SAPFO

Sorry one not replied, school hols kept me busy. So I had a chat about the £5600 valuation, they were insistent on telling me it's a "mid-book" policy and a fair offer. I told them as advised above I wanted to appoint my indepedent engineer. They said they'd find out, and get back to me. They filed a complaint, and I was passed onto someone else. Call centre bot #2 rings, giving me the same blurb as the last one, not mentioning what I'd previously requested about appointing my own engineer. The offer this time was £6037. I told them I still own the car, and would like access to it to have to assessed myself. He said it had been looked over twice as was their legal requirement apparently if I complained, I then requested the 2 engineers reports. He had to admit that there was only one report done. The report came 2 days later (today), and had the wrong angle of impact. They had it as head on, where it was actually glancing. The report also stated it was assessed with only pictures provided by the salvage company CoPart, who by the way, have offered the insurance £859 for it. The email with the engineer report also came with an increased offer of £6308. Time to settle you think?

yes, me and the woman were fine. It was her birthday, and the 2nd birthday in succession someone has hit her. "fair bid?" Not following there mate The excess is 650, they will also take the remaining policy payments, another 600, so they really are trying to pay me as little as possible.

Paying 3500 now.

I've learned a valuable lesson I tell you. They could probably make what they are paying me stripping my car. So them telling me it's a "mid-book" policy is just them trying to bend me over? Do you think they will send a 2nd engineer, or just blagging?

Yes it was. Blind junction I was edging out of. Pics https://ibb.co/mNpg6T https://ibb.co/cvXq0o https://ibb.co/kyn16T

Wrote my car/taxi off last week. Skoda Super Estate Elegance spec. Heated F&R etc.. 60 plate. 108k on clock. Paid 7k retail in Sept. Firstly, I didn't think damage was that bad, and I wanted to buy it back, however, they reckon their engineer says it's a Cat S, and that I cannot buy it back, and that is in my policy. The day after the crash they had CoPart collect it, which got my whiskers twitching. Anyway, they have offered me £5600. They say this is 'mid book', and my policy is a 'mid book' one. What do you reckon? I did say no, and they 'say' they are sending a 2nd engineer. remember, its a taxi policy, but not done many miles on it. No better place to ask than car dealers, so thanks in advance, I appreciate your time to help. I'll post a pic

Asians tend to follow the money, so there must be some to be made. And the sheepkskin has now been replaced by the bubble coat

Brum. There is s stretch of the A38 in North Brum that is full of main dealers, along with sub maybe 5 3/4k plots. I noticed most of them closed at the same time a few years back, which at the time was weird, but now I believe that must have been the effect of the CRA2015 right? Some of these plots are now filling up again, but most being Asian now. One I saw and thought I'd love that plot has now been taken over by a Romanian carwash.

I know it ain't all rosy. And I wouldn't be in it to make a fortune. Just a steady living being my own boss, or to top up the pension pot moving a couple per month, maybe higher vaue. Where would you say the cut off in price is for a home trader?

Castle Bromwich Birmingham had hundreds of MOD last week. And there is always Lex on when I've gone

I have found myself wondering who the feck he's looking at at times I'll be honest. I've got a mate as I've previously said who does trade to trade, small margins, and fast paced. He was telling me the guy he's had a 60k Range Rover off for 56k, + 2 BMW's in the teens this week, also has loads of low priced 03/04 Lexus & X5 type stuff. Maybe I should dip my toe in and go through a whole purchase & sale. Problem is they are a few hundred miles away. I'll know more next week about that

Why do they do that?

Nah, by the main counter. Thats how I've been doing it in my head. What would I pay, see where it goes. Thing that had me the first few times was thinking cars had sole, only for 80% of them to be back on 2 days later. How many times will the seller pay the entry fee?

Somethings just sprung into my mind that happened down the auction. There are 2 places where people usually stand/sit. On the stairs (newbies etc) , or outside the door (usually experienced people as you'll know). Both cannot see each other. The other day I noticed a lad stand where he could see both positions. I remember the auctioneer saying to the lad "no standing here today mate"....

I'm nowhere near buy to let yet, but I always though the idea of putting 20/30k into something to x 4 it over 20/25 years was a good investment long term. It's not like you are paying the mortgage every month. And I know you do have the downside, trust me, I've rented privately enough before I finally got on the ladder. I've probably sat in around 8 or so different auctions now and not bid on anything yet. As it happens, the other day I seen an old school mate who was working at the auction and deals with dealer finance. The auctioneer came over while were were chatting, so hopefully the link is there to not scam me when I do make a move. The other week the yard manager left a set of keys on the roof off a motor too. I quietly went over to him and told him. I get a handshake every time I go into the yard now. Little things like that can make the experience easier right? Not sure I've mentioned this, but the 2nd job is fackin Uber. Well, it would have been this weekend had I not put the council sub committee meeting as the 9th on myth planner instead of 7th when it actually was. Got to wait until July 18th at least now. Stop being so negative. I'm miles away from what'd id like to do, but why not try and plan 10 years ahead? If I can get a buy to let in for example 10/12 years, that could be a nice lump to take be through my 60's/70's. I started to plan to get on the ladder at my lowest point after a job loss during the credit crunch, and 8 years later I was on the ladder. Oh, and I bought car last night because it just popped up cheap while I was pricing a stand up punch bag on Gumtree! It's an 03 Silver 206cc. 82k, leather. 2 months MOT. Hood works fine. Drives fine. Airbag light on. You wouldn't have it on your patch as it is thats for sure. Needs 3 tyres & a drop link. £200. Now, I wouldn't mind keeping this for the lads footy trips overt the summer, as it just me and him on these trips and it'd be nice in the summer with the roof down, but where is the line I need to be aware of between personal use & dealer? There is a good chance I'll sell this before I go on holiday in August while the suns still out.

Some great advice thanks. I have a pension, what its worth when Im 67 at this rate is around £113 in todays money right now. Thats me paying 6%, and my company paying about 10%. I'd like to buy couple of cheap houses/flats buy to let eventually as a pension investment hence I've taken the 2nd job purely to save for that. I know the buy to let market is dead in general as a yearly profit, but if you can put up an initial 20/25k, then the rest in an ideal world is paid off by the tenants leading to a large profit later on in life. Not cut & dried either though that game.

I said to my old man the other day that if you don't mind a bit of travelling, that there are loads of bargains out there that could offer a very small margin to gain experience. There is also a WBAC up the road. I made a joke I should sit outside asking people what they were offered, and then make a counter offer. As if you've actually got there online quotes nd then gone down there, you must be desperate for cash.

2 mechs, & his mrs in the office. I hate my job with a passion. Factory work, shifts too, days, nights, afternoons. Making 'luxury' 4x4s as it happens. I wouldn't buy a new one thats for sure. Sometimes in life you have to choose what makes you happy. Id rather earn less, and not work nights or until 9pm.

Yes, Ive seen the grumbles on here about that. Something like that could kill a new trader dean I suppose. Thanks. The kind of advice I was seeking. Ive been watching the AA appraised ones. Maybe I should go and see what they are going for, not forgetting the £500 they stick on top. There is a local garage I use. Indian fella. Not VAT registered, but employs 3 people, drives a Bentley, and owns a feckin plane. Not doing to bad for himself thats for sure. I wish I would have stuck the mechanics out. Too busy with women at that age though. My day job pays 37k, plus I'm about to do some Ubering on the side. I want to be retired in 20ish years (34 now) Not gonna spend all my life on it, just considering the options, and comments like that are useful, and it does make me think. It may turn out not be worthwhile in the end. Ive got a mate who does trade to trade. He does ok for himself with vans & pickups. He never knows where he's gonna be.

Those where the hammer prices inc the auction houses buyer fee's that I quoted. Sorry, I assumed some of you would have access the the vehicle details from the reg. When I get time I might stick the model up as it may interest some mot you to see what cars are going for in the Midlands. What I was doing was cross-referencing the hammer price against the very lowest price of the same spec on AT as a baseline guide. You can make money out of cars, or you lot wouldn't be doing it would you lets be honest? I've got no dreams of taking on Evans Halshaw. I just wouldn't mind being my own boss and making a similar living to the one I have. Maybe when I sell this house next year, I may get one with a bigger drive and looking into working from home, I know that has its pitfalls as I've read. I ain't stupid, I know enough about cars & fault finding to get me by. I have mechanics in the family, paint repair etc, and as a kid I was an apprentice mechanic, and as also in another job a recovery technician where I picked up enough knowledge from the mechanics. I also recently won a Golf on eBay for 156 quid with various problems. Initially I got it for the Mrs. I was going to smarten it up, give it her, and then sell her car. I ended up doing my own fault finding with a VAG machine I have for my Skoda Superb. I changed an ABS sensor and got ABS light off, changed 2 rear callipers, fixed the brake warning light, (wire was broken), bled the brakes, changed a drop link. So I am not an alien to the basics. I also known how to roughly read how a car has been looked after from the MOT history, i.e. tread depth & brakes keep popping up, they ain't looking after it are they, and then they probably ain't servicing it to schedule. Look, I don't know, thats why I'm here, to pick your brains, not be put off.

Assuming you mean pre del inspection. Do you mean factoring the cost of it into the valuation? Ive not even got that far yet. Im just looking to see what cars are selling for at auction, against what you can sell them for in the real world. Obviously then you'd have to factor in a pdi and a load of other overheads, and then judge whether the whole process is worth it. Can you suggest another way to learn that I may be missing that you think is better than the route I'm taking? Just for fun here are a few cars that sold this week over in Birmingham. HV56WAA - £1400 including the fee's KY58KZA - £1950 inc fees BP55BGZ - £1050 in fees VE55VHJ - £2100 in fees FD57BHV - £1100 in fees BK55ZVT - £1650 in fees VF04TVM - £500 in fees C17CPL - £2450 in fees 1 year is not set in stone mate. More like 2 at least in reality as I need to clear some bills. I'll take as long as it takes mate. It will be a total lifestyle I'm hoping. I would like a pitch, but I know jumping straight into a pitch & buying 15 cars could be suicide, so maybe gaining experience on the doorstep would be wise for a start, and doing it all legally would be the way as it would give me time to build a small profile to get on the likes of Cartotrade etc Ive seen that too. Aygo's goo high at auction I've noticed

Why would I need to do that? I've already got a job, in fact, I'll soon have two jobs as it happens. If I get into the motor trade, then I'll have 3 jobs. I don't like sitting on my arse mate. If I could earn money while I'm sleeping, id feckin do it. Now are you going to offer me anything productive or what? Not everybody is blessed with the instant valuation skills you obviously have probably gained by years of experience. Ive got an idea of what cars are worth, and like to use the guides as said above, 'as a guide'. But I am hitting my limit, hence there question. Would you prefer I just jump into the trade and make the experience worse all around for the customer, further blacking the name of the motor trader?

As I've said in the newbie thread, i'm putting in a year or so's research before I totally dive into this game. I tend to sit around the auctions when I can, seeing what cars sell for, and then cross referencing that against the likes of AT valuations, AT ads, CartKit, & Hpi valuations based on their condition etc.. All those mentioned are free, but with daily limits, which I am hitting every bloody time. Hpi is Cap. Now on their website, they have that many products I don't know what would be suitable for an 'amateur', and the prices dont show. Anybody know of a paid service I could use. I don't mind a few quid per month so long as it's roughly accurate.

bump

Great app. As justina3 said, it really helps you build a picture of its life. I have been struggling to click the down arrow for the MOT for some reason. May be my phone. Using iPhone 7 plus. What else you got planned for it? How do you estimate the value? The valuations are a good guide for me as a person who is researching the trade a few years ahead of jumping into it. Every other non trade option out there is a laborious process of enter email, phone, full named, postcode etc. When the cars are flying though the block its nice & fast.