# Car Stages (https://docs.carlio.app/docs/inventory/move-a-car-through-the-lifecycle)

Change the stage of a car and read the history of its stages



This guide changes the stage of a car and shows who moved it, when and why.

**Requirements:** The Owner or Manager role. Other roles can read the stages and the history.

## The stages [#the-stages]

Every car has one of seven stages, in this order.

| Stage                 | Meaning                               |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| **Checked**           | Inspected, not yet purchased          |
| **Bought**            | Purchased, not yet received           |
| **In Inventory**      | In stock and available to sell        |
| **Sold**              | Buyer committed, not yet dispatched   |
| **Loaded To Freight** | Loaded with the carrier for transport |
| **In Transportation** | In transit to the buyer               |
| **Delivered**         | Delivered to the buyer                |

A new car starts at **Checked**. The list column is named **Status**. The car page uses the word stage.

## Move to the next stage [#move-to-the-next-stage]

1. Open the car.
2. Find the **Lifecycle** group in the summary panel. The **Next** row names the following stage.
3. Select **Mark as** followed by the next stage.

A message confirms the move, for example **Moved to Bought**. The stepper marks the new stage.

## Move to any other stage [#move-to-any-other-stage]

1. Open the car and select **Change Stage**.
2. Choose the stage in **New stage**.
3. When the chosen stage is not the next stage, enter the **Reason**. The reason is required and holds up to 500 characters.
4. Select the button that starts with **Move to**.

Every stage can be chosen, forward or backward. The dashboard records the reason with the move. The button stays unavailable while the chosen stage equals the current stage, or while a required reason is empty.

## Read the history [#read-the-history]

* Point at a stage in the stepper. The tooltip shows the date, the team member who moved the car, how long the car stayed and the reason when one was given.
* Select **Full History** to open the **History** dialog. It lists every move with the previous stage, the new stage, the reason, the team member and the date. The first row reads **Added as** followed by the first stage.

## Shipping prompts [#shipping-prompts]

* When the stage becomes **Loaded To Freight**, the shipping dialog opens for a team member who can edit cars. Close the dialog to skip it. The shipping record belongs to the Exports guides.
* While a car is in **Loaded To Freight** or **In Transportation** and has an estimated arrival date, the **Lifecycle** group shows the arrival. A date in the past shows a warning and the advice to mark the car delivered.

## Change the stage of several cars [#change-the-stage-of-several-cars]

1. Open **[Inventory](https://carlio.app/dashboard/inventory)**.
2. Tick the cars in the list, or tick the box in the header to select every car on the page.
3. Select **Change Status** in the strip that shows the number of selected cars.
4. Choose a stage.
5. When the stage is not the next stage of at least one selected car, a dialog opens. Enter the **Reason** and select **Apply**.

The dashboard moves each car separately and applies the same rules as the car page. The reason is written to each car for which the chosen stage is not the next stage. A car already in the chosen stage fails and stays unchanged.

Two messages report the result. One names how many cars moved. The other names how many cars could not move and shows the first reason. Select **Clear** to drop the selection.

## Notes [#notes]

* The selection clears when the page, the filters or the order change.
* The badges **Reserved** and **Unallocated** in the list are derived from the stage and the deal. They are not stages. The [Inventory overview](/docs/inventory) explains them.