How Mike Luner Holds $4K Gross Per Car Without Charging Over MSRP

Keep The Change

Keep The Change
How Mike Luner Holds $4K Gross Per Car Without Charging Over MSRP
May 02, 2025
Bart Nollenberger

What if I told you that there’s a Toyota dealer in the Midwest pulling $4K in front-end gross per unit… without ever charging over MSRP?

Yeah, read that again.

In this episode, I sit down with my good friend and industry powerhouse, Mike Luner—a guy I’ve known and respected for over 30 years. Mike isn’t just running a dealership. He’s building a culture where process, profit, and people all win. We talk about real leadership, real margins, and real strategies that actually work in today’s market—even with all the noise about margin compression.

Here’s what we dive into:

  •  How Mike turned a small-town Toyota store into a gross-generating machine (think $800K+ in front-end just from Seal Jet and Diamond Fusion)
  •  His bulletproof trade-in strategy that starts low and wins big—every time
  •  Why his salespeople are averaging $85K/year and not leaving
  •  The secret to consistent leadership: Friday sales meetings (for 40 years straight!) and never being too good to sweep the lot
  •  Why 50+ cars/month from a full-time buyer is about to change his used car game
  •  Plus: We talk about how to train like champions, present like pros, and lead like servant-hearted operators

If you’ve ever wondered how to actually hold gross in a compressed market, build a process that sticks, or lead a team that wants to stay and grow with you—this is the episode.

Enjoying the show? Subscribe and leave a review on your favorite podcast players!

Connect with Mike Luner

Connect with Bart Nollenberger: