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All, Reviewing re-market platforms, and what they are advertising. I'm interested to understand how your stock reflects the wider market. What should the ratio be? Petrol - Diesel - Alternative Fuels Does the sector profile reflect your area or the general market - does it need to be geographic in today's innovative world? How many cars do you have in stock with 0 - 100 Tax? Do you manage your stock relative to the selling price - >5K 5-10K 10k+ or is it determined by investment availability? I accept, that much of this will be dependent on your sales route - Supermarket, Independent, Trader and Franchise plus being an approved re-seller for a manufacturer. Early analysis shows that the split between Petrol:Diesel is 50/50 with very low investment into Alternative-fuel cars (excluding electric) Views all welcome.

I'd class a trader as someone who pays VAT and is set up as a company. Someone who has to abide by the same rules as everyone else in the motor trade - warranties, etc

Not sure, if we are sure they are crooks fine, but it smacks of arrogance to claim the we are 'real motor traders' and they aren't. Where does it stop, Main Dealers slapping stickers on Independants car's just because they 'think' they are better? A better way it to try and get Trading Standards to classify which type of 'trader' causes the most complaints by asking......'Main Dealer' or 'Indepedent with forecourt' or 'Home Trader' or 'Roadside Trader' etc etc then the facts will speak for themselves. Maybe it's time we had to register as a car dealer with Trading Standards?

Following this topic and all your comments, here's my column from the latest issue of the magazine all about this issue. http://cardealermagazine.co.uk/publish/baggott-isnt-time-tackled-kerbside-motor-traders-ourselves/77950 What do you think to a campaign where we print notices for real motor traders to stick on cars parked at the side of the road? Maybe in the style of warning triangles to potential buyers? Something tongue in cheek that would get people thinking. What are your thoughts?

Anyone, be it someone with a forecourt, a main dealer, someone who trades from home or a road side trader can do an honest fair job but also anyone in the chain can do a bad job. It's a case of being 'Honest' with how you do a job. Painting one element of the motor trade as the lowest of the low is just defelecting the fact that there are rogue traders all along the line. Myself I perfer to focus on my business and doing that right, yes I look at my business rates each year and think a roadside trader doesn't have that expense, but I also see Main Dealers offering to service a car for £99 or £149 and I know it's basicly an 'oil change' rather then what I would consider a 'Service'. If your in it for the long term you need to back yourself, the bad traders get found out it just take time. Would we all be better trying to get Trading Standards and the Office of Fair Trading to sit and listen to us, show them that a flexible approach is needed as the mechanics of a car is so complex that customer expectations need to be realistic.