Define the clock before comparing the number
Dealers often use “recon cycle time” loosely. A useful comparison starts by writing down the same start and stop points for every unit, month, dealer, and outside source.
On this site, total recon time means acquisition or ownership to frontline-ready; frontline-ready means recon is complete and the unit is photographed, priced, and merchandised/ready to list; in-process cycle time means the first recon or intake step to frontline-ready; and time in step means time spent in one stage. Dealers often use "recon cycle time" loosely, so define the clock before comparing a store, month, or source.
Total recon time
Elapsed time from acquisition or ownership to frontline-ready. It includes any dwell before the first recon or intake step.
In-process cycle time
Elapsed time from the first recon or intake step to frontline-ready. It isolates the in-process workflow from pre-recon dwell.
Time in step
Elapsed time spent in one stage. Use it to find which stage contributes to the larger total.
Frontline-ready
Recon is complete and the unit is photographed, priced, and merchandised/ready to list.
The recon time benchmark guide uses these definitions when it labels outside examples. The cycle-time measurement guide explains how to apply the clocks inside a dealership.
Cycle-time formula and limits
Average in-process cycle time = total intake-to-frontline days ÷ completed units
Use the same timestamp rules and the same completed-unit rule for every reporting period. Do not mix total recon time with in-process cycle time, and do not treat a partial unit as completed just to improve the average.
An average can hide a slow step or a few severely aged units. Read it beside time in step, the number of completed units, and the defined reporting window. EasyRecon reports can measure dealer activity, but an outside speaker figure is never presented as an EasyRecon-measured result.
Holding-cost formula and limits
Daily holding cost = floorplan interest/day + depreciation/market exposure/day + allocated overhead/day + opportunity cost/day
Floorplan interest is a computed cash financing cost. Depreciation or market exposure is a dealer-entered modeled noncash allowance. Allocated overhead is a dealer-entered share of fixed costs. Opportunity cost is an optional modeled noncash alternative return.
Do not count the same capital cost twice. Fixed and allocated costs may not fall dollar-for-dollar when cycle time improves, so realized financial impact must use the store’s accounting. A published example is a reasonableness check, not a universal number, a promised result, or a substitute for dealer inputs.
The recon holding-cost guide shows the full calculation and its limitations.
Source selection and date labels
EasyRecon uses direct, public source links when a page relies on an outside figure. The host, speaker context, units, and clock travel with the number. If a publication date is confirmed, the page labels the year. If a date is not confirmed, the page does not guess one.
Source selection also separates who hosted a document from who supplied the claim. A file hosted by NADA is not automatically NADA-authored guidance. Dealer results, EasyRecon measurements, and outside speaker figures must be labeled separately.
- NADA-hosted presentation — speaker-provided $36.20/day domestic-dealer holding-cost example
- NADA-hosted presentation — speaker-provided $35–$85/day total holding-cost planning range
Both figures are speaker-provided total daily holding-cost context. They are not NADA-authored guidance and not EasyRecon-measured results. The $35–$85 range is not a component range.