Leaderboard

Pain points-Continued general rise in cost of sales,Euro Parts decline in service.Difficulties hiring good all round technicians which applies not only in UK but also in Europe and the US.Govrnment failure to crack down on profiteering and the abuse of tax payers money by Motability......and of course Autotrader and auction buyers fees. Opportunities,lots of good ex lease diesel stock should be hitting the market at right prices.But diesel prices will rise.Joe Public in most of the UK are not PC and not effected by corporate ladder bullshit and still prefer to have a nice high spec diesel outside their front door. Stock-There remains no excuse for traders not being able to buy stock.If they cannot buy online,they have to ‘get on their bike’ to find it.Driving up and down the country used to be normal. August Trade - It is hard for most of us to compare because of rising costs,It is OK talking about number of sales but it is the bottom line that counts.Dealer groups employ bean counters to cover up and produce all sorts of t/o figures to show them in a good light,we don’t.If you asked Trevor Finn what Pendragen bottom line was for last month,he would probably know but he would not tell you,it could effect their share price.Look at Vertu and their TV advertising deals of late,they must be struggling,but not according to their CEO.It is going to be harder for the big dealer group bullshit guys.( not Pendragen) The overall market for small independent pros like a lot of the guys on here,remains good because they have the knowledge and ability to adapt.You are going to see some Dealer groups forced into expanding into the used market,but because of their lack of knowledge and experience some may fail.The guys who run Car Giant,Wales Trade Centre,Big Motoring World,Arnold Clark and Pendragen to name a few are top premier league players and are not effected by changes in market conditions. Over and out.

It does not look like much.. But pretty much just about to pull the trigger on my new Global HQ. The pictures dont really show its size properly but its easily enough room for 4 vans. I'm looking to expand the business but where I am now is just to small. So Im really pleased to have found this place.. And the bonus is its a 30 second car ride or 2 minute walk from my front door! Boxing ring is going.

The boxing ring might be a convenient way of dealing with any customer complaints.

Now Alanis Morisette should have used that line in her song because that is actually ironic

I am so pleased Mr Northard has surfaced.The guys on here are the front line,straight talking,trade entrepreneurs who mostly make up Manheim customers ( I have to declare I am mainly a BCA Guy).I think you should come on here more often and join in the banter.You could take notice of us more than these franchised dealership suits many of whom could not value a 12 year old Micra.I have predicted that diesel stuff will rise.Not very PC but what are your thoughts and of course the continued failure of CAP to follow the market which impacts retailers doing finance deals.Low CAP values must be great for those auction groups guaranteeing vendors 97% of CAP Clean.You buy stuff now and it could be a grand over CAP Clean and you have bought a cheap car.What is going on,we would like to hear your thoughts......So thank you again.

Thanks for your response.

Phil Nothard is a great man! He helps when he can everyone in the motortrade, Have known him for many years , I've asked on many forums inc this on his behalf for monthly input once he has all the info he always shares it, it gives us all a snap shot of what is happening in the country, trends, etc etc, All useful info in my opinion. It takes less than 2 minutes to complete the survey, I've always asked and thanked everyone for the input from me and from Phil. He now works for Cox and previously CAP for those who don't know his full history. Umesh

Element of truth but only affects some models with others having to be reg before year end. Wife works for these brands (and others). VW saying costs in excess of £1bn

Surely your first port of call is the dealer?

Hi CC Stew If you are in Cambois,is that not in the Enterprize Zone.If so,you could probably open a brothel aswell.You cannot have many neighbours unless things have changed.

I would suggest telling him to ring you. Then ignore any future texts. If he does ring tell him you need to inspect the vehicle. As Simon will tell you maintaing a classic car like this is part of the fun of owning it.

ive done that but then you need a trade waste license to get rid of the bones, last one i gave to an itinerent and asked him to drop the transfer note in with £20 and he did winning

also 2 different geasrboxes fitted early and late with different ratios i was told £400 for the part ,fitting looks easy,im not sure how you set it up because these cars are not can bussed

I can't remember the exact figures but the part was Toyota only and around £600 - £800 a couple of years ago. Caused all kinds of issues with multiple warning lights, loss of power etc. Clutch on them is cheap enough but needs to be set/programmed after fitting by Toyota so worth bearing in mind if you send one to an indie garage as we do.

Sounds like bullshit /a dick to me.

Hi Marc I too am a home trader but I currently have about 15 cars (including my Transit and my car transporter) on my driveway, only the Transit is in the road, right in the very corner of the cul de sac under a tree (where no one else would want to park). I was worried sick about the neighbours but to be fair they have taken a genuine interest and I go out of my way to befriend them and to respect them. There's still one or two that I "worry" about and one two faced bastard (i can just tell). I do NO mechanical, valeting or prep work at home, it is all farmed out (or done quietly in my garage). I am a quiet neighbour with a lot of cars. Carry on for as long as you can, it may settle or they get bored. My immediate neighbour has offered to take me to collect cars and my postman has actually taken me on 4 or 5 runs. It can and probably will turnaround. Don't worry about the council until it happens. The first neighbour to complain to me will receive. "I park nothing in the road (except the van). If you want to complain, I shall regsiter and tax all 15 vehicles and park every fucking one of them down the street, you decide your next move."

Any pain points you ask? Well Manheim's duplicitous Surecheck product could well be described as a pain. Any thoughts on that Philip?

Pay us first