Vehicle Acquisition Network

What Vehicle Acquisition Network does

Vehicle Acquisition Network (VAN) is a Chicago-based private software and services company founded in 2013 that helps automotive dealerships in the United States acquire used vehicle inventory directly from private-party sellers rather than through auctions or trade-ins. The core product is a web and mobile buy center platform that aggregates listings from 25+ online marketplaces and applies AI-powered filtering to remove dealer and scam listings, surfacing genuine private sellers. The platform combines market scanning, in-app messaging, relationship management, and workflow automation across the full acquisition pipeline from lead discovery to purchase. The platform's most recent iteration, the Lincoln Park update launched at NADA 2026, introduced an AI Plate-to-VIN Decoder, enhanced AI filtering, a Unified Messaging Hub, and over 150 additional enhancements built on 13 years of proprietary acquisition data.

The company operates a tiered subscription model with three pricing tiers: Professional at $1,695/month (entry-level platform access with up to 3 users), Accelerate at $2,495/month (adding automated outreach and third-party lead integrations with up to 7 users), and Managed Buyer at $5,995/month (a full-service tier providing a dedicated full-time VAN buyer who handles live seller outreach, negotiation, offer management, and appointment setting on behalf of the dealer). All tiers are billed monthly. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct: field sales engage large dealer groups, inside sales handle mid-market demo requests, and the website supports self-service for smaller dealers. Marketing relies heavily on NADA, the annual VAN Summit, content marketing, SEO, and dealer referrals.

The company has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no recorded M&A. It maintains a 5.0-star Google rating across 50+ dealer reviews and has integrated with a broad dealer technology ecosystem — including vAuto ProfitTime GPS (full API), VINCUE, KBB Instant Cash Offer, CARFAX, AutoCheck, Automotive Mastermind, and Roadster — positioning itself as a workflow-critical layer in the US dealer tech stack. Named customers include Walser Automotive Group (enterprise), Donnelly Automotive Group, Uftring Weston Chevrolet, Elk Grove Subaru, Clift Buick GMC, and Archibald's (independent).

Name

Vehicle Acquisition Network

Legal name

Vehicle Acquisition Network, Inc.

Website

https://buywithvan.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vehicle Acquisition Network (VAN) is a Chicago-based SaaS and managed services company that helps US automotive dealerships source used vehicle inventory directly from private-party sellers via an AI-filtered platform aggregating 25+ online marketplaces, sold on tiered monthly subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Dealership Software

NAICS

Used Car Dealers (44112)

SIC

Wholesale-Motor Vehicles & Motor Vehicle Parts & Supplies (5010)

akta.pro primary industry

Automotive Vehicles & Parts C2C (CRAFAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wholesale Vehicle Auctions (Physical & Online) (TLABAKAA)

Keywords

• Used vehicle sourcing software
• Automotive dealer acquisition platform
• Private party vehicle marketplace
• Buy center software
• Dealership inventory management

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Subscription SaaS - Professional: Monthly subscription tier at $1,695/mo providing access to the software platform with up to 3 users, enabling dealers to source vehicles from private-party marketplaces independently.
2. Subscription SaaS - Accelerate: Mid-tier monthly subscription at $2,495/mo with up to 7 users, offering expanded platform access and support for larger dealer operations.
3. Managed Buyer Service: Premium tier at $5,995/mo providing a dedicated full-time buyer who works exclusively on the dealer's behalf to source vehicles from private sellers, representing the highest-touch service offering.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Vehicle Acquisition Network (VAN) provides an AI-powered buy center software platform that enables automotive dealerships to source used vehicle inventory directly from private-party sellers across 25+ aggregated online marketplaces. The platform filters out dealer and scam listings, manages direct seller communication, and supports the full acquisition workflow from lead discovery through purchase. Offerings are sold via monthly subscriptions and a managed-service tier with dedicated full-time buyers.

Product overview

Vehicle Acquisition Network (VAN) operates as a multi-tiered private-party vehicle acquisition platform for automotive dealerships. The core offering is the VAN Platform, a web and mobile buy center software that aggregates listings from 25+ online marketplaces, enables direct seller communication, and manages the full acquisition workflow. Three subscription tiers serve different dealer needs: Professional™ (entry-level with platform access, integrations, and coaching), Accelerate™ (adds automated outreach and third-party lead integration), and Managed Buyer™ (adds a dedicated full-time VAN buyer handling the full acquisition process). Additional services include Acquisition Coaching™, VAN University training videos, and The Path to Purchasing™ methodology. The platform has undergone major iterations — V2 (2019) for mobile capability, West Loop (2024) for UI/workflow overhaul, and Lincoln Park (February 2026) as the current version with over 150 new AI-powered features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VAN Platform (Core Software) Web and mobile buy center software that enables automotive dealers to source private-party vehicles from 25+ aggregated online marketplaces, communicate directly with sellers, and manage the full acquisition pipeline from lead discovery through purchase. Combines market scanning, in-app messaging, relationship management, and workflow automation.
• Managed Buyer Program Full-service vehicle acquisition offering providing a dedicated full-time VAN buyer (approximately 40 hours/week) who handles live seller outreach via calls, text, email, and DMs; negotiation; offer management; appointment setting; and handoff to the dealership store. Includes VAN Accelerate software access, daily activity reporting with KPI tracking, weekly strategy calls with an Acquisition Coach, third-party lead management, and performance accountability. Priced at $5,995/month.
• Acquisition Coaching™

Quantifiable outcome

• Gross profit per vehicle: $3,525 through VAN vs $1,050 at auction
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

AI capability7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• vAutocoreTechnology or IntegrationFull API integration with vAuto's ProfitTime GPS system, enabling seamless data exchange between VAN's vehicle sourcing platform and dealers' inventory management systems.
• Kelley Blue Book (KBB ICO)coreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with KBB Instant Cash Offer (ICO) platform, allowing dealers to provide real-time offers to private-party sellers sourced through VAN.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• VETTX: VETTX is a direct competitor explicitly named on VAN's own comparison page ("VAN vs VETTX"). It offers dealer-facing private-party vehicle acquisition tools, overlapping directly with VAN's core marketplace aggregation and seller outreach capabilities for franchise and independent dealers.
• AccuTrade: AccuTrade provides dealers with appraisal and acquisition offers to private sellers and is integrated as a third-party lead source inside VAN's platform. Both companies target the same dealer use case of converting private-party listings into dealer inventory.
• ClearCar: ClearCar is a private-party vehicle acquisition service for dealers and is integrated within VAN's platform as a third-party lead source. It competes in the same dealer private-party sourcing workflow.
• TradeRev: TradeRev, owned by Cox Automotive, runs a mobile dealer-to-dealer auction platform and has expanded into private-party dealer acquisition workflows. It competes with VAN for dealer attention and acquisition budget in the same dealership verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer (KBB ICO): KBB ICO, owned by Cox Automotive, provides dealers with real-time private-party offers. It is integrated into VAN's Accelerate and Managed Buyer tiers but also operates as a standalone competitor for dealer private-party acquisition.
• vAuto (Cox Automotive): vAuto's ProfitTime GPS inventory management system has a full API integration with VAN but also launched a competing "Street Purchase" channel. As Cox Automotive's flagship dealer inventory product, it is both a partner and competitor in dealer acquisition technology.
• Manheim (Cox Automotive): Manheim is the dominant US wholesale auto auction operator, owned by Cox Automotive. VAN is positioned as an alternative to auction-based sourcing for dealers, making Manheim the primary incumbent whose share VAN is targeting.
• CarGurus: CarGurus operates a large dealer-facing marketplace and consumer listings platform with growing dealer acquisition features. While its primary focus is dealer-to-consumer marketing, it competes for dealer technology wallet share adjacent to VAN's offering.

Others

• OfferUp: OfferUp is a major C2C marketplace whose listings VAN aggregates. It is an upstream data source rather than a direct competitor, but OfferUp's own dealer-facing initiatives and policy changes would materially affect VAN's inventory supply.
• AutoTrader: AutoTrader (owned by Cox Automotive) is one of the largest US used-car marketplaces and a key upstream data source VAN aggregates from. It functions as an enabling platform for VAN's inventory aggregation while also being part of Cox's broader competitive dealer tech portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VehicleAcq
• Facebookfacebook.com/AcquireVehicles
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vehicle-acquisition-network
• Instagraminstagram.com/buywithvan

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vehicle Acquisition Network