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James, I think this is the FUTURE of selling to be honest. The younger customer (who is our customer of the future) is already buying online, so why should it be different for cars? Leasing companies having been doing it for years and I don't really understand why the New/Used Car retail market has not moved quicker into this. As an industry we are seeing less physical people on our forecourts and in our showrooms , yet more customers are seeing our business, why? because of the internet and the increased security of buying online and the age group that is now coming to the age of buying cars have known nothing different than buying online, using their phones, tablets or apple macs. What these guys have done at Carspring is not Rocket Science instead it is embracing what is available and instead of shying away from the 14day return in dispute of distance selling they are advertising it as a buying feature to give customers confidence. Offering the customer car as a retail on their website before it even arrives is pure genius so is the offer that they will buy the customers car if they don't sell it with a period of time ( I note they don't say what figure this is at , very clever) These guys deserve to do well and congratulate them on a fresh business model, however as a seasoned Motor Trade Dealer how different are we doing things at the moment? Not that different to be honest, Yesterday I did a home visit to a customer who had no way of getting to the dealership, so I personally took the car to them, they took for a drive in their own environment, it was parked outside their house in their drive, they didn't have to imagine owning it, the experience was real it was there and now, a little discount and a great service that car will be returned to it's new home next week, fully serviced, MOT'd , taxed, fuelled, valeted and warranted. We are DOING it already , so all we have to do is get our heads around the regulation and legislation and embrace what is available and take the bulls by the horns. This article along with other recent ones has really got me quite excited about what is achievable in our own marketplace , so you may well see Jim Reid Click & Collect sooner than you think! I'll give you guys at Car Dealer Mag the first exclusive interview :-)

I would do it. Ask for a bank transfer for payment in full and get them to put the reg number as the reference. Alternatively take the card payment over the phone using post code and house number to ensure a match. Then when delivering the car ask to see the card they used to pay along with photo ID. Personally I would be delivering the car as a delivery agent not arranging a test drive etc on the customers door step. In my opinion you are delivering a car that is sold and purchased not travelling 200 miles for a customer to have a think about it and try and haggle you down on price. We have probably delivered 4 cars over the last 6 weeks and they do tend to go smoothly. I always vet the customer as much as possible over the phone, google search the location, ask the customer if they are happy to drop the driver at the nearest station. Most people/customers are nice and not scammers. Get it sold Max another one out the door.

Did similar last week Jim, previous customer wanted to see car - couldn't make it down as he'd sold his car to a friend - took it round agreed deal delivered it next day ! In reality all methods still work but as you've said the 'younger' generation are growing up with 'click & buy' make it EASY and it'll work ! Look forward to reading the exclusive soon in the magazine !

Just saying

Hi Max, Be very careful, if it was me, i would only accept cleared funds by bank transfer into account, i would charge a delivery fee of say £1 a mile, which is non refundable if he changes his mind on arrival, but foc if he accepts it. Do a full test drive and pdi check on arrival, take a copy on your phone of his driving licence and make sure the delivery address matches it... if he is genuine non of this would be a problem, a scam and he will cough and splutter...good luck, boom another one...

We do a few deliveries and sell cars over the phone. I think also it will play a huge part in the future of the trade. For many people cars are simply white goods. My main concern with them is customers going legal on us and wanting to cancel although as of yet not an issue. I do have very good faith in my cars but sometimes things just go wrong or alternatively customers can be a bit loopy. We had a Mazda MX5 that we delivered from Cheshire to the South coast. Customer was a bit annoyed when they realised it was a 2 seater and not a 4 seater MX5 like the other ones they had looked at in person....

Hello, Hope you're all well. Just adding my two pence worth... GG and Rosemotors are right, you can add a testimonials page. (It's easy to do within your website manager tool but if you need us to run through it, please don't hesitate to reply on here or contact me on bethany@autotrader.co.uk and we'll get in touch). I can't see your dealership details Steve so I'm unable to check your website package/templates as you may have some limitations. Here's some nice examples - http://www.stationgarage.co.uk/hall-of-fame and http://www.stephen-hannahcars.co.uk/reviews As you may or may not be aware, we have our free Dealer Ratings service whereby your customers can leave reviews based on their experience and these will be displayed on your adverts. Long term, we're looking to merge this with Dealer Websites so that Dealer Ratings becomes the main mechanism for collecting consumer feedback. Many thanks Bethany Auto Trader