5 Cars That Penciled at DAA Northwest in Spokane — With the ROI Math

I went through the results from DAA Northwest's October 22 sale in Spokane, 968 cars, and pulled the five that penciled hardest for a small independent lot in the Northwest. Same format as the last five editions: the hammer price and grade straight from the sale, the MMR the auction platform (EDGE Pipeline) showed on each car, and an estimated return on each one with the math shown, so you can check it against your own market.

Retail is my estimate, a range for this market, before recon. The return is an estimated gross on your all-in cost, before overhead and holding costs: it's the room in the deal, not a guaranteed profit. The recon on each car comes from its condition report. (This is the Pacific Northwest edition. The Mountain edition covered Denver, the Texas edition Houston, the Midwest edition Chicago, the Southeast edition a Georgia sale and the Northeast edition a Massachusetts one.)

How I read the sale

This was the opposite of Denver. In Denver, only 45 of 483 cars carried a grade of 3.5 or better. In Spokane, 484 of the 968 did, half the sheet. The median hammer price was $12,000. There was plenty of clean inventory to pick from.

The catch is that the room paid for it. Across the clean cars that had an MMR, the median sold at almost exactly 100% of MMR. Of the 146 clean pickups with an MMR, 63 hammered above it. A clean truck with no announcement mostly brought full money. Finding a discount meant looking at the cars the room had a reason to mark down.

It's also an all-wheel-drive market: 705 of the 968 cars were listed as AWD or 4WD. Heading into an Inland Northwest winter, that's what retail buyers walk in asking for.

What made these five cars pencil at DAA Northwest in Spokane: a model that sells fast in the Inland Northwest, a condition report on file with a grade of 3.5 or better, a hammer price under MMR, recon you can price from the report, and no frame, drivetrain or emissions announcement.

The Spokane story: Canadian imports

Here's what I didn't expect. I opened the announcements on the 26 clean cars with the biggest discounts to MMR, and 12 of the 26 were announced as Canadian imports. Spokane is a couple of hours from the border, so they come through the lanes, and the room clearly priced them below other cars.

That discount can be real room for you, but a Canadian car needs a few more checks than a domestic one:

• Units. One of the buys below has its digital speedometer reading in km/h. Confirm the odometer reads in miles, or that the cluster can be switched, before you list it. 50,000 km is about 31,000 miles, and reading it the wrong way is a big mistake on the paperwork.
• History. Run a history report and make sure it covers the car's years in Canada, not just the time since it crossed. Carfax vs. AutoCheck for dealers covers which report to pull.
• Import paperwork. Ask the auction for the papers showing the car was legally imported and cleared U.S. customs.
• Warranty. If you plan to advertise any remaining factory warranty, ask a franchise dealer for that brand whether it carries over. Don't assume it does.

Two of the five buys below, the Ram and the Bronco, were announced as Canadian imports. The other three carried no import announcement.

The five buys

Each one shows the estimate the same way: all-in cost is the hammer price plus my assumed allowance of about $600 for the buyer fee and local transport (check your auction's actual fee schedule and your hauler), plus a recon estimate taken from that car's condition report. The return is estimated gross ÷ all-in.

1. 2024 Ford F-150 XLT 4x4 SuperCrew — Run 4L-0173 · 93k mi · grade 4.4 · hammered $22,750

The read: a two-year-old crew-cab 4x4 with the 3.5 V6, for $22,750 against a $26,700 MMR, 85%. It sold on a green light with no announcements at all, which makes it the cleanest discount on this list. The condition report is short: a 1–2" crack in the windshield and two small dents for paintless dent repair. Tires are 7/32" to 8/32" all around. The reason it's here and not at full MMR is the miles: 93k on a 2024 is a lot of driving in two years, and it'll take a buyer who cares more about the price than the odometer. Price it for that buyer.

The math (estimates): retail ~$31,000–$34,000 · all-in ≈ $22,750 + $600 + ~$900 recon (windshield, two PDR dents, detail) = $24,250 · est. gross $6,750–$9,750 · est. return ~28–40%.

2. 2022 Ram 1500 Sport 4x4 Crew Cab — Run 2A-0011 · 45k mi · grade 4.5 · hammered $27,250

The read: a crew-cab 4x4 with the 5.7 Hemi and 45k miles for $27,250 against a $31,300 MMR, 87%. It came with a tonneau cover. It was announced as a Canadian import, and that's where I think the discount came from, because the condition report is all cosmetic: chips on the front bumper, scratches on the rear bumper and a fender flare, and a couple of small dents in the hood for PDR. Tires are 6/32" to 8/32". Run the import checks above, and budget a full interior detail: the floor in the photos needs it.

The math (estimates): retail ~$36,000–$39,000 · all-in ≈ $27,250 + $600 + ~$1,000 recon (bumper and flare refinish, PDR, detail) = $28,850 · est. gross $7,150–$10,150 · est. return ~25–35%.

3. 2023 Ford Bronco Black Diamond 4-Door — Run 2B-0096 · 30k mi · grade 4.7 · hammered $27,900

The read: a 30k-mile Bronco four-door for $27,900 against a $32,200 MMR, 87%. It's another Canadian import, and the second photo shows it: the speedometer reads in km/h. (The odometer photo on the listing reads 30,184.9 mi, so confirm both before you write up the paperwork.) The condition report is light: heavy scratches on a rocker panel to refinish, a small rear-door dent for PDR, a chipped fender flare and some light scratches. A Bronco at 30k miles is a car people shop for by name, which is why I'd take the Canadian question on this one.

The math (estimates): retail ~$36,500–$39,500 · all-in ≈ $27,900 + $600 + ~$700 recon (rocker refinish, PDR, wet sand) = $29,200 · est. gross $7,300–$10,300 · est. return ~25–35%.

4. 2025 Toyota RAV4 LE AWD — Run 4R-0088 · 31k mi · grade 4.5 · hammered $22,000

The read: a one-year-old all-wheel-drive RAV4 for $22,000 against a $24,600 MMR, 89%, with no announcements. It's the thinnest return on the list, and it's here anyway because it's the car I'd expect to sell fastest. The condition report: a cracked windshield (the second photo), a 3–4" hole in the driver's-side carpet, and a scratch on the hood. On a car this new, the windshield replacement may need the camera behind it recalibrated, so get that quote, not just the glass. A RAV4 that sells in two weeks can make you more than a bigger spread that sits for two months.

The math (estimates): retail ~$27,500–$29,500 · all-in ≈ $22,000 + $600 + ~$1,000 recon (windshield + calibration, carpet, hood touch-up) = $23,600 · est. gross $3,900–$5,900 · est. return ~17–25%.

5. 2018 Subaru Forester 2.5i Premium — Run 7Z-0045 · 106k mi · grade 4.6 · hammered $8,500

The read: the budget buy. An all-wheel-drive Forester graded 4.6 for $8,500 against a $9,350 MMR, 91%. In the Northwest, a clean Forester under $14,000 is a car that sells to the first family that sees it. The condition report lists just three things: a cracked front emblem, a light scratch and a small dent. Tires are 5/32" to 8/32". The catch is in the announcement: delayed title, as-is. Don't retail it until the title is in your hand, and count the days you'll wait for it as holding cost.

The math (estimates): retail ~$12,500–$14,000 · all-in ≈ $8,500 + $600 + ~$600 recon (emblem, wet sand, PDR, detail) = $9,700 · est. gross $2,800–$4,300 · est. return ~29–44%.

What the numbers really mean

Here's what the five hammered for, straight from the sale:

The actual hammer prices of the five best buys from the October 22 2026 DAA Northwest sale in Spokane: 2018 Subaru Forester Premium at 8,500 dollars, 2025 Toyota RAV4 LE at 22,000 dollars, 2024 Ford F-150 XLT at 22,750 dollars, 2022 Ram 1500 Sport at 27,250 dollars, and 2023 Ford Bronco Black Diamond at 27,900 dollars.

And here's each one against its MMR. Under 100% means it sold for less than MMR:

Each buy's hammer price as a percentage of the MMR EDGE Pipeline showed for it: 2024 Ford F-150 XLT 85 percent, 2022 Ram 1500 Sport 87 percent, 2023 Ford Bronco Black Diamond 87 percent, 2025 Toyota RAV4 LE 89 percent, and 2018 Subaru Forester Premium 91 percent. Across all the cars graded 3.5 or better, the median was almost exactly 100 percent.

These discounts are smaller than the Denver ones, where the five buys ran 58% to 78% of the guide. That's what a deep, clean sale looks like: less room per car, but cars you can retail without a long recon list. MMR is a starting point, not a verdict. It's one company's read of the wholesale market, and it can't see the condition report the way the buyers in the lane can. How to use MMR and Black Book at auction covers how to read it without trusting it blindly. Then the estimated returns side by side:

Estimated gross return on all-in cost for each of the five buys, before overhead and holding costs: 2018 Subaru Forester Premium about 29 to 44 percent, 2024 Ford F-150 XLT about 28 to 40 percent, 2022 Ram 1500 Sport about 25 to 35 percent, 2023 Ford Bronco Black Diamond about 25 to 35 percent, and 2025 Toyota RAV4 LE about 17 to 25 percent. These are estimates based on retail ranges, not guaranteed results.

Three things to keep in mind before you treat those numbers as money in the bank:

• They're before holding cost. If a car costs you, say, $30 a day to carry (floor-plan interest, insurance, the slow slide in value), 30 days on the lot takes about $900 off every one of these. On the $27,000 trucks that's a smaller share of the gross; on the Forester it's a third of it. Holding costs on aging inventory breaks that daily number down.
• They're before overhead. Rent, payroll and insurance come out of the gross too. Used car dealer profit margin walks through working out what each car has to earn just to cover them.
• Recon estimates are where these go wrong. I priced recon from the condition reports, and a report only lists what the inspector saw. Used car reconditioning cost covers how to budget for the line you can't see yet.

Want to run your own numbers before the next sale? The free calculator below works out the most you can bid and still hit your margin.

Once you've bought, the number to watch is what the car actually costs you by the time it sells: purchase, fees, and every recon bill. In DealerVLO, every recon line you log on a car (the RAV4's windshield, the Ram's detail) rolls into that car's all-in cost, so the margin you see is the real one.

Honorable mentions

Three more from the same sale that were close. All three were announced as Canadian imports:

• 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon (Run 4L-0030, 26k mi, grade 4.8, $27,000 against a $29,600 MMR). Nothing worse than chips on the condition report. For a sense of the spread between markets, the Rubicon in the Denver edition had 115k miles, needed four tires and hammered at $10,250.
• 2022 Ram 1500 Classic Warlock 4x4 (Run 1A-0098, 17k mi, grade 4.6, $30,000 against a $33,000 MMR). Low miles and a short list of scratches and chips. Less room than the Ram Sport above, but an easy truck to sell.
• 2023 Ford Bronco Wildtrak (Run 2B-0053, 35k mi, grade 4.8, $38,200 against a $42,000 MMR). One chipped flare on the report. It's a lot of money tied up in one car for a small lot, which is the only reason it's not in the five.

The ones I'd walk away from

On paper, some of the most tempting cars on the sheet were these:

• 2019 Ford F-250 XL 4WD SuperCab (Run SO-0033, 119k mi, grade 3.8) hammered at $10,000 against a $17,650 MMR, 57%, on a green light with no announcement.
• 2019 Dodge Charger Scat Pack (Run 6X-0051, 90k mi, grade 4.6) hammered at $15,000 against $21,600.
• 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (Run 7Z-0056, 102k mi, grade 3.6) hammered at $21,000 against $27,600.
• 2021 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali (Run 3Z-0062, 102k mi, grade 4.0) hammered at $39,750 against $46,600.

Then you read the announcements and the condition reports. The F-250's report says the pickup bed is missing, the windshield is cracked and every seat is permanently stained: it's a cab and chassis now, not a pickup. The Charger was announced with a delayed title and "Frame & Drive As Is", which as I read it means no arbitration on frame or drivetrain problems. The SRT was announced with oil leaks, and its report shows three tires worn out. The Denali was announced with "Alt Emissions, No Cats" and an altered suspension: the catalytic converters are gone. Removing emissions equipment is a federal Clean Air Act problem, and putting a diesel truck back to stock is not a small bill. Note that the Charger and the Denali graded 4.6 and 4.0: the grade didn't warn you, the announcement did.

The same pattern ran further down the list. A 2020 Jeep Compass Altitude ($7,000 against $9,525) was announced with a delayed title and frame-and-drive as-is, and its report shows all four tires at 1/32" to 2/32". A 2021 Subaru Legacy Limited XT ($13,500 against $14,700) looked like an easy Northwest sale until you read "oil leaks, check engine light on, traction light on" and a delayed title. If you do buy one of these, the auction arbitration guide covers what you can and can't take back. It's the same discipline as reading a condition report for red flags and reading the real gross behind an auction spread: the cheaper a clean-looking car is against MMR, the harder you look for the reason.

Turning them fast: where DealerVLO fits

Buying right is half of it. The other half is getting from the lane to a signed deal before holding cost eats the spread. This is the part of the business I built DealerVLO to speed up:

Five steps from the auction lane to a sold car in DealerVLO: add the car with its VIN decoded and log the recon so the all-in cost is right, clean up the auction photos and price it from live comparable listings, publish it to your dealer website and the listing sites you've enrolled with, build the deal and fill the paperwork from it including the Washington TD-420-001 title application, then collect e-signatures in person or by email.

• Know the real cost from day one. Add the car with its VIN decoded, then log every recon line against it, from the F-150's windshield to the Bronco's rocker panel. Each car's all-in cost and margin sit on its page, next to how many days it's been on the lot.
• Make the auction photos sellable. Photos like the ones above are fine for a run sheet, not for a listing. DealerVLO's optional AI photo enhance puts the car on a clean backdrop without altering the car itself.
• Price from live comps. The AI price suggestion shows a price range from live comparable listings and a target price for selling in about 30 days, so you can check it against the car's all-in cost before you list it.
• Advertise it everywhere at once. Every car posts automatically to the dealer website that comes with DealerVLO. It also goes out on the listing feeds to CarGurus, Cars.com and Autotrader once you've enrolled with each (you still pay those sites' own fees). More on how those work in car listing sites for dealers.
• Finish the paperwork from the deal. Build the deal once and DealerVLO fills the Bill of Sale, the FTC Buyers Guide, the odometer statement and the Washington title application (Form TD-420-001) straight from it, with no retyping the VIN into every form.
• Get it signed on the spot. E-signatures on the deal documents let the buyer sign in person on a tablet or from an emailed link, so a sale doesn't wait on a second trip to the lot.

None of that changes what you paid at the auction. What it changes is how many days it takes to turn that buy back into cash, and that's where these returns are won or lost. If trucks are your lane, sourcing used trucks picks up from here, and getting your lot ready for winter covers the season these 4x4s are about to sell into.

Frequently asked questions

Should a dealer buy Canadian import cars at auction?

They can be good buys, but check more than usual. At the October 22 DAA Northwest sale, 12 of the 26 deepest discounts I opened were announced as Canadian imports, so the room was clearly pricing them below other cars. Before you bid, confirm the gauges read in miles or can be switched, run a history report that covers the car's years in Canada, ask for the paperwork showing it was legally imported, and ask a franchise dealer whether any factory warranty carries over. If all of that checks out, the discount can be real room for you.

What used cars sell best in Spokane and the Inland Northwest?

In my read, four-wheel and all-wheel drive come first, especially heading into winter: trucks, Subarus, and mid-size SUVs. The auction sheet reflected it: 705 of the 968 cars at this DAA Northwest sale were listed as AWD or 4WD. A front-wheel-drive sedan still sells, but it usually has to be priced to do it.

What does "Frame & Drive As Is" mean on an auction announcement?

As I read it, the car is sold as-is for frame and drivetrain problems, so you can't take it back through arbitration if you find frame damage or an engine or transmission issue later. At this sale, that announcement sat on two of the biggest discounts on the sheet. Treat it as a reason the car is cheap, and get it inspected before you count the spread.

Do trucks sell above MMR at DAA Northwest?

About half did at this sale. Of the 146 pickups graded 3.5 or better that had an MMR, 63 hammered above it. Across all the clean cars, the median sold at almost exactly its MMR. That's a room paying full money for clean trucks, which is why the truck buys in this post are mostly announced Canadian imports, where the discount came from.

Why did a truck sell far below MMR at auction?

Usually because the room knew something. At this sale, a 2019 Ford F-250 XL 4WD with 119k miles hammered at 57% of its MMR, the deepest discount of any clean car I looked at. The condition report explained it: the pickup bed was missing, the windshield was cracked and every seat was permanently stained. Read the announcements and the condition report before you treat a big discount as a deal.

Bottom line

Spokane was a deep, clean sale where the room paid full money for clean cars. The five that penciled were the ones with a reason to be cheap that you can live with: a 93k-mile 2024 F-150, two Canadian imports (a Hemi Ram and a Bronco) that need a few extra checks, a nearly new RAV4 with a cracked windshield, and a Forester that's waiting on its title. The estimated returns are real room in the deal. Whether you keep it comes down to how close your recon comes in to the estimate, and how fast you get each car priced, listed and signed.

DealerVLO keeps that whole loop in one place, from the car's true all-in cost to the website, the listing feeds, the filled paperwork and the e-signature, for a flat $29 a month with unlimited users. Start your free 14-day trial and run your next auction buy through it.