trade vet

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.

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.

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.

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.

C reg .......65

1947 ,that’s longer than me !

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.

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.

You will get plenty of good help on here and you will need it..One thing,may I ask what influenced you to want to be a car trader.

Hope you weren’t mixing chip fat with diesel Caspar...Do you recall that was a trend about 15 years ago.I think it was promoted by BBC on some consumer ‘ helpfull hints ‘ programme !

I agree,£50 ? if you employ people how much of that would get milked or put in jerry cans at source.As for sending punters to Asda,we posted disclaimers around our premises about using supermarket ‘spot market fuel ‘ after a bad batch caused thousands of seized engines about 10 years ago.

Track car ! ......you must be a glutton for punishment.

NHS yellow Focus Estates,never had those but I would imagine they would make good Hartlepool taxis.

Providing fake information to Track and Trace to avoid self isolation should attract big fines.( like in NZ )

So unless you register your house as a B&B with dinner gong and a small bar,you could get fined 10 grand as a business !

Would a logo’d visor not be better than a mask ?

Good point MC,you would think he would know that considering he is spending £70m shuttering all the Pendragon purpose built used car sites to be replaced by new build mega sites.It was reported he wants to take on Cazoo but cannot be right as Pendragon is many times bigger than Cazoo. When new CEO’s are parachuted in to save PLC’s it does help that they put their money where their mouth is and buy a significant shareholding.From what I can see shareholders are still waiting for Mr Burman to do that.

Thank you,it’s a shame for Taz being 20 years too late !

Thank you Taz,what make are you by the way.....I did say Police Authorities changed their disposal policy in 99.All questions welcomed if you were unable to understand.

When I was signing up some roughish but friendly likely lad on chucky and you think he will never get accepted.Then you ask their occupation and they would say ‘scaffolder , steel erector ,I’m on the riggs or self employed Ready Mix Concrete driver you knew they would fly through.

Heard this on Saturday,punter on phone asking all sorts about N/Leaf then says it’s not for me it’s for my 17 year old son.Was then told ‘ he ain’t going to want a Nissan Leaf ‘.

Blast from the distant past.There is always a chance that a ‘ sharp ‘ auctioneer in cahoots with a trader might be operating the old.’ bounce out’ ruse.That is when stuff with a lower reserve gets quickly ‘trotted up ‘ and bounced through unsold.It is then flogged after the sale for ‘ reserve ‘ which keeps the vendor happy.The car is then re entered and gets sold for proper money..........surely not !

If it works they will probably charge.

The way the online prices are going,it might be the contrarian buyers ( ungraded and grade 5 stuff ) that will score.Another thought,I think being an auction grading officer might prove to be a lucrative job ( know what I mean Harry ? ) While online cars are far too expensive has anyone seen the price of commercials,several thousand over book !

What was that Manheim / Cox Automotive guy with the corporate jargon called who used to post on here ( until we pissed him off ).Get in touch with him.He had some contrived title like ‘global head of blue sky thinking ‘ or something.