Business loans for car dealerships

Ardent Capital Group brings the same method to every client: execution and strategy, clear advice for smart lending, and long-term growth. That means the right lender, structure and timing, straight advice so you borrow with confidence, and today's deal built toward where you want to be tomorrow. We are specialists in helping business owners secure finance to purchase their own property, and we understand the complex structures that often sit around it, including multiple trusts, holding companies and self-managed super funds. Through that work we also understand what the business needs from its cash flow, and where an overdraft or line of credit fits for working capital. For a dealership, where most of the value is stock on the floor, that means lenders among our panel of more than 60 who understand how the yard trades and back the business rather than property alone. We stay with you as the yard grows, long after the funds land. Every figure is subject to serviceability, lender appetite and approval.

It depends on how quickly you need it and what you are willing to offer as security. Unsecured facilities are assessed mainly on trading strength and can be arranged in days, which suits a limit of $100K to $500K. Secured facilities, backed by property or plant, support larger amounts and price better, and make sense once you are funding a major purchase or an acquisition. Most established operators end up with a mix, and we shape which sits where.

It depends on your trading, your structure and the purpose, but lending here commonly runs from $100K to well into seven figures, and our range extends to $100M for larger operators. Floorplan sits alongside the rest of your facilities rather than competing with them, and stock itself supports the limit. The binding constraint is usually serviceability rather than security, and we shape the funding early so you know your number before you commit.

Yes, and the vehicles are normally the security rather than your home. Demonstrators, service loan cars and delivery vehicles can be funded one at a time or as a whole fleet, and commercial vehicle finance covers the rest, separately from your floorplan line. Terms are typically matched to the life of the asset, and established businesses can often be assessed on bank statements and BAS rather than full financials. Dealer and manufacturer finance programs are available too, and we compare them against a bank facility.

Floorplan is a revolving line secured against your stock rather than your property. The lender pays the manufacturer or auction on arrival, you hold the vehicle on the floor, and the advance is repaid when it sells, with interest charged only on what is drawn. Limits are sized to your stock turn and reviewed against sales, and most dealerships run a manufacturer line alongside an independent one. Where your existing line is capping your range, a second facility is often the fix.

No. Plenty of operators fund growth without touching the family home, either through unsecured facilities assessed on trading, or by securing against the equipment being purchased. Property security widens the range of lenders and structures open to you, so it is worth considering once you are borrowing well into seven figures. The choice is yours, and we will show you what each option costs before you commit.

An unsecured facility can often be approved within 48 hours and funded inside a week where the business is established and the BAS and bank statements are current. Secured facilities take longer, typically two to four weeks, because a valuation is involved. The practical advice is to open the limit before you need it, ideally when you are planning the spend rather than when the invoice is already due. Timeframes are indicative and subject to lender appetite and approval.

Yes. Many lenders assess established businesses on 6 to 12 months of bank statements and recent BAS rather than full year-end financials, which suits operators whose accounts lag the current run rate. It works best where the trading account shows regular receipts and the ATO position is current. If you have a payment plan in place, say so early, because several lenders will still proceed when it is disclosed and being met.

Yes, and it is a commercial property deal rather than a floorplan one. A dealership site turns on frontage, display area, workshop and hardstand, so owning the land is a very different proposition to leasing a generic retail tenancy. Owner-occupiers can generally borrow a higher proportion of the purchase price than an investor would. Our commercial property team handles these end to end through our car dealership commercial mortgages service.

Yes. Buying a dealership means funding the goodwill, the stock and often the site all at once, and they rarely sit with one lender. We split the deal across the products that price each part best, commonly a floorplan line for the stock, a term loan against the goodwill and cash flow, and a commercial mortgage on the land. Bring us the contract early and we will shape it, subject to serviceability and lender approval.

Most of the time, no. We are paid a commission by the lender once your facility settles. Where a deal requires significant preparation or involves unusual complexity, a small mandate fee may apply. We will always be upfront about this before any work begins.

Although we are based in Sydney, we service clients across all major Australian cities, including Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart, along with their surrounding regional areas. Wherever your business is located, we can arrange your finance.

Although our main speciality is property loans for business owners, such as a property loan for your dealership site, we also assist with floorplan, fleet and vehicle finance for dealerships and working capital. On asset finance, that covers vehicles, workshop equipment and fleets. On working capital, we arrange business overdrafts, lines of credit and cash-flow funding. We also arrange commercial mortgages if you are buying or refinancing your site.