Mojo121

When the prices are like this I let the others buy then they drop down silly in a few weeks when they're all sat on crap. Done two so far this week. Phones aren't ringing but there's nothing to buy, so no surprise.

That's a lumpy and difficult part exchange. Only do the deal at a price you're confident at, other deals will come along.

Been through on here a thousand times. Terrible idea. You can do all that you're proposing. Just think of the car like a normal piece of stock. Make sure you have the finances to buy the car and that your selling fee/ margin is very healthy/ worthwhile because in the event it all goes wrong you could end up owning it.

Hmm. I'm definitely not interested but when you do come to sell it it wouldn't hurt to send me some photos before you advertise it

I've tried to resist replying but..... is it a coupe?

I was looking for an e36 328i sport about a year or two ago. A good one could be had for £2.5 - £3. I saw them going up. The problem was finding one that wasn't leaking, had working vanos and hadn't been ruined by 'modders'. I gave up. They're now £5-7k A chap has just pulled into the garage at the back of us with a 90s Mitsubishi GTO Twin Turbo, which is quite cool but looks on the heavy side. This looks nice http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1995-BMW-E34-530i-V8-Manual-Red-with-Grey-Leather-Best-Sounding-Car-Ever-/142414021897?hash=item2128898509:g:SaQAAOSwOMdZQEJo

Yep, and we won't pay over the odds, we'd rather let the crazy buy them and sit on them for a couple of months. Quite a few traders walked out of Peterborough yesterday saying it was too expensive - it's been that way for a while.

6 this week. Some viewings booked in today and Monday aswell. Closed off being a great month. Really, really short on stock though.

Have you rang them and just had a chat? I'd say "look, we want to fix it and keep you happy - problems with car can happen, but it's a good car and I'd like you to be able to enjoy it. The issue is the cost of repairs that you've quoted are at a retail level and obviously being in trade we can fix it much more cost effectively - garages offer us reduced rates. Can you give us one chance to fix it - we have some very good mechanics and we'll tell you exactly what the problem is - if you get the car back and you're still not happy with it I'll give you a refund. That's fair isn't it?" If they refuse what you've offered over the phone I'd say they just want their money back. I'd confirm what I said over the phone in writing and then state my suspicion is simply they are using this fault as an excuse to get a refund.

The less choice of cars they have on there the more users will look elsewhere for what they want - well done!

You need a good cheap mechanic in place; how much can you get a wheel bearing changed for? How much will they charge you to do a set of brake pads? For me it's £45 and £40 respectively. Personally, while I stock them, I find new driver cars a pain in the backside. Not so much the cars but the customers. The buyers are relatively clueless/ noncommittal and the parents are unrealistic - I mean, it's their kids, I get it. They're hard work is my point. When selling from home the margins are tighter not to mention the inherent drop in confidence from buyers... unless you have a house like Tom Hartley. With 5-6 cars in stock, at the level you're talking about, I can't see your margins being much above £300-£400 a unit. Even if you sell 6 a month that's £1,800 a month. Minus off costs and the reality of making a living surely looks difficult?

Extreme translates to Extremely Bad Spec. I learnt the hard way on those after a Clio turned squatter.

I wish you all the luck in the world. Just going off what you've said I think you're going to have a tough time of it. We all have to start somewhere though.

£12,000 is alot to spend on a car. Why buy a new car? What drives you to need something 'new'? Save money on running costs but spend it on monthly payments?! Lose money through financing a new shiny piece of metal that after a few months will just be a car to you? Spend a big wedge of hard earned money on something that's worth no where near that in a year? Pretty poor investment. Miss doing things and going places because the thing takes you places costs you too much money so you can't go... but, at least you don't rack up the miles or get it dirty... and, you have a '17 plate' car. Oh, the happiness that will provide. Knowing that my piece of metal is newer than other people's piece of metal. Honestly, just spend a couple of grand on something, drive it to destruction and spend your money on the things that matter.

I suppose the difference here is some people work on their moral feeling of what they think is right and others work on what their legal obligation is and do no more than that. The difficulty is the law seems to a bit grey with things like this.

When does the failed MOT expire? Not that you are allowed to drive it with a failed MOT as the car is now deemed unroadworthy, it's just interesting to see if that's why he's worded it like that.

I think it's reasonable to expect to replace a catalytic converter on a car after 10 years of wear and tear. When you sold the car the engine light wasn't on, it didn't come on a few days later because you deleted the fault/ light, you haven't prevented/ removed the light - simply, the cat hadn't failed when you sold him it. It failed a month after. In the nicest possible way to him it's tough titties. It's a 10 year old car. Cats wear out. Shit happens. His problem.

Welcome Matt. I guess the only thing I have to add is on the negotiation/sales front. Sometimes there are customers who just want a little bit off (just because they're blokes and they want to feel like they've chipped you) - usually £50 suffices. Typically this type of punter will massively low-ball you first. I just smile, make little laugh noise and shake my head. Never ask them to make an offer, they then have your permission to low-ball you and it's much harder to come back up. Always state your position first if the question of "what will you take" comes up. Remember the things they've pointed out which they like "oh, it's in good condition, hmm look at the service history" and remind them again of those things later on (people forget they've said it and it reminds them how good the car is). Don't say "so what can I do to make you buy it". It makes people feel uncomfortable. Often you need to go at their pace. There are people out there who need edging along (really anxious, plodding types) simply asking, if you think they're serious and after they've had long enough to wander around and ask questions, "do you fancy a little drive" takes the formality off of a scary "TEST DRIVE". Never get insulted by low-ball offers in person - it means they want to buy it but they're just a bit of a character! Ultimately I think alot of it comes down to trust and if you're a specialist in one particular make of car and you're a nice bloke that will come over as you chat to LR nuts about their passion! Hope it helps & good luck!

Thanks for the advice chaps - some good info here as always! Looks like I need to pull my finger out They're all looking good for the weekend though!

Honestly, it's doing my head in. Valet them and two days later they're covered in this saharan scum dust. You can't just wipe it off either so I'm plugging back in the pressure washer and going back over them. Over and over again. Any tips? Better products? Something to go over them with which won't leave them watermarked to hell. Ta!

Survey closed ??

Try WarrantyFirst. Not sure what their stance is on trading from home though. Prep and release the car's properly and 90% of claims never happen. We all know when we're selling a potential boomerang.

Update: yeah, I regret ever replying. He turns up, Thai bride in tow and proceeds to nit pick at every aspect of the car. Telling me these cars are known for central locking problems before locking, unlocking, opening every door and re-locking the car no less than 15 times before the passenger door didn't open. I climbed in, opened it from inside and it was fine again, before he proceeded to test his theory again. Sure enough 15-20 attempts later it failed again. "what if there's a fire???" Nigel asks concerned "you're already a complete melt" I thought before telling him that central locking was much like a fire and if you stick your hand near a fire enough times the chances are you'll get burned. His wife was more interested in me I think. Shame I didn't have 5 dorrar on hand. What else? Erm... his part-ex was a Cat-C, he turned up two hours late because of a puncture stranded him (not his fault) and a bit of stray Nigel sweat landed on my arm at one point. Lovely.

He's clearly pulled a fast one. Doubt it, but is the advert still up? Do you have a copy of it? Did you buy it from a reputable place or the side of the road?

I had a 2.3T that came in as part ex a while back. Nice thing, drove well, but £500 a year tax. Loads of interest and calls from people who knew about and loved Saabs but the most no shows I've ever encountered