NOACROSS

Yeah, I agree and this is (one thing from many) I hate about Autoraper. too. Car Gurus days in stock is hateful too but it is buried a bit in the pages. Trouble is, as I've said before, they (AT, Car Gurus etc) do not consider us as their customers. It's all about the Punter. A fair amount of my stock is 'overpriced' and, like Rory says, it often helps- especially because the car is high spec, unusual, very low miles or a combination of this.

As Nick says-you don’t need to use all your facility and you clearly need to have a good ratio of owned and funded stock but yes, if you went mad and sales went patchy, you could be asking for a spaning unless you had cash reserves etc. (Spanking even) Edit button!

Same stories circulate from time to time with SOR cars not being paid for when sold to be fair. And you need a purchase invoice to load on to the facility so I’d have thought that story is more that they didn’t get paid rather than it being on the facility. Maybe they didn’t get paid because the place went pop (and the provider also collected their stock) and the SOR stock has just been sold and has nothing to do with the stocking plan people.

Same here. Well a couple a month worse way.

Ten a week! Good old days! ;0) Playing Devil's Advocate: in the above example, If you'd sold a load and waiting for the funds, plus another load in prep, then that's a load of dough outstanding and perhaps you then get offered some more you don't want to miss or there's some bargains at the auctions (yeah it happens)- then I think a fund may be the answer to your prayers in that case. Especially with a big vat quarter going up, staffing costs etc etc. Chunky Px's and so on.

I couldn’t understand where TV was coming up with the 10% cost bit from, but from your reply James I guess he’s saying 10 % of your profits -which to me seems cheap. You’re right. The banks can barely lend a pen let alone any money to the car trade.

I think Lucas going there to see a brief snapshot of how it works is a good idea, but taking his own cars? I dunno. He hasn’t got many so might be OK short term. You’re right about the mess from the car wash. It will be a pain, but he’s not planning on moving on there permanently (well, not as we speak, but it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s the next thread!) You need to tell your insurance company Lucas if you’re putting cars there. Even temporarily. Just imagine if they got nicked overnight and you weren’t covered. Or some idiot drove into one.

If we're quoting Dylan song's: my favourite is 'The Idiot Wind' ;0)

Ha. Brilliant. A drink isn’t ‘a drink’ by the way, but it isn’t the end of the world if that’s what you bring him. :o)

As TV has just very sagely as ever put; having a site isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be or can appear, so move and learn slowly. I don’t think I’d take on a site if I came out of mine (or someone offered me sensible money to move out I would) but that’s as much the number of years I’ve been doing it. I would much prefer a small set up like AD etc now I think as I approach my fifties. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with borrowing money if you have to, but don’t think a site is ‘where it’s at necessarily, as the overheads are a killer, and the world has changed. I said on another thread earlier -as did others, that even with a main road site, the majority of the business is ‘virtual’. We hope that the gravitas of having a site helps a bit, but it isn’t the golden chalice it once was. BTW, I couldn’t have a ‘day job’. I think I’m almost unemployable now and the cars game gets under your skin and on the whole is very rewarding and often hateful at the same time. Once you’ve been self employed I think most people would agree. If you don’t mind your day job and haven’t known any difference, then keep it while you can and do it on the side. This is what I did many years ago, until it got to a point where I was resenting the day job.

Good stuff. Sometimes you have to go with your gut. I feel you’ll need much longer than two weeks, as you may not see hardly any (or any) punters. You seem honourable Lucas, so I’m sure you’ll at least offer to give him a drink-especially if you sell a car. Keep us posted!

I’m with you Tom (did I mention that? ;o) as are all the mechanics I use. The German stuff is better if it’s newer and well maintained. Even better if still under manufacturer’s warranty. Dreadful product at age. I shiver when they come in PX Anyway-if we all liked the same things, it’d be a dull world! (Same dread with Vauxhall’s)

What’s in it for him? Who gets the money when a customer buys when you’re not there? Be careful. Maybe he’s just a nice bloke. You’ve only got to be lucky once. (What do you mean ‘break cars’?)

Yup -true as always TV.. Try to keep them all clean and is a never ending battle for the Polish lad. We've talked before about displaying all lined up properly and no similar colours next to each other. My friends think I'm bonkers doing this BTW. I only put things like 'auto' or 'very low mileage' '7 seater' or that sort of sticker up as I say. I'm just wondering if this is indeed an old days thing to do that should be consigned to the 'in the old days we used to..' category and the stickers are straight out of the 80's. I quite like the magnetic roof boards as they're smart and makes the place look more 'proper'. Again, I might be wrong though (and I'm not talkig about those dreadful old frame swinging type ones.) What about covering the front plates? I know we've touched on this before and I've never done it/don't like it, but what do I know....things change.

Hateful German troublesome crap. ;0) Anyway, it's All Wheel Drive no- not 4WD? Can only send a maximum of 50% to the front or rear I thought?

We try to push for viewings by appointment, and to a large extent this happens and we know they're coming. Trouble is with 35 odd cars in stock or more and a main road site, you do get the walkins and unannounced travellers. It is a lot less than it used to be though. Same with opening hours - particularly in the winter- we used to be in at 8 and off past six -ust waiting for someone else to maybe pop in. Advertised opening hours now are 10 - 4 (other times by appointment). Has worked well.

Have we had this one yet? People that just turn up on site, open the car and its bonnet etc without saying Hi! or asking if it's OK and jump in/ especially with their kids jumping all over it. I remember (another old days story) when this happened to a trader who used to share another site with me- the above happened and he noticed their car out the front was open so he jumped in that and started pushing all the buttons and opening their bonnet etc. They came storming over asking him what he thought he was doing. His reply: 'oh I thought I had to do the same as you! But without the childrens dirty feet and hands all over it.' They didn't buy surprisingly. This is the sort of punter who will also leave without saying anything (and have dirty feet).

Ha - yes, this is so true. Old age. You bought the car, photo'd it, did the advert etc. but when a customer asks me the mileage....urrrmmm..

They all sell eventually ate. We live & learn. I do OK with small, five door autos, but we're in 'old people central here in the New Forest) so that explains it. I know 'Just Looking' does OK with small cars (including manual ones I think) though- and he's not far from us. Weird game we're in. I can never hold on to a half sensible profit with them and the punters on them annoy me more than usual. Especially people buying them for their 'little darlings'. edit: (mate, not ate. Are we ever going to get a fix for lack of like and edit button!)

Don’t think we’ve covered this before that I can remember- but for those of us with sites or cars on permanent display: who uses window stickers etc. still? I do, but try to limit it to two or maybe three per car. Particularly, Very Low Miles, Automatic and One Owner mostly. I also use roof boards promoting the warranty and price boards promoting the Fonance company. On the dash there’s a Silent Salesman Sheet. One pitch in my town only has the SS (no price boards) and that’s quite small and hangs from the mirror. Another has price boards but no stickers and covers the reg plates with an RAC plate. I guess the idea is so that punters have to get out and go have a look. That and they think a punter won’t dismiss the idea of a car in passing for being too old? I just think most look on line anyway- even if they drive past, they’ll look it up online later- so not sure it helps. I do wonder if the way I do it is old fashioned. Thoughts please.

No one has said it as probably too obvious (and I know some think it’s silly) but old-school people like us open the tailgates most days. Helps to show some life /that you’re open too. I also leave a back window open slightly the first day a car comes back from the valeter. I forgot to do this on a Prius over Xmas break, and now it’s growing yogurt inside.

Hi Steve. Download the guide from the banner at the top of this page. Ten quid well spent It’s a very tough business to get into and get right. There’s also loads of threads on this subject on this forum, and forgive me, but we get a lot of these sort of posts, so (once you’ve downloaded and digested the how to guide), spend a day or two reading through old threads. Trade plates cover the no car tax bit (with rules and regulations as to when they can be used). Good luck and feel free to post any sensible questions once you’ve done the above.

Don’t count your chickens yet mate. Selling to friends and family can be (and is often) a drama. ‘That Car you sold me two years ag.....’ Remember: ‘no good deed goes unpunished Terry!’ Make sure you prepare it over and above. For me, bigger cars are the way to go. Little cars are hard to sell and especially with a margin.

1-3 grand? Ouch. Asking for trouble! Truly dreadful product at that age and price point. Nothing but trouble. I’m no big fan of the newer ones either, but they’re better, but you get what you pay for as with everything. There is a member on here Super-mini (?) who may or may not give you some advise but I think, like Nick says, it will be ‘don’t ‘ i still buy plenty private without issue and EPV’s advice is what I would and have suggested to newbies. At least you get a good chance to look them over and drive them

Well done. How come? Someone you know?