Tadams

I've never really understood some of these posts "i'm doing this.. i'm enjoying this... i'm doing well with my profit BUT i want to change and do things differently" If what your doing currently works then why change if you don't have too ? As covered above higher value cars don't always mean higher value profit, they do mean a more savvy customer, more expensive come backs and a harder sell.

we've done loads with Zuto, no real issues to speak of. I believe they can work with non FCA dealers as they self invoice rather than going dealer direct.

We have a broker that does all our finance... they decide the rate to sell to the customer. My comms payments doesn't change as we have a signed agreement that shows what we earn on what lend amount with what lender. If the broker drops the rate they earn less money, not us. We have done Hitachi deals at 6.9% in the past at still earn good money.

If it had overheated and pushed everything back out the expansion tank it would be everywhere, not just a little bit on the top of the expansion tank.

Why would you undertake a 200 mile journey in a car with the reported issues ?? ( brakes failing, overheating, EGR issues, injector issues, 3 oil leaks ) Is it a rare car ?? used for a parts swapper and now trying to give it back ??

We use Zuto for all our finance now after Santander , massive lending panel of prime, near prime and sub prime stuff. They are on deal track so makes life very simple to prop to them and they pay fixed comms on everything sub prime and varied comms on everything prime dependent on lend amount. Works well as they have our stock on their search so we get customers back from them who are ready to buy and with anything we prop to them they sort all paper work (proofs for sub prime stuff etc..) and we invoice them and get paid. Ideal really

Personally i wouldn't do it, it stinks of the hubby getting so much ear ache for buying the car that he eventually crumbles and you enter in the situation where they try and find every reason possible to return it. Not worth the hassle of trying to defend a perfectly good car unless you can turn it into a double and sell the wife something sporty too to keep her quiet.

These drink oil at an alarming rate, i'd be 99.9% sure the customer didn't check the oil in the 3 months of driving and that's why it let go. I know that doesn't help you but good to know for the next one.

https://www.paisleyfreight.com/ they specialize in car parts and wheels etc..

I believe Zuto have finally listened to the masses and now offer varied comms on different lends amounts, quite appealing payments to form what I've seen, if you do enough with them you go on the stock search too so you get pre approved customers back for free.

Its about a £1400 option i think that you can have fitted at any time, i believe its JCW embossed air box, JCW engraved exhaust tips but its the full rear section and a flash on the ECU and there's a sticker in the side of it to prove.

Yeh like wise, we use Zuto's new dealer referral team, they work in a similar way (soft search in house first then only goes to where it could be approved) it's been great as the lending panel is x18 now so we next to never get anything come back as declined everywhere. Comms need a bit of work but the ease of process is a plus for us and happy to stick with them until the comms change

I think the broker stock search's are far better option for me to be involved in, for one Zuto's is free (i believe) and they have a proven audience of customers. The issue with lender search engines is alot of the time customer don't look at a lender for a car, i think that's where broker's have the upper hand.

You are correct, sorry pal.. it's what happens when i try and multi task I miss read it as you quoted the guy who wrote it. sorry again. it was actually Avon Valley who wrote the same as the above.

Hiya Graham, That's a lengthy way to say you don't like Auto Trader ! Would be interesting to see how one site compares to the other if you have left AT and the other hasn't. I'm not sure why you knowing what other people pay is relevant though ? so i wouldn't hold you breath on that front. I guess you friend is "Avon Valley" who wrote a very similar reply on the other AT related thread about the "motor trade advertising union" ? personally i haven't heard if it before but the IMDA are having a crack at it so maybe speak to them? though what i would suggest is having a different startegy than complain about the cost of AT all the time **Edited to correct name**

Most of the AT reps stopping visiting dealers to take photos after they watched "making a murderer" on Netflix... (if you haven't watched it ignore me)

Now your just being daft... no one has defended AT prices at all, i just accept them as what they are because i need them to have a business... IF it got to a point where what i spent didn't help me run a business then i wouldn't pay it...it's really quite simple. The fact people moan and pay shows that in reality you need it, people need stop moaning and crack on, one day i'm sure they will be their own demise by putting up the prices because when something does come along that can provide me and my stock the exposure it needs for me to survive i'll be first in line to go BUT until then i grit my teeth and use the tools I pay for and sell what i can.

You don't have to pay for it that's my point.. there's a wealth of knowledge on here and the majority of the time i really enjoy reading through the different post's (some of you guys are actually quite funny ) but it just get's tiresome. Yes i agree we shouldn't have to be constantly thinking about when the next increase is coming and sorry if there was attitude in what i wrote (lack of coffee and the Monday blues) but i struggle to understand when people say "AT is far to expensive, they are cowboys and would love them to go under" but then still advertise all the stock on AT, the fact that people do it just shows it works....Yes its expensive and if we didn't have to pay them what we do i'd have a far nicer car on the drive, but it works and until it doesn't not much will change.

Perhaps rather than writing the same old tripe about the costing of AT and starting another group of "Samaritans" to take them use your time to increase knowledge of different ways you can advertise, social media etc.. There are some guys ion here who's social media work is amazing and really is something we should all explore i guess, Umar, Blakedown, Transparency Cars to name a few. In short as above if you don't like them don't use them.. if it doesn't work for you then the fee's are really of no concern to you... ?

Another post that's turned from someone asking a question to people moaning about AT... I genuinely don't understand why people moan, no one has a gun to your head and force's you to sell with them, if you don't want to pay then it's simple don't ! The fact that people complain but still pay just shows the value to your business of what they can offer or you would have already jumped ship, no ? I completely agree its expensive.. very bloody expensive but without it we certainly wouldn't sell what we do so can i moan .. no, We will grin and bear it until one day something changes with the way we advertise online or we knock the whole thing on the head

I'd just be mindful of the admin fee, it was covered in another post that if you charge an admin fee to one then you have to charge it all (TCF) and all that jazz as the FCA say technically you are penalising the customer for taking out finance with someone else. Like i say with Zuto we prop to them and they pay us a commistion regardless if the customer buys the car from us or another dealer and as thanks to us propping to them they send us pre approved customer at no cost.

So do they actually charge you for selling your own car ? how bizarre... surely they make enough from the lenders they broker for rather than taking from a dealer pocket too ? We work with another broker (like 24/7 but been around alot longer i think but same business model and a funny name) and we get quite a few prime/sub prime customers every month and don't pay a penny for them.

We don't do a huge amount with them after we heard stories of them charging dealers up to £280 for the privilege of selling their own cars... we know a few dealers that just send 24/7 customer referrals elsewhere so rather than paying 24/7 they get paid a referral fee instead haha

To think because they have a big forecourt and a brand logo the glows at night and salesman that where suits they are to be trusted more than your average independent dealer... If only people knew the truth about the inner workings of these big dealers hey.. we would probably all sell a lot more cars ! We try and tell all our customers that in a franchise your a number but in an independent your a name .. cheesy i know but it's accurate

A mate of mine works in a main franchise dealer (well known Japanese/French Brand) The tech's are actively targeted on up selling and can earn a percentage of the cost of work they advise on the health checks and the reception staff on what they can sell to a customer. This usually means that if a brake pad is close to an advisory ... in goes down as one and if a tyre is 3mm so an amber in goes down as a red etc.. It's a real shame main dealers need to make their branches profitable by taking advantage of a not so savvy customer but when you run the risk of getting a a disciplinary for not advising enough work you can see why a tech's hand is forced.