LISL

Fill up the VTP6, DVLA usually lets you know within a fortnight or so if it has one, and if so will send you a copy. Just send a cover note too explaining Should read DVSA, alternatively, 03001239000

What's happened?! Lol I'll start off; been a quiet start, hoping it takes off going into the second half; 8 on the board so far. What's welcome is we've been able to buy some decent stock at decent prices. Have also kicked off our workshop which is off site but a stones throw away, so will hopefully bring our prep costs down. How's everyone else doing?

No appointments here. At all. It's walk-in as there's always someone on site, if you call up and ask if it's in stock and it is, we'll say it is, but if you leave it a day or two to pop down and it's sold, it's sold. We've had some negative feedback on this over the years, but falls by the wayside. When I started up however, it was me on my tod and I did it exactly like Mat.

Pm me or text me mate

Is Mexico a haunt for dealers? I'm at the moon palace right now and have parked my backside on a sunlounger for the last 6 days, back Sunday. I'm not a one man band so can't help with that, but have also met an acquaintance I used to see down the block, and he's here with another 6 of his golf buddies who are also in the trade!

MrC took the words right out of my fingers

Not sure what it books at as I'm abroad atm (how sad am I) but £16k is very strong even for retail. I was thinking a lot less!

Matt, are the side windows just on the sliding doors? And are you sure it's a T26 not a T28?

Get shot of the van?

Feel your pain, it was the enemy's friend's 30th yesterday so went out. Realised I'm not 21 anymore, wounded!

Tbh MrC I completely get where you're coming from, some people are out there and if you give them an inch they'll try to take a mile. I used to get monumentally pissed when I had these but as times gone on I just boil it down to whether it's worth my time or not. If the customer has already had it repaired I would personally offer to half the bill (provided it was a realistic price) just to get them off my back and keep some goodwill there. I had a customer a few months back that bought an M3 and a fortnight ago called me up that his battery went flat. He had it changed and "told" me it was only right I paid it. I spoke to him once and could see it becoming an issue so offered him £50 goodwill (battery was £165) and an Amazon voucher of £50 (buy them in bulk) and he was happy. His brother came in last week and bought a Q5. I think, no matter what stock you have or trade you'll always have chancers, but I personally will go a little bit further than most for peace of mind and to keep my name positive. The car looks good and is bloody low mileage for a vehicle that age so it seems like the customer could just be angling for something, try something unconventional and you could be pleasantly surprised. Rish

Rory, one of the ones I had yesterday was an 2015 A5 but had a 13 plate Cooper to chop. Was a bit scruffy I won't lie, probably about £500 prep but ridiculously low mileage at 14k. White, all mod cons and auto. WBAC offered her 6k and Audi offered 6300! All it took was me top that by 250 and a smile and it was a done deal. Used to hate taking in part exchanges before, but since we've opened our bodyshop and mechanic off site I've become a lot more confident. Have told the sales guys to still price the same way but not to let it be a deal killer. Improved our margin by a fair whack

Absolutely manic here, first week was ok, last week was pants and then Friday and yesterday we've done 9 units, all on finance, all came through as walk ins and actually seemed like decent people. Problem is now the pitch is looking very bare; had the boys ready to collect some private purchases tomorrow to which I've had to move to today. I will never understand this game

Great post OP, and all the best in your endeavours. We're here to help, and it seems like you're going the right way about it. You'll come out the other side, and yes you will have some battle scars but that'll be the best dealer school you'll ever go to. If possible, try and keep this thread alive or start up a blog. I wish I'd have done that as a sort of diary when I was starting up, i reckon it would make fascinating reading. All the best. Rish

Got absolutely anally violated once with this when I was starting out, never again

Was going go say, it seems very cheap. But chalk it down to the weather, makes them all go crazy.

Hear hear!

Funny you mentioned that as I saw an episode recently of a firm in Birmingham that looked to be selling premium kit, nothing less than about £25k and had a writ of £6k being enforced on them. Instead of acting like businessmen, they called their girlfriends like a bunch of petulant kids until the police were called and, after the threat of arrest, paid. Really grinds my teeth as they honestly don't give a monkeys

I think it'll be along the lines of the carwow concept. Amazon is an online seller yes and even though they have some of the deepest pockets known to man, they'd rather use their digital prowess and let the manufacturers and dealers sell, and just make a little drink off the top. Was speaking to a Ford main dealer who buy stuff off, he told me they sell 50 cars a month through carwow and pay them roughly £400 commission, for just getting the lead. Amazon will probably do something of the like and clean up But then again I could be wrong, it's been known (just ask the wife)

Lot of Asian boys up in Birmingham that are involved with the industry in some shape. Don't really sit well with me as they pop up every few years under a different Ltd company name. As someone of Indian origin I really don't see the kudos about this industry, what turned me was the sheepskin coats and the fat white marker pens....

Out of curiousity, where are you based?

Got to be fleabay

Tell him you do, in house finance it at £100pw for 52 weeks with a £500 deposit and watch him make a big Nigel shaped hole through the proverbial wall!

Me too

I remember there's that form you had to fill in, a right PITA in my opinion. I didn't know BCA bought Lex remarketing but you learn something new. A friend of the enemy's was telling me how she got her car which was on a BMW lease collected the other day (end of life). Had a quick butchers at the paperwork and it was all on BCA letterheads. They picked up the car and shipped it to Belle Vue, so will go straight through to auction. Saves a lot of time when you think about it, but also makes you realise that BCA is becoming the AT of the remarketing World....