Cloud-based dealer software needs a connection for everything, so an outage can stop quoting, paperwork and lookups. Prepare a paper fallback and a recent export. Dealer Garage stores its database on your computer, so inventory, leads, deals and forms work offline; only VIN lookup, activation, Marketplace posting and email need the internet.
What the problem looks like
A customer is at the desk, ready to buy. The connection drops. The software that holds your inventory and forms will not load, the printer is waiting for a document from the cloud and your phone hotspot is too slow. You write the deal on a pad and promise to enter it later, and the details are re-typed at nine that night.
On a rural road, in a market with patchy service or with an ageing router, this is not rare.
Why it happens
Cloud software keeps your data on the vendor's servers and your screen is a window onto it. If the window cannot reach the servers, nothing works. It is a clean trade: you gain access from anywhere and lose independence from the network.
Our page on lots with unreliable internet covers the options.
What to prepare whatever you use
- A paper fallback. Keep printed blank forms for the sale documents you need most.
- A recent export. Download your inventory and customer list regularly so you can look things up.
- A mobile hotspot with enough data for essential lookups.
- A way to take payment that does not depend on the office router.
- A habit of entering paper deals promptly once service returns.
The backup plan for a small dealership guide covers the rest.
Where Dealer Garage helps
Dealer Garage keeps inventory, leads, customers, deals and forms in a database on the dealership's computer, so everything except online services works with no connection. Quotes, the deal builder, the bill of sale, the calendar and the dashboard all run locally. Only a VIN lookup against the NHTSA database, licence activation, Marketplace posting and sending email need the internet, and those can wait.
See works offline and backup and restore.
What you take on in exchange
A local database is your responsibility. Back it up to a drive or cloud storage you control, and keep the main computer in good order. Settings, Backup in the app saves the database, photos and documents to one zip file that you can restore on the same or a new computer.
Questions people ask
Can I decode a VIN offline?
No. The VIN lookup uses a public database and needs a connection; you can enter details by hand.
Does the multi-computer Pro plan need the internet?
Computers connect over your office network, which does not need the internet.
What if the computer fails?
Restore from your most recent backup on the same or a new computer.
Try Dealer Garage
Dealer Garage is installable dealer management software for independent used-car dealers in the US and Canada: inventory, leads, deals, dealer paperwork, Facebook Marketplace posting and email campaigns, with records stored on the dealership's own computer..