BHM

I’ve been to four different auction houses this weeks. What connected them all was empty yards & the trade buying up almost anything. This week I’ve seen bidders paying into book for bottom to mid range Focuses with knackered engines.

Nick, that’s mistaking the minimum servicing schedule for actually maintaining a car. Anyone who believes that old tosh will think they’ll never replace another bush, spring, shock, drop link, suspension arm, ball joint, cv joint, gaitor, track rod end etc. etc. ....***feel free to list another 1000 items here***. Maintaining an old car involves a damn sight more than the manufacturers’ service schedules.

Although I don’t use DA I’m still a member (but blocked from bidding) and I received the same email that also referred to another email but I’ve had nowt yet either. As for your second paragraph anyone who thinks Autotrader & a Manheim company are going to honour the £99pa grandfather rights for long are kidding themselves.

Broom shanks have many uses. I remember when I was a young kid in the 70’s, broom shanks were also used to separate dogs copulating. Those were the days

Hahaha, I laughed at that. That must be part of the tool box nowadays. Mind you, what’s wrong with a £1.99 4’ wooden broom shank from Toolstation?

How they got away with that claim for the last couple of years is a joke. You’d have to switch it off & coast downhill to achieve such a ridiculous claim. If a dozy, numb Outlander is the answer to the world’s toxic emissions I’ll eat dog shit - what a horrible car. I just don’t see the benefit in carting around two engines. There currently is no appetite around here for an early Prius and as for EVs, forget it! I see these alleged world-savers having a very hard time a few years down the line. One thing that frightens off older car punters are tales of expensive maintenance costs. Anyone really fancy a 12yr old hybrid BMW that couldn’t even get through the initial warranty period without thousands of pounds of repairs?

From what I’ve seen this week at the block the only reason people have traded-in their old car is because it’s shagged. After spending an hour inspecting cars yesterday I came away, watched the auction online & saw cars with knackered engines etc. all making clean money - these aren’t nowt special, I’m on about 8-10 yr old cars. Fuck knows where’s the profit after fixing them.

In advance so the cars can all be sold & driven away NOW. My stock isn’t in the first flush of youth so it also gives me chance to get them repaired & tbh I regularly do more than the MOT tester insists upon. Also, about 50% of punters know how to check the MOT history so they like to know what to expect (although 50% of that 50% haven’t a fucking clue what they’re looking at and can’t understand why a secondhand car has advisories - what sort of tester can’t find something to comment on, or fail, on an old car? )

It’s ok for those who have their own private parking & thus a dedicated area for a charging point installation. What about the millions of people in terraced houses, flats (apartments if you’re posh) and basically every other property where a public footpath separates the car from the home? The infrastructure just isn’t here. Yet?

You can forget all of the big talk, promises etc. - pound notes (or whatever payment you take) sorts the wheat from the chaff. I believe absolutely sweet f.a. what punters tell me until they turn into customers (that means get their money out). It would be nice to be proved wrong but phrases such as “I’m not a messer” is the death knell of any deal.

Just thinking, any car coming off a private plate, a change of address, duplicate V5 etc. etc. will generate a very recent date anyway.

I’d say a small oil leak on a secondhand car that’s a few years old isn’t a fault, it’s wear & tear and comes with the territory. Most older cars have some sort of minor leak or oil seepage from what I see. Not wishing to tempt fate I’ve never had a complaint or a car returned due to an oil leak, but admittedly I’m not selling 40 grand Porsches. However I’ve had the occasional punter walk away from a minor leak but I’ve also had punters walk because they don’t like red cars (after coming to see a red car) etc.

What’s wrong with you, you Pussy? Don’t you like buying a car then finding the previous keeper got it a week last Wednesday?

I can’t see how working from the door dictates your working hours. Surely one of the pluses of self-employment is choosing one’s own hours?

Hahaha, I think I might of made a right cnut of myself .

So so true, 99.9999999% of the time “I’m not a messer” means exactly the opposite.

+1. I’m flexible time-wise if I think there’s a sale to be had (Mon-Sat) but not with local test pilots - they can fit in with my plans. Tbh distance punters are what I prefer, it’s locals phoning for a look who “can’t make it for a day or two” that aren’t really serious anyway - they can fuck off.

I’ve got something that wants sucking if you’re interested. I guess the alarm systems aren’t as good as BMW makes you believe?

Who’d a thought it? An man ‘in the trade’ telling us he has extensive sales & buying experience with a query regarding awkward customers. He sounded 100% genuine to me.

Do me a favour, email me the name of the place you can buy cheaply & regularly enough to sell to the trade & make a wage.

Interesting. Thanks for letting us know.

Customers, that means people who actually buy, ok. Punters, about 75% are cunts.

What’s the engine code? Aaaarrrggggghhhhh!!!!