple channels.

Key features

The web-based CRM includes Internet Lead Manager, Showroom Control Manager, Business Development Center, Auto-Trade, database and reporting modules. Dealer-Mate says it charges no per-user fees, which may suit larger teams that need broad CRM access. SMS messaging and lead source capture are also supported.

The Parts & Service module covers work orders, mechanic task scheduling, branded estimates and invoices, part barcodes and service histories. That makes Dealer-Mate a more complete operational option for dealerships that handle workshop activity alongside sales. QuickBooks is offered as an extra module; the maker describes its integration as seamless for Parts & Service.

Dealer-Mate is hosted on AWS Cloud, and the maker says version 2.0 needs no additional network or security configuration. It also offers data conversion from other DMS software, extracting and transferring existing data. Those services can ease a switch, though buyers should confirm conversion scope for their own systems.

Pricing

Dealer-Mate has no free plan and offers a 30-day trial. Cloud plans cost $119 a month on the monthly plan, which can be cancelled anytime; $99 a month on the quarterly plan, billed at $297; or $79 a month on the annual plan, billed at $894. The longer commitments reduce the monthly equivalent, but require a larger upfront payment than monthly billing.

The local desktop application costs $65 a month. A Local Area Network option costs $350.00 USD as a one-time fee and covers up to 3 work stations; larger networks require a call. That workstation cap makes the one-time network plan a poor fit for dealerships with more than three stations unless they arrange an expanded setup.

Plans include online installation and training, tech support, software updates and forms programming. The trial account has most settings disabled, so it may not provide a meaningful assessment of day-to-day workflows; Dealer-Mate directs prospective buyers to request a live demo for a deeper review.

Platforms

Dealer-Mate is available on Android, iOS, macOS, web and Windows. Its local desktop and cloud choices give dealerships different deployment options, while the supported platforms allow access across several device types.

Who it's for

Dealer-Mate is worth considering for dealerships that need sales, inventory, CRM and service operations together, especially those handling financing and lender submissions or publishing inventory to multiple channels. Its no-per-user-fee CRM may also appeal to teams with many staff accounts. Buyers who need to validate detailed workflows before purchase should arrange a live demo, since the restricted trial account limits evaluation.

Pros and cons

• Broad dealership coverage: deal creation, inventory, CRM and service tools serve dealerships beyond passenger-car sales.
• Extensive sales and inventory connections: Dealertrack lender submissions and multiple listing destinations can support financing and multi-channel inventory work.
• No CRM per-user fees: the maker's pricing approach avoids adding a per-seat charge for CRM users.
• Limited trial: most demo settings are disabled, making the 30-day trial less useful for an independent assessment.
• Network plan has a cap: the $350.00 USD one-time Local Area Network plan covers up to 3 work stations, with larger networks requiring a call.
• Cloud savings require commitment: quarterly and annual billing lower the monthly equivalent but require totals of $297 and $894, respectively.

Alternatives

For a wider comparison of category options, browse Automotive CRM Software.

Choose MotorDesk if a published starter option at £79/month, limited to 5 vehicles for sale and 1 staff/email account, better matches a smaller operation; that plan excludes online checkout and deal builder.

Tekion ARC CRM is another paid CRM option for Android, iOS, macOS and web.

Vital Software is a paid alternative for Android, iOS and web.

VinSolutions is a paid alternative for Android, iOS and web.

Consider DealerPeak if you prefer to request a demo for its CRM rather than choose among Dealer-Mate's published plans.

DealersCloud CRM is a paid option whose Core Platform combines CRM and lead management with inventory, deal desking and F&I, accounting reports, marketing feeds and a custom dealership website.

Get My Auto CRM may suit buyers looking for a 60-day free trial and a CRM + Ava plan at $695 a month after the trial, with 5,000 text blasts per month.

DriveCentric is another paid option, with its Engagement Hub priced by rooftop and units sold count under an annual or multi-year agreement invoiced monthly.

Verdict

Dealer-Mate is a strong candidate for dealerships that want one system spanning deal processing, inventory, customer management and service, with both cloud and local deployment choices. Its lender and listing connections, service tools and no-per-user-fee CRM are persuasive advantages. Look elsewhere if a fully capable self-guided trial is essential, or if the local network limit and cloud commitment terms do not suit your operation.