trade vet

We have signed up to Click Dealer and they are building our new site.They have already spent a couple of hours with us providing relevant info.They appear switched on as people have said on here.We are doing a min Autotrader deal to get our new pitch started as we are on a main road and have a highly visible pitch .We intend to rotate the stock on Autotrader.We have been offered a 5+2 deal which appears to workout at just over £2 per day per car.We will see how it turns out.

I love these corporate press releases....’ some quality bullshit there’.......as CJ used to say to Reggie Perrin at Sunshine Deserts ‘I didn’t get to where I am today without recognising bullshit when I see it’.

Hi Phil I notice you have not commented on CAP valuations and the rumour about collusion with Auction groups.Seeing the bonus being paid to the BCA CEO,the CAP guys should invoice her for £10m.

I agree,she must be a good player,she probably negotiated the targets herself.However what happens when the major leasing companies and other big vendors work out that their guaranteed 98% of CAP return on entries is a crap deal when most of their stuff is doing £500 to £1000 into CAP. When you think about it ,with their buyers fees plus their sales profit above 98% of Cap,they must be grossing £1500 on a lot of their entries......It just needs CAP to wake up with their valuations and the bubble will burst and she will be gone ( with a big pay off).

BCA have disclosed that their CEO earned £29m last year with over £28m in bonuses.She must have stitched up the remuneration committee or they must be a set of donkeys.

Thank you AD....you are right,when I got my first pitch,I also got the ‘sheepskin’.I think I wore it only once or twice because the other traders in the street had proper ‘sheepskins’.I was getting comments like ‘ nice cheapskin’ son.

I am knock,knock knocking on Heavens Door and according to my wife....MAD.We have our old pitch from long ago which has become vacant and I cannot find anyone credible from any trade to take it on because they say it is too expensive.Since I last used it,it has been a double glazing showroom and lately a posh cycle shop.Its on a very busy 4 exit roundabout next to a new large shopping park,it is a cracking pitch,9 car frontage,23 car showroom........Anyway,get to the point,I am going to reopen it.I thought it would cost about 5 grand to get it ready.Already gone past 10 grand and still 4 weeks away. I have found opening new accounts with people I have been with for over 40 years takes ages.Additional Bank account,card machines,HPI,BT,BCA,websites ,regulatory stuff and getting appropriate insurance cover.( we only had buildings cover ).Apparently Business Insurance Regs have changed in 2016.Reams of so many rediculous questions like ‘has there been any arson in the area recently’....my answer ‘ probably last night,it is central Newcastle.’...da da da....I will keep you posted and will probably be asking you guys for advice !

Track Cars,Range Rovers,Renault Dealerships,lawyer girlfriend ( they always are) tall,long grey hair ( pony tail maybe and red trousers )......I have no idea,are you sure it was not one of the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels...Good Luck.

Ha Ha....I could believe that,do you remember he had that overseas bank account in his dogs name which he had forgotten about,I think it had £1m in it .He got away with it,I think HMRC cocked up the prosecution.

Albert in a 306.I think he was 6’4”.It must have been his gardeners or something,I would see him in his new 500SL....nowt wrong with 306s by the way,we sold hundreds of them,mostly ex Police patrol cars.

Nice one.,the things that went on in the old days you would not believe anyway ...But yes of course.since 2000....I can also bore you with many tales about punters good and bad to auctions far and wide,finance companies,Payment Protection and clawback,Trading Standards,paint and workshops,bungs,main dealers,HMRC,accountants/ solicitors cock ups,leases,pitches good and bad,staff problems,past glories with advertising,small claims cases won and lost,dealings with banks,insurance companies,DIY warranties,dealing with traders and all the characters good and bad I have come across........anything I have missed ?

Freedom Conversions part of the Eye of the Tiger Group

I am so pleased Mr Northard has surfaced.The guys on here are the front line,straight talking,trade entrepreneurs who mostly make up Manheim customers ( I have to declare I am mainly a BCA Guy).I think you should come on here more often and join in the banter.You could take notice of us more than these franchised dealership suits many of whom could not value a 12 year old Micra.I have predicted that diesel stuff will rise.Not very PC but what are your thoughts and of course the continued failure of CAP to follow the market which impacts retailers doing finance deals.Low CAP values must be great for those auction groups guaranteeing vendors 97% of CAP Clean.You buy stuff now and it could be a grand over CAP Clean and you have bought a cheap car.What is going on,we would like to hear your thoughts......So thank you again.

Wife just reminded me about this.Was in between pitches and selling a few from the door.As it was an old imposing house with a drive and large garage / workshop and by far the best house in the street,selling stuff was easy.The neighbours never noticed until one complained they were getting callers asking about an XR3.They knew I was a dealer and I explained I was selling a few cars but never had an XR3.It turned out the XR3 was a solicitors wife’s car who lived down the street.Of course they never complained to him.Without my knowledge they collectively made an embellished complaint to the council.A council guy called and because he could not see any cars ( they were in our garage) he said just carry on......After that our landline would regularly ring in the middle of the night.This was when my daughter was in the middle of her A level exams.In those days BT would not help as nuisance calls were not an offence.When the phone rang I would dial up neighbours with my mobile to see if it was them.( none of them had mobiles ).....It was none of the ones we suspected.There was a very proper ( nice ) elderly lady and very ‘ churchie’ who lived on her own several doors away.She was related to a friend ......turned out to be her.

You could always try the Manheim / Cox/ DA Head of External Relations

You have done well,if they are building 300 houses nearbye the value of yours will rocket especially if it is front line.

Hi CC Stew If you are in Cambois,is that not in the Enterprize Zone.If so,you could probably open a brothel aswell.You cannot have many neighbours unless things have changed.

Why was it 2 grand ?

It has taken 6 months for the penny to drop.I recall they were claiming that it had been a resounding success from the outset.Those arse covering corporate bullshitters should get fired and their loyal dealers should get refunded.They have probably lost good supporting dealers over this.

Not famous but prominent.A few months ago I was asked to sell a friends Yaris.He is a front bencher in the Lords.Its one owner 05 100k,loads of history,good driver and a few months ticket.A main dealer had valued it at £200 without bothering to look at it.I thought it would tidy up and do £800-£1000,one titled owner and all that.....Wrong again,too risky our guys traded it on and he got £300 back.How things have changed CRA and all that.

I agree,I doubt he paid more than £4 grand for it.I would want it for a lot less,but I would be frightened to retail it.

Pain points-Continued general rise in cost of sales,Euro Parts decline in service.Difficulties hiring good all round technicians which applies not only in UK but also in Europe and the US.Govrnment failure to crack down on profiteering and the abuse of tax payers money by Motability......and of course Autotrader and auction buyers fees. Opportunities,lots of good ex lease diesel stock should be hitting the market at right prices.But diesel prices will rise.Joe Public in most of the UK are not PC and not effected by corporate ladder bullshit and still prefer to have a nice high spec diesel outside their front door. Stock-There remains no excuse for traders not being able to buy stock.If they cannot buy online,they have to ‘get on their bike’ to find it.Driving up and down the country used to be normal. August Trade - It is hard for most of us to compare because of rising costs,It is OK talking about number of sales but it is the bottom line that counts.Dealer groups employ bean counters to cover up and produce all sorts of t/o figures to show them in a good light,we don’t.If you asked Trevor Finn what Pendragen bottom line was for last month,he would probably know but he would not tell you,it could effect their share price.Look at Vertu and their TV advertising deals of late,they must be struggling,but not according to their CEO.It is going to be harder for the big dealer group bullshit guys.( not Pendragen) The overall market for small independent pros like a lot of the guys on here,remains good because they have the knowledge and ability to adapt.You are going to see some Dealer groups forced into expanding into the used market,but because of their lack of knowledge and experience some may fail.The guys who run Car Giant,Wales Trade Centre,Big Motoring World,Arnold Clark and Pendragen to name a few are top premier league players and are not effected by changes in market conditions. Over and out.

I always found that the week before the new plate kicks in is a good time to buy stock at the block.Vendors often want to get stuff away because they think it will drop in value.While a lot of the trade hang back because they think there will be plenty of better stock to be had next week.In reality newplate swappers and ex lease stuff rarely shows through until late Sept. .....any thoughts on this.

Is ‘that’ it.....No explanation then ?

Exactly,the judges can be daily fee paid lawyers or barristers.( with a bad attitude).Also I think you can only appeal a small claim decision on legal or procedural grounds.So if that is right,how do you do that.