trade vet

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Posts posted by trade vet

  3. Posted

    2 hours ago, David Horgan said:

    we had a car in for a service a while back , Audi A6 , been to same Audi main dealer for 60, 000  miles . New owner brings it to us , took oil filter off and there was only tatters of the filament left , Never been changed we reckoned , Air filter same Clogged to death it was , Fuel filter never been touched . 

    Main dealers with apprentices are my big nightmare for service history records . 

    Joe public asks me about Main dealer services and I do have to have a slight smile . 

    Main dealer service stories are getting worse.My old pitch had a case last week where a punter had reported his Astra box had fallen out.It turned out it had and was hanging because when a new clutch had been fitted recently by a main dealer they had forgotten to  tighten the bolts.About 2 years ago they had a mechanic leave for a VAG main dealer that charged £160 per hour and he told us that on Monday morning the workshop guys would get a pep talk and were given a weekly targets like 25 grand ?

  4. Posted

    7 hours ago, LSP Vehicles said:

    I didn't know about this? I bid on something, won it provisionally, next thing I know I had an invoice. Not an issue as I wanted, but how , or what is the process for refusing a provisional refusal?  Haven't been doing this long so just asking for knowledge. Thanks

    Just tell them you no longer want it,provisional means provisional both ways.Its a bit like when an auctioneer mistakingly bangs down the hammer on your bid then says ‘provisional’.In that case it’s not provisional and you have bought it as hammer down is a contract.What usually happens then is you tell the auctioneer that you will let him off and he owes you a favour.

    • Like 1

  5. Posted

    8 minutes ago, CRW said:

    Sounds to me like a possible case of buyers remorse! If the car was so bad, surely she would have been in contact with you by now? You need to be careful with these sort of customers and take control of the situation.  On Tuesday the car is basically undrivable, but by the end of Thursday you haven't heard from her?! You need to point out to her that her continued use of the car may cause further problems for which you wont be liable.

    It was delivered so Salt should collect it.Also the customer should be instructed not to drive it as that could be dangerous given that she has reported a smell of petrol.Nip it in the Bud and refund or it could cost far more later on.

  6. Posted

    The guys who struggle to buy don’t bid on enough.We would regularly target 70-80 cars in a day at various auctions but we might only buy 2 or 3.What a lot of people don’t understand is that if you have something ‘ provisionally sold’ to you it means ‘ provisionally bought ‘by you so just carry on bidding on other stuff as you can refuse the provisional one later if your bid is accepted.

  8. Posted

    50 minutes ago, MarkTVS said:

    I’m the opposite, my workshop guys can have anything fixed on these within a few hours! 
     

    For me it is anything with the powershit gearbox from Ford or the majority of semi autos.

    As a general rule we try to avoid french cars and petrol 4 cylinder BMW’s.

    Subaru Impreza 2.5 turbos are also on the banned list. I love them to drive but the engines are chocolate!

    Impreza’s ,you weren’t a ram raider were you Mark ?

  9. Posted

    3 hours ago, metcars said:

    As I remember, fair haired Tall thin guy. He wasn’t a young guy even back then. But he was the star of the show! Back in the old two hall days. When Thursday night sales were still going about 10pm. And the daytime sales were empty!

    Different guy.

  10. Posted

    15 minutes ago, metcars said:

    Back in the day (90s), who was the guy at Colchester that used to say stuff like “up we go again” and “.......for the sporting gentleman?”. Really nice entertaining guy, they don’t make them like that that any more?

    Was that the legendary quick knock specialist Mr Moore ?

    • Like 1

  11. Posted

    40 minutes ago, MrC said:

    Many years ago the auctioneer at Blackpool auctions (Shit hole with a very strange gene pool)  Every single car that came though was always "in the best colour" 

    That must have been in the distant past Mr C.Never been there but unless I am imagining it,someone may have told me that the auction celebrity back then was the boxer Brian London.....Have we done auction celebrities. ?

  13. Posted

    45 minutes ago, trade vet said:

    We had one in Newcastle and when he had hooked a private bidder on a hit lister he would emphasise ‘it’s a V car ‘ and the bidder might think it was a very good car and get trotted up.

    There was a guy at Leeds who in response to a very low opening bid would say ‘ what do you want,blood ‘ and simarly Mr Beith of Alex Beith Auctions in Glasgow Meat Market would pause and politely say ‘Sir,I would not like to sell you a new one ‘ and the bidder would be embarrassed.

    There was another auctioneer who did Newcastle and Preston and he was like Ted Bovis ,check him out.

  14. Posted

    21 minutes ago, BHM said:

    Even when you answer ‘Yes’ for a laugh theshe cnuts don’t respond, unless it’s with a barrage of ‘Cambelt?’ type questions - they’re just shitty arses. 

    My answer would be no answer. 

    Sorry, but isn’t the opposite true? I thought pitch lads, like main dealers, need to answer even numpty that contacts them whereas us one-man-bands can ignore people as we see fit.

    I think Franchised dealers have to respond incase it is a manufacturer mystery shopper.

    2 minutes ago, trade vet said:

    I think Franchised dealers have to respond incase it is a manufacturer mystery shopper.

    It does annoy me when you go into a main dealer and there are all these ‘car sales executives’ at their desks and the forecourt stock is covered in bird shit.

  15. Posted

    We had one in Newcastle and when he had hooked a private bidder on a hit lister he would emphasise ‘it’s a V car ‘ and the bidder might think it was a very good car and get trotted up.

    There was a guy at Leeds who in response to a very low opening bid would say ‘ what do you want,blood ‘ and simarly Mr Beith of Alex Beith Auctions in Glasgow Meat Market would pause and politely say ‘Sir,I would not like to sell you a new one ‘ and the bidder would be embarrassed.

  16. Posted

    14 minutes ago, umesh said:

    Very easy, sent them a personalised video of the car about 2/3 minutes explain how nice your car is and the fact that they need to have realistic expectations of what their budget will buy them. Not a slagging one but just a professional reply! Converted a couple of deals last month but they weren’t being as silly but fi I hadn’t bothered or simply sent silly reply back I’d have lost them!

    Good luck! Can’t win them all but if you don’t try you’ll never know.

    Well said Captain Mainwaring.  (BTW that’s a joke ) Solo operators can spend time replying to email crap but if you are employing salespeople I would prefer if they were improving presentation of the stock.

  17. Posted

    52 minutes ago, BHM said:

    It’s amazing how this basic fact motivates people. If it’s left up to local govt employees & their ilk the country will be stasis for the next two decades.

    Working from home is going to be the norm for SOME companies, staff will appreciate the lack of travel time & costs (although that will be traded for being spied on in their homes but they’ll have little option) & those companies will surely have no need for their once full offices/call centres etc.

    How long before London area companies paying £50k a year to office staff to work from home might work out they can employ people elsewhere to do the same work for £20k.

    • Like 2

  18. Posted

    10 hours ago, marc_p said:

    Haha, yeah, weird mix of emotions going on right now, both excited and terrified at the same time, but what I do know for sure if that I haven't felt this happy for a long time!! Even if it doesn't work out, I'll be glad that I at least tried.

    Another point I thought I'd add is that even though I haven't been posting here, I have been reading everyone's posts and finding this forum such a wealth of information!! (will need to get myself into the private forum now though), but that being said, I noticed that a few people say to not trade the cars that you like, whereas I think (for me at least) that is what has helped me massively as I've been selling cars that I'm genuinely enthusiastic about and I believe that really comes across to the buyers and helps with the sale, which will probably mean I'll be stuck with this 318d for a lifetime as I find it a hateful little thing:lol:

    It’s about finding a ‘niche’ and you appear to have done that.So I would say stick to what you are doing.However a note of caution before you expand your business,you might want to factor in these unpresidented times.Trading through the pandemic has been lucrative for a lot of smaller traders and doorsteppers who were undoubtedly helped by a lot of franchised dealers and larger pitches being forced to close up.So don’t get carried away and there will be plenty of banana skins for you to slip on during your first year of trading.

    Good luck,I think buying,selling,fixing and servicing BMW’s might work but you will need a lot of tech equipment.

    Keep in touch.

  19. Posted

    9 minutes ago, Halfpenny said:

    If its the same 'new' one that I'm thinking of then an inside contact tells me they are doing very well....

    Depends what constitutes doing well.Amateur car dealer Cazoo are projecting losing £70m in the first 3 years having apparently up until now had funding of £180m.I hope Cazam blows them out of the water.

  20. Posted

    21 minutes ago, Ratt101 said:

    Trade vet its a family business 2nd generation mainly retired, 1st generation sadly no longer with us so 3rd generation now running it now. You like us will have seen the changes over the years still got some of the adverts from grandpas days will dig them out and post them because some the advertised specs make me laugh.

    I love the old adverts,extras like w/mirrors,heater and 4 Spd g/box.During the 60’s when strikes were common place we advertised a Moskvich Van.We described it ‘ this van will carry 2000 strike leaflets ‘ and we got into trouble with the printers.

    Please post some of the old adverts it might even amuse the younger guys.

    • Like 1

  22. Posted

    39 minutes ago, Ratt101 said:

    We deal mainly between £5k and £15k  a few over that and under px's, tend to find the £25k plus, hard market they wonder why ours is so cheap (aint got the overheads of main agent) but ours is discounted cos it is too cheap they think there is something wrong, most of our £25k plus have been sold to local people who know us and know we have been in business since 1947. 

    1947 ,that’s longer than me !

  23. Posted

    31 minutes ago, It's me said:

    I think growbag used to buy all the nasty green ones wherever I went

    trade vet will remember the scruffy dog

    unless it was tradevet:P:D

    I hope you are not referring to Greengrass.His all weather uniform was navy blue overalls ( with about 5 grand readies in the top pocket )reinforced heavy boots,he had a beard and drove an ex AA recovery truck. Great bloke,he could buy and sell most people in the ring.

    • Like 1

  24. Posted

    1 hour ago, salt said:

    Many thanks all for your replies, I'm grateful.


    @Ratt101, Thank you, based on this I won't be taxing any cars, I think it will just be easier to drive on the trade plates when needed
    @Casper, @D&M, Thank you
    @trade vet, my reasons for entering this trade was, I had a bit of money saved up which, having lost my job, was dwindling and having spent many years advising others on cars, servicing and maintenance and that it has always been a love of mine made me think that I should give it ago.  I'm happy buying cars but was never interested in selling, so this is the new area for me.  I'm prepping the cars and addressing any concerns raised by the garage to ensure I reduce the risk of any comebacks.  I'm getting a bit ott on the valeting side too but ultimately where I'm going wrong is the pricing (I'm presuming) as they are not moving but the ticking clock is costing.

    Sorry long story, but I think it was a combination of something I thought I'd enjoy with the expectation that I could earn enough to keep things ticking over financially.  

    Thank you all again

    Hi Salt

    You are probably making the usual mistake of stocking cars that YOU like.I would suggest trying different stuff and work on very low margins until you will find out what the punters want.So you might find it is Zafira’s or Dacia’s or Ssang Young’s rather than A6 Avants or M Sport BM’s .The punters will let you know and you can take it from there. Good luck.

     

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 1