Every Houston dealer knows the rule: you can sell on Saturday or on Sunday, not both. The shoppers never got the memo. They send questions on whichever day you close, and at 10 PM on the days you don't.
The rule, in one paragraph
Texas Transportation Code Section 728.002 says a person may not sell or offer to sell a motor vehicle on consecutive days of Saturday and Sunday. Each sale counts as a separate violation. The civil penalty is up to $500 for a first violation and can reach $5,000 for a third, and a court can triple it for a willful one.
Three places the shopper slips away
- The closed weekend day. For half of every weekend, nobody is at the store to answer.
- After hours. In a Digital Air Strike mystery shop of more than 1,500 dealerships, 40% of leads came in while the store was closed.
- The slow callback. The same study found shoppers who heard back within 10 minutes were 3 times more likely to visit, and the average dealer took more than 24 hours. Read the coverage.
What an AI bot for dealerships does about it
Jason is an AI sales agent that texts and emails every internet lead in under a minute. He confirms the vehicle is still on the lot, sends the miles and history, asks about a trade-in and offers two test drive times on a day you are open. An example, not a real customer:
Hi Andre, this is Jason with Brightline Motors. The 2019 F-150 XLT is still here: 68k miles, clean history report. We're closed Sunday, so do you want to drive it Monday at 9 or after work at 6?
Stay on the right side of 728
The statute covers selling and offering to sell on your closed day. Whether a reply that books a Monday test drive counts as an offer is a question for your attorney or your dealer association. Jason follows the rules you set, so many stores keep the closed day simple: confirm availability, answer basic questions and book the visit. Price talk waits for a day you are open.
A big county that doesn't all speak one language
Harris County has about 5 million residents, and 45.8% of them speak a language other than English at home, per 2024 Census Bureau survey data on Census Reporter. If a share of your shoppers prefer Spanish, ask us how Jason handles that for your store before you sign up.
One sales CRM instead of sticky notes
Every lead, text and appointment lands in Jason's sales CRM. Your team sees who is booked, who is waiting on a price and whose trade-in needs an appraisal. Shoppers who go quiet get timed follow-ups, and anything about payments or credit is handed to a person with the full chat attached.
See it before you buy it
Try the demo: fill in the form and Jason texts you like a shopper. When you're ready, sign up. Plans start at $399 a month for 75 new leads, with no setup fee and no contract. Running a store up I-45 too? Read the Dallas guide to sales automation.