1 00:00:02,360 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news. 2 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:11,120 Speaker 2: We're going to be joined now by Carbon CEO Ernie Garcia, 3 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:14,400 Speaker 2: And you know, it's interesting, you're starting to see people 4 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:17,280 Speaker 2: really come back. They are trying to buy used cars 5 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 2: in particular. What does the pipeline really look like and 6 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 2: a consumer appetite look like going into the end of 7 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 2: the year. 8 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, well, thanks for having us. We're happy to be here. 9 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 3: I think I think Carbon has been doing a lot 10 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 3: of work over the last couple of years to try 11 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 3: to get ourselves to a great spot. I think the 12 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:37,839 Speaker 3: last you know, two years, seven quarters or so, we've 13 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:40,280 Speaker 3: had incredible results. The team's been doing a great job. 14 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:43,120 Speaker 3: We're extremely proud of those results. I think a lot 15 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:44,760 Speaker 3: of what you're seeing right now has more to do 16 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 3: with us making sure that we're delivering to customers simple 17 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 3: experiences they love that are a great deal for them, 18 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:52,239 Speaker 3: and that enable us to do a great job financially 19 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 3: as well. And so I think this is a lot 20 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 3: more about Carbon in particular than the industry in general. 21 00:00:57,160 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 3: But the industry in general is chugging along and looks 22 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 3: pretty stable as well, and that's a great industry for us. Hey, 23 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 3: Ernie I'm here too, Matt Miller, Hey, how you doing. 24 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 1: I happen to be on set with Shanali. Listen. 25 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 4: A couple of years ago, you bought a wholesaler, Adessa, 26 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,840 Speaker 4: and I think at the time it was a couple 27 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 4: of billion dollars for the acquisition. People were worried that 28 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 4: the associated borrowing was going to be a drag. It 29 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:25,360 Speaker 4: turns out to have been, I think a brilliant move 30 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 4: because it's helped you really grow your network to prep 31 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 4: cars for sale. 32 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:33,880 Speaker 1: How much of a piece of that of your success 33 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 1: is that a Deessa acquisition? 34 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 3: Well, first of all, thanks for the characterization is brilliant. 35 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:42,280 Speaker 3: We'll take that all day long. I think undoubtedly it's 36 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 3: a big part of our machine. We're extremely excited about it. 37 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,200 Speaker 3: I think, you know, building something different for customers where 38 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 3: you have a chance for a real win win, where 39 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:51,480 Speaker 3: it's different for them and it's different for us economically. 40 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 1: As well, is hard. 41 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 3: It takes a ton of work, it takes a ton 42 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 3: of ambition, it takes a long time, and oftentimes the 43 00:01:56,920 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 3: road there is a little bit bumpy, and I think 44 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:00,600 Speaker 3: that was certainly the case for us, But it was 45 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 3: something we had conviction in a the time. I think 46 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 3: it's something that's showing up now to really be playing 47 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 3: out well. It's great for the Adessa business and for 48 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,320 Speaker 3: their customers, it's great for our business, and so we're excited. 49 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:11,760 Speaker 3: We still have a ton of work left to do 50 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 3: to get the full benefits out of that acquisition, but. 51 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:16,840 Speaker 1: I think we're well on our way and it's an 52 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: exciting time. 53 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 4: How do you differentiate yourself in this business? Not a 54 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 4: lot of people buy, you know, multiple cars per year, 55 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:29,440 Speaker 4: so they don't have the experience you would have with 56 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:34,080 Speaker 4: shopping for a lower price ticket item. How do you 57 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 4: differentiate yourself from other used car businesses when you know 58 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 4: it's often a decision people only make once every four 59 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 4: or five years or ten. 60 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: Yeah. 61 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 3: Sure, well, I think the most important thing is make 62 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:49,919 Speaker 3: the experience, you know, very simple and meaningfully different. I think, 63 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:52,959 Speaker 3: you know, we've built our machine where we're totally vertically integrated, 64 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:55,799 Speaker 3: so all the decisions around financing, around the price of 65 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 3: the car, around trade. 66 00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 1: In value, it's all made by us. 67 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 3: All the systems are our own, and so customers can 68 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:03,040 Speaker 3: buy a car in minutes instead of hours. 69 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 1: The experience is very simple. 70 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:07,359 Speaker 3: They have a huge selection, they go through the whole 71 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:09,880 Speaker 3: process with complete transparency, and so they walk out of 72 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:12,960 Speaker 3: it confident, and I think that that leaves, you know, 73 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:15,919 Speaker 3: an indelible mark in their mind that they remember for longer. 74 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:18,720 Speaker 3: I think there's no question that there are advantages to 75 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 3: businesses where transactions happen with higher frequency, But there's also 76 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 3: an advantage to being able to create a truly differentiated 77 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 3: experience that customers remember. And so our job is to 78 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 3: give them great experiences and they tell their friends, and 79 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:32,120 Speaker 3: then that leads to the kind of results we've seen 80 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:33,920 Speaker 3: over the last couple of years. 81 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:36,760 Speaker 2: You know, Ernie. The other question I have too, is 82 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 2: around not your stock price, which is, you know, up 83 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 2: more than three hundred and eighty percent this year, but 84 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,120 Speaker 2: about the other side of the equation here and the 85 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:49,880 Speaker 2: debt picture for Carvana you're looking at according to Bloomberg's 86 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:53,280 Speaker 2: DDIS page five point three billion dollars worth of total 87 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 2: debt outstanding really turned out to twenty thirty one. 88 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:56,960 Speaker 1: How do you. 89 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:00,120 Speaker 2: Expect to pay some of that down next year? How 90 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 2: that operation seemed to be improving so much? Where does 91 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 2: that go? 92 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I think we're going to keep turning the wheel. 93 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 3: I think the most important thing we can do is 94 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:11,600 Speaker 3: keep performing well as a business, which is driven by 95 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 3: all the simple fundamental things give customers a great transaction, 96 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:16,919 Speaker 3: keep you know, making the business more efficient, so it 97 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 3: makes it better for them and more efficient for us economically. 98 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:22,479 Speaker 3: You know, we were lucky enough to have very significant 99 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 3: net income. This quarter was one hundred and forty eight 100 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 3: million dollars, so we're generating a lot of cash. 101 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:29,279 Speaker 1: You know that that allows us to pay down the 102 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:29,920 Speaker 1: debt over time. 103 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:32,359 Speaker 3: We do plan to de lever, but we're in a 104 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:34,640 Speaker 3: great spot and I think that's not a central part 105 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:36,479 Speaker 3: of our consideration right now. What we're really focused on 106 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 3: is just continuing to turn the wheel and get a 107 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:40,680 Speaker 3: little better every day, and I think that's been paying 108 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 3: big dividends over the last couple of years. 109 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 2: Ernie, we thank you so very much for joining us 110 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 2: today on the heels of rarnnings. Of course, that is 111 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:47,599 Speaker 2: carbon A CEO, Ernie Garcia