trade vet

I can understand Ebay,a multi billion dollar Corp,taking Motors.Its up and running with a customer base and probably very cheap and most of the trade has either heard of or tried Motors.As Ebay would probably be disallowed from buying AT which in any case is valued at over £3b ,they just tack Motors onto Ebay motors and Gumtree and then spend millions on marketing.For a Corp. like Ebay it is virtually petty cash.

This maybe the second or third time Motors has been disposed of in a short period of time.

Vasanti.Lad@Autotrader.co.uk

£50.!...Up north..Only if it was metallic.We were still getting full shoots then in solid colours for under £200.Then water based paint came in and the end of full shoots.Nicks guy is probably an old school star,the sort who doesn’t mind swapping a g/box in the street in a snowstorm.

Our original pitch pays out a fortune to AT.However at our new one ,for the moment we have a 5+2 AT starter pack and I think it costs just over £2 per day per car.I don’t know whether this is a special deal but I found that the lady I dealt with at AT was very helpfull and as good as her word which is quite rare these days.If anyone is interested I can get her contact number as she works from home and has been with AT for many years.

I am with the video stars.We are practicing but it might take a while.

Your right,If it is not gone tomorrow we will,we are just trying to get this trading idea going.We have bought a dozen ‘ untradables ‘in from BCA to retail to get a bit of stock to start off with until our website goes live and we can buy more stuff from the public.

Hi You can get in touch with our guy Arthur 0191 2763737 he will keep you posted.When our website goes live we think it should be OK.I was only at BCA briefly today.I am Ian on 07836 799822,give me a call anytime. Thank you,that is the plan when we get up and running properly to email photos with good descriptions and our cost price.Get in touch,see previous post.

........what about the traders.We have now opened our car buying pitch with the idea of buying/nicking stuff at the door and trading them on cheap.Last night our guy nicked for £1500, an 08 T/Auris 1.6 T Spirit,55k,2 owners,fsh,new mot,just needs a machine polish.It would be cheap retailing for £2950.This morning at the local BCA I saw traders bidding big money for similar stuff and not as good.I had a word with one or two and mentioned we wanted profit on £1500.What do I get,bad sellers,wrong colour,no luck with Toyotas etc.One guy later did have a look and studied the service history,could not fault it and then bid £1650 ( £1750 would have bought it) but would not improve.I am thinking this might not be a good idea after all.

If I was doing a business plan,I would just download a template for free with plenty of bullshit.Mission statements,vision statements,e cycle sales projections,some technical stuff.I remember applying to our bank for funding,I was offering them loads of security and they knew me and the business.It was not good enough,they needed future sales and cash projections.So I got our accountant to knock them up,loads of numbers and bullshit jargon.I think he charged me £200 and the bank manager thought it was excellent and it did the trick.

What does it say on your purchase invoice.

If you are doing mobile bodywork stuff like scratched bumpers and small locals,I agree with Justin.If you are any good you should be in constant demand.We know a guy who spends a day doing 2 or three for us on our premises and gets around £400.He is always busy and picks and chooses who he works for.

You must have a lot of contacts at franchised dealers.They are the ones to buy cheapies from.

I would be trying your local cricket,tennis,golf and rugby clubs which have secure parking,a lot of them are run on a shoestring.

Hi True Trade Where are you.........Mark deserves your reply for his honest account,he is clearly very experienced.

That’s a bit unfair,you don’t know the circumstances.My understanding was that it was a sizeable operation.You don’t know how the losses were accumulated,there could have been some extraordinary items,then there is depreciation,it happens.The guy was just pointing out his experience.Several years ago we were hit with a large HMRC assessment after we had invested in a connected party deal from 5 years earlier.HMRC were right but agreed we were innocent in that we had received mistaken professional advice so they waived any penalties.It could have been a lot worse but it was bad enough and it showed in our results.

Yes Len I think it is.To give you an idea of how tough this job is,take a look at Big Motoring World.Huge operation,vast stock and debt but a successfull company in your area.If finance commission and sales of warranties were removed from their financial results it appears they would not make any money.I know it is hard for electrical contractors with all the regs (we have plenty also) plus I understand you guys need £5m insurance liability cover which is expensive so you can quote for good jobs etc .You should take note from the guys on here,they are genuine with their advice.

Hi Lee Rather than ask your friend to show you his annual accounts,you could casually ask how much VAT he paid last quarter.Tell him how much you pay etc.

Yes it is bollox.This type of talk is normal in this job.If he is employing people and paying the proper rate of VAT,PAYE etc plus his pitch costs,his cost of sales could be £800 per car including his own drawings at say £30k.He is probably trying to bring you in to his business.Take a look at his accounts,I bet he won’t let you. My advice,stick to what you are doing.The bottom line is that it is hard to net 2% on T/O before corporation tax in this job.How does that compare with electrical contractors.

It was also HBOS and a lot more.If you are interested read The Big Short it explains what went on,where it started.Banks everywhere were buying,selling and generating packages of sub prime mortgages dressed up as prime which were then insured against default.When they all defaulted the insurers couldn’t pay and no one went to jail.The movie was OK but you need to read the book.

There is always a recession coming.We have been through all sorts of stuff but I won’t bore you. The bottom line is that transport is a priority for people.I seem to remember in 08 that book prices in heavier or “aspirational” stuff ( thank you EPV) took a dive.We took hits on some stock then within a few months prices recovered.However it may have been a different story for those carrying a lot of debt when lenders called it in.

I get more of a “buzz” out of the buying.We can all do cracking retail deals but then the profit always just evaporates !

Keep going guys,this topic is very interesting.’Aspirational cars’,I like that expression,with detailed videos helping to attract out of your area punters etc,all good stuff.

Thank you James but I doubt we will attain the standards of you ’ video stars’ on here.It is a good pitch in a busy location but it was back in 1982 the last time I traded from it.Retail wise,it could turn out to be an under 5 grand pitch,time will tell.

Thank you Noacross.We are now open and equipped for business but not exactly up and running.We presently only have about a dozen 3 to 6 year old stuff bought mostly online from BCA but all good stock at right prices.However our website is still 2 weeks away.We have a few on Autotrader but the photos aren’t right so our guy is now learning to do videos and use a gimble etc.We started well we thought and bought one at the door 2nd day and sold it very quickly to an older guy but then had to refund him because it would not tow his caravan ! We have 2 more deals on the go but we haven’t got it right yet.I think it will take about 4 weeks after the website goes live to establish what stuff the punters want and whether we can buy stuff at the door on a regular basis.I have had several pitches and getting them going is always a challenge.