SAPFO

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Posts posted by SAPFO

  1. Posted

    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?

     

  2. Posted

    yes, me and the woman were fine. It was her birthday, and the 2nd birthday in succession someone has hit her. :D

     

    "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. 

  6. Posted

    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

  7. Posted

     

    20 hours ago, LISL said:

    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.... 

    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 :D

  8. Posted

    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.

     

    • Like 1

  11. Posted

    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

  13. Posted

     

    3 minutes ago, Max Branning said:

    The lad was'nt standing on the rostrum was he ?

    Nah, by the main counter.

    1 minute ago, Arfur Dealy said:

    Forget the auctioneer, he will run you up. You just have to decide your limit and be prepared to turn your back and walk out. When the auctioneers knows you are actually a regular buyer you will get more loyalty, however you have to turn your back many many times to show them you don't allow yourself to be run up... Plenty more cars....

    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?

  14. Posted

    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"....

  15. Posted

    On 08/06/2017 at 5:14 PM, justina3 said:

    god you know how to pick hard industries i have spent the last 5 years trying to get out of the rental market as the costs and rights now levied against a landlord is nothing short of insane. 


    If i had my time again i would be working for a big company in the city, self employed is nothing but an uphill struggle these days. 

    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.

     

    19 hours ago, NoMargin said:

    Just stay away from the auctions, you'll end up with some cars you wish you never bought, plus the auctioneers will just take the mick and bid you up.... Buy private or from ebay lots of bargains there. Good luck 

    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?

     

    18 hours ago, metcars said:

    Although if he has the time to drive around all day looking at mis-described sheds he could always do a bit of 'mini cabbing' :D

    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.

     

    4 hours ago, BHM said:

    2 or 3 jobs, possibly adding car dealing, thinking of buying to let houses. What next? Part-time Rodeo rider, some part-time work for MI5 or perhaps some part-time missionary work in the Far East.

    I bet those of us on here who are walking-the-walk (rather than talking-the-talk) were unaware we are stretching out a part-time job to full-time hours.

    Like I email back to them eBay emailers; "Good luck".

     

    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.

     

     

  16. Posted

    5 hours ago, tradex said:

    The other oft forgotten thing?

    Pension.

    You will have a good one if I'm assuming you for an OEM.

    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.

     

     

  17. Posted

    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.

  18. Posted

    49 minutes ago, have a word with the wife said:

    so when can you actually be available to "sell" these cars ? average time to make a sale is lets say a hour including test drive ? lets assume they buy it, then they tell you theyre coming at 5 to collect and dont turn up till 5.45 then another lets say half hour, paperwork, smiles handshakes bla bla, thats 2 and a quarter hours very very minimum youve spent selling one car, and thats in a ideal world .its not about the money its the chase ;)..........

    A local garage that you use employs three mechanics and is not vat registered ?

    2 mechs, & his mrs in the office.

    4 minutes ago, Arfur Dealy said:

    SAFPOO, experience and knowledge sells cars. 

     

    56 minutes ago, Max Branning said:

    if you are earning 37k a year in your day job then my advice would be stick with that !

    Unless of course you really hate the job and absolutely love cars?

     

    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.

  19. Posted

    1 hour ago, andymc1973 said:

    also you do know running from home will cause issues with the council, anyone wanting to start this job with the cra2015 in ful swing needs their head checking

    Yes, Ive seen the grumbles on here about that. Something like that could kill a new trader dean I suppose.

     

    58 minutes ago, Ken said:

    I would suggest you find a car in the block or on Dealer Auction etc that you're interested in and find it's true value on Auto trader etc work backwards . Then deduct potential costs like body work issues and potential mechanical issues to achieve the margin you want after costs. I tend to stick with Cars that have been AA appraised at BCA. At least you have some come back then if it drops a bollock on the way home. Or I go and personally inspect cars I buy from Dealer Auction. I’ve refused many! You get to know the good dealers from the Bad on there.

    He was asking for advice.........

    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.

     

    1 hour ago, trade vet said:

    From what you say,forget car sales,start a workshop.That is where the money is now.Our local Audi dealer for instance are nowcharging £180 per hour.There are not many small workshops charging less than £40 per hour.Once you get a workshop going ,you could always try and sell the odd car alongside.

    Small pitches now with 2 or 3 staff with all the overheads can cost over £2000 per week to run.So to pay everyone and earn £25k for yourself you need to turnover at least £1m per year,because the net margins are so small these days.

    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)

     

     

     

    4 minutes ago, M.J said:

    Not trying to be funny, its a genuine question, but why on earth are you dedicating 2 years or more of your life to research an industry which is probably at its worst state in years for dealers due to the small margins, increased advertising costs, phenomenal lease deals, car supermarkets selling at rock bottom prices and to top it off, the cra2015 ???

     

    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.

  20. Posted

    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.

     

     

     

  21. Posted

    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

    20 minutes ago, trade vet said:

    Hi Sapfo,- one year to learn this difficult business,that is very optimistic.Firstly what do you want to sell,do you want a pitch (sales premises) or just be a doorstepper (sell from home)

    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

     

     

    13 minutes ago, Max Branning said:

    The only way to really get an idea of what a car will sell for is to actually sell one.

    This means going out and buying one to sell.

    Nothing wrong with doing research etc and sitting at the auctions all day checking prices but this game goes up and down so much its unbelievable. 

    I have seen cars at auction selling for maybe 50% over trade "guide " price. The guide prices are useless really these days, the only time i really rely on them now is for valuing part exchanges as something to show the customer what their car is worth according to the guide.

     

     

    Ive seen that too. Aygo's goo high at auction I've noticed

  22. Posted

    Just now, BHM said:

    if you need an "expert" valuation on every car you see I suggest you get yourself down to the Jobcentre.

    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?

  23. Posted

    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.

  25. Posted

    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.