BHM

Yes it does & it doesn’t matter what state it’s in either. As an aside, last week I also saw a totally burnt out (no paint, tyres, windows etc - just 100% rusting metal) Sprinter on the back of a Polish wagon - don’t tell me someone’s dragging that across Europe to rebuild that . They might as well just take the paperwork & leave the carcass . Re: Copart write offs. At Manheim’s one day a lad made a throwaway comment to me; “At least you know they were driving at the time, which is more than can be said about half of this shit”. He may have a point!

“Mubasshar Azam and Amar Ahmed .........which traded as .............. Peter Ashton Motors in Preston.” Enough said.

There’s nowt wrong with a trader selling a car as Spares/Repairs. Advertise it right, tell the punters STRAIGHT, get them to sign away their life & then that’s the end of them.

Dashboard clocks?

I’ve given up on anything with that horrid 1.6 petrol engine. A shame because the 1.6 diesel nowadays seems spot-on (forget early Focuses) whenever I get a Pug/Citroen/Focus in stock. However I leave the Mini market to others more skilled than me in dealing with the fussy & the potless. The newer stuff might be better news but a few years on & the punters are hopeless.

I wouldn’t even look at the private entry/local trader section. We all know they make f.a. money hemce we all know the only reason for the local traders to enter a car is cos it’s that shagged it’s beyond help.

Being computer ignorant it sounds impossible to me but apparently computer savvy fraudsters can intercept & adjust an email between it leaving the sender & arriving at the recipient’s account. To be blunt, f*** knows how they do it, but they do. I had to look it up & up popped Wikipedia with a “wretched hive of scum and villainy”. Surely comparing Mos Eisley with DA vendors is an insult to Mos Eisley?

Don’t hold your breath waiting for that c**t.

That’s why I don’t do business by text.

+1. Surely you mean ‘reputable retailers’

A flurry of activity last week before I went away on a long weekend, however interest has collapsed (zero calls, zero emails).

Stuff Santa and his annual visit, I’ve just had to buy 2 iPhones for the kids. I’ve sold cars for less.

Any cheaper WAVs are slow but steady sellers. They generally carry a premium over non-WAV but not massively so, years ago they made huge money (although only valued at the same as the car they’re based on) but those days are gone as so many more are now in the marketplace. Forget ex-Taxi mega mileage fodder, genuine family cars only. Although I don’t know the price point I guess too new/low miles & too expensive - although I’ve never owned a Doblo in any form. I’ve found the punters buying WAVs secondhand are GENERALLY doing so because they can’t get motability or the car is a short-term prospect until the death of a relative hence they’re cash punters with a limited budget. Basically I’ve done ok in the £3-4000 bracket, they’ve always sat for a month or two, but I’d be wary of retailing more expensive vehicles because the specialists have the market covered or the punters will be on motability.

Yep, feels the the turbo has gone a.w.o.l. Tbh you soon get used to it.

Yep, ALWAYS ask the punter what THEY want. Last week I took in a newer shape 07 miley petrol CRV. “How much, Sir?” ”Errr, how about a grand off your diesel’s price” I couldn’t shake his hand fast enough....... ........unlike another nutter with an 8 owner, doom blue, 2006 1.6 Focus on wheeltrims with no history and a month’s MOT. I didn’t even bother opening the door because I thought ‘surely this is almost scrap money’. Apparently not, it started at a grand but £900 would buy it. “Good luck. Enjoy your car hunting, Sir”.

If it’s an older lower powered version I’m telling you they are as slow as f***

I remember years ago when manheim introduced online buying. I think it was at Knottingley (a smaller auction if you don’t know it), but wherever it was, the online was being trialled. I honestly overheard the ‘I.T. woman’ say something along the lines of “We’ll introduce a charge cos they’re in the comfort of their home & we’ll get away with an additional fee” - I remember looking at another trader . Anyway I don’t know which auction house introduced online bidding, or fees, first but that’s the attitude & tbh they do get away with it. If I’m reincarnated I’ll open my own auction house.

At £450 it would of been towed back to my mechanic, tank drained & refilled.

Those punters who are obsessed with penny pinching (that means plenty of them) aren’t interested in petrols. All they see is a few more MPG & a slight saving on RFL. The death of the diesel is a long way off with my punters.

It’s the wind down to Christmas. It started on 1st December

Either that or just ignore the f***ers - they’re pissing into the wind anyway. I’d be tempted though to make a personal call on my difficult neighbour & tell him face to face the facts of life - these ‘letter writers’ usually don’t have the stomach for direct action.

No, they are sloooooow anyway. The first time I drove one I thought it was knackered. And I’m not joking.

F***ing no chance. Too fancy for me, flash car with warning lights on the dashboard, I’d have sleepless nights. My mechanic can take a week to change a drop link, I’ve 5 (f***ing 5!!!) in a queue waiting for his attention & from what I hear the local BMW ‘specialists’ are overpriced c***ts.

I’ve been driving almost 30yrs & I’m sure consumables such as brake pads, discs, wipers & tyres are cheaper now than they ever were (for run of the mill cars). Two 225/65/17 cheapie Fulda tyres for a CRV yesterday - fitted, balanced, valves etc. -£92+VAT & it’s the same price for a private punter cos I just book them in via the Internet. I had to put a couple of wheelbarrow tyres onto a VW Fox a month or so ago - I think £28+VAT each, I’m sure I paid about £30 each decades ago for a Chevette. A couple of Champion wipers - £4. Apparently ‘my’ MOT station gets cheapo wiper blades for under £1 each. How on earth anyone makes a profit after manufacture, delivery, wholesaler & retailer is beyond me.

F*** me, that’s some achievement.