NOACROSS

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Posts posted by NOACROSS

  2. Posted

    52 minutes ago, EPV said:

    2nd best post!

    I’ve seen plenty complain about AT’s prices, like they are some sort of public service. The same people who charge as much as they dare for their cars. 

    Its a business they are a business, like all of us. They charge what they can. You pay it or you don’t and good luck to both sides of the fence. 

    This is the proverbial Marmite debate.  I hate them (love Marmite). 

    You're right- they are entitled to do what the want, they are losing loads of business by charging so much for so little.  Just how long will you put up with the price increases until you stop buying bacon?

    Many more would advertise with them if their prices weren't insane- and the public (the only ones AT care about) would have many more cars on there to choose from, and all their sponsored advertisers/banners etc would get more traffic/results : and that is what they don't get IMHO.

    The times they are a changing....

  3. Posted

    Qualify them before striking the deal as to how are they going to pay.  Very, very few will have no other means of paying.  If you can't get alternative payment type out of them, or sell them finance (should be cheaper than their credit card deal) or do as suggested above, then I will reluctantly take it AT THE ASKING PRICE.  It'll only be once in a blue moon so I'd rather sell the car than lose it. 

    • Like 1

  4. Posted

    We dropped them coming up two years ago- made little difference, especially when you factor in how many units sold go to paying them! We don't miss them at all and the world didn't end.

    However, we are a small used independant, so maybe even I (who hate AT with a vengeance) would maybe think differently if I was one of the big boys. I dunno.  The prices are mental and it should be fair and offered at the same rate to everyone EXCEPT there should be better bulk buy discounts and everyone should get more stock for the money & in my opinion DOUBLE what they give now (like they do at Xmas).

    • Like 1

  5. Posted

    And, remember, you've gotta sell what- three cars a month (notwithstanding allowance for their famous never ending five week months/confusing invoicing) just to pay the robbing so and so's? (Assuming your net profit per unit is apx.£500 after VAT etc) 36 units a year 

    (is your website an AT one?)

  7. Posted · Edited by NOACROSS
    duplicate words

    You 'could' use your ebay (motors pro) Showroom for your website until you decide to take the plunge.

    You'll need to buy a domain name of your choosing first from somewhere like easily.com or Godaddy etc. Then copy and paste the very long ebay showroom address from the address bar into your account you set up, and have this new company address (e.g www.mark101.com or something better obviously that you've chosen) forwarding to the ebay showroom address. So basically it forwards to the ebay showroom.

    Hope that all makes sense, and I wouldn't pay Autotrader for anything if it was me.  

    Otherwise, Click Dealer are brilliant, but I'd wait a while if I was you.  Take small steps for a few months is my advice. Build it slowly.

    • Like 1

  8. Posted

    So true. Maybe six months at best. Or perhaps we’re just miserable like my wife often says about me no)

     Lesson one: the only car to like is a sold car! Or the one with juice in it you can use for the weekend. 

    (What’s to like? Is it me?)

    • Like 1

  9. Posted

    11 minutes ago, BHM said:

    although having any car for a couple of months nowadays isn’t necessarily the disaster it used to be - I think it’s a sign of the times.

    Ha - agreed. I've just said goodbye (finally) to a Merc I've had for a year. (I remember my old man in the 80's used to call a car 'a bottler' if he'd had it over a week!)

  10. Posted

    From a punter's point of view- there are good and bad garages too remember.  I think that often, this nit-picking is their way of sounding you out, and also, some really haven't got a clue what to say or are nervous etc. so come out with random nonsense.

    Today's messer can be tomorrow's buyer (or next year's buyer).

    Just smile politely and move on is best I find if they're clearly not managing their expectations. As has been said: you do't 'have' to sell them the car as much as they don't 'have' to buy & it's always worth qualifying them to see if it's worth your while.   I've found that if they're a pain before buying, then that's nothing to what they'll be like once they're in it!  

    Most reading this will know that you'll work much harder to satisfy a buyer at the lower end of the price spectrum than at the mid-range (as it's likely to be all their money).

    We find that the Audi and VW buyers as well as small car buyers are often v. hard work too; so I adjust our stock profile accordingly where possible.

    P.S.

    3 hours ago, trade vet said:

    If you take a look at those who do wheelchair accessible stuff,you are talking serious profit margins.

    We've tried a few WAV cars and yes, nice profit but have always taken eons to sell.

    • Like 2

  11. Posted

    On 13/03/2018 at 11:09 PM, BHM said:

    Personally I don’t want the Gumtree part of the deal (I don’t sell DVD, old fridges & stolen power tools) so I’m just sticking with EbayMP at just under £200pm before the Vodka & Tonic. 

    The tosspots firing off pathetic offers isn’t an eBay phenomenon, it’s the internet full stop empowering spineless timewasting cretins. There are plenty of nutters looking at AT.

    Absolutely.  Very true and certainly not just ebay.

  13. Posted

    Motors.co/uk (average, still not convinced), ebay Motors Pro Classified (most leads are from here-with best offer enabled), Car Gurus (can advertise for free), Exchange & Mart, Local Press too when there's an offer on. Bookface as well, although just through paid banner campaigns occasionally via Exchange and Mart.

    Website is hosted by the excellent Click Dealer who also take care of the SEM to whatever level you want.

    Remember, lots of people google search first rather than just going to a dedicated advertising site (this has been covered to death on this forum so I don't want to start that conversation of Autotrader Wars again, but we haven't missed them)

    Main road Site, but not many walks ons that haven't seen it online. We're in a pretty rural location and there's not much going on in the village otherwise.

  15. Posted

    Same here.  Done well with them, but I've actually gone up to the block to attempt to see it start up, go through/look at the dash etc...

    However, I disposed of my wife's TT Roadster (low mileage 3.2 DSG auto) through WBAC a couple of years ago, as I just couldn't face retailing the german junk.

    BTW-Does anyone else who uses Manheim get worried about bidding on a car where the say 'Unidentified Strong Odour?  This bothers me, even if the Sure Check is Silver etc.  I'm too suspicious it's code for 'don't buy me because..'

  16. Posted

    23 hours ago, RH Trading said:

    No - not an email, finance enquiry, phone call, nothing for 10 weeks. The most expensive advertising I've ever done, @ £7 per car they are well and truly shafting the dealers, people talk about AutoTrader being a rip off but at least it works, on top of that I was told by my motornovo rep (who up till this fiasco launched was fantastic but now very cold) that this will mean my commissions might be cut. Aw well, more business for Santander.

    this whole site should have been free to dealers to advertise stock until we start getting a response then charge us a fair price to advertise, not paying for a promise that it might one day in a few years time might, just might deliver some sales. I couldn't believe from day one they were asking dealers to pay £7 per car, tying them into long contracts then saying they were using this money to market themselves. So really no risk to Motornovo, no initial outlay on building audience and no marketing cost as this was already covered form the dealers pocket

    MOTONOVO - if you want it to work, give it away free till its worth charging for. you'd then get all the cars from dealers instead of the paltry 60,000 cars you have on there which in turn would drive people to come to the site. You're going to fail but you wont care because its cost you nothing - you're getting hundreds of thousands of pounds every month from dealers and not delivering, just speaking for myself here but hate wasting money

    Agreed and I so want it to work.  I approached my rep too and said it needs to be half the price at least, but really free to existing dealers.  I also mentioned how Motors.co.uk had to seriously rethink their prices after the initial overpricing- but she's not interested, or at least is all closed up about it.  

    I thought they were chucking a load of their own money in too but I dunno if this is so.  Those TV adverts aren't cheap though.

    I've had a couple of enquiries but ithas led to nothing.

     

  17. Posted

    I use neither too. 

    You can just do what the punters do for FREE on the 'value my car' bit on Autotrader and google 'free hpi valuations' and there's also a free one there. We Buy Any Car also takes two seconds if you want a low CAP price (but use an old email address for all of these as you get a few follow up emails trying to get you to sell.)

    • Like 2

  19. Posted

    Ha. Yes I guess so.  Luckily the three miles I'm going home testing a car I'm taking it to the auto electrician's for an A/C re-gas in the morning, or showing it to a customer or it's just had an EML on that now needs drivin... the list is endless. ;0)

    I have the trusty old CRV at home to actually use at other times.

    Last time I left a late ML on the forecourt a month, it cost me £850 at Mercedes to get working again. German crap...

    ...anyway- is anybody selling anything today or is it just me having too much time on my hands?

    3 minutes ago, Dan W said:

     

    4. Display of trade plates

    A trade plate:

    • must be displayed on a vehicle as long as it is visible and vertical on both the front and rear (rear only for motorcycles)

    • cannot be displayed inside a vehicle ........ ?

    Oh must admit I have been doing it wrong for the last 10 years then ours is just inside the windscreen and rear window, never been stopped on this.

    Yeah - we've mentioned this before . Displayed vertically is hilarious.  Idiots. I have a multi fit kit to the trade plates so can often clip on below the numberplates,but I must admit- I tend to just stick them to the front and back windows with suckers.

    We're very rural and I can't remember the last time I even saw a police car.  Just the odd 'Speed Awareness Course filler' vans occasionally.

  20. Posted · Edited by NOACROSS

    25 minutes ago, tradex said:

    Had a tug before Christmas 2016 because the car was on trade plates and it was 8pm. Collected a car from the painters ready for morning prep'.

    The copper was adamant they couldn't be used in the hours of darkness:huh:....them plates do make one a target.

    He needs to read this the fool (The Copper not Tradex ;0):

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/674043/vtl301g-guidance-notes.pdf

  21. Posted

    I just use something different each week or so and use trade plates.  Been doing it for ages.  Usually one of the fleet of german rubbish diesels that won't shift. 

    Plus it seems to stop them pooping themselves (which they inevitably do if they just sit on the forecourt)

  22. Posted

    What's wrong with people, honestly. 

    I was a manager for a big supermarket with a petrol station many years ago, and I can't remember anyone moaning.  I do remember reading something about one store that had a batch of contaminated fuel delivered, which (I think) had water in it or something.

    Millions of cars run on and use supermarket fuel with no issues.  Can't believe some of these questions the punters come up with - even after so many years in the game.   

    Wasn't there a post on here a while back where someone was asked by a potential customer if they could 'categorically say that a dog had never been in the car'? Shouldn't laugh..

    • Like 2

  24. Posted

     

    5 minutes ago, grant8064 said:

    No the customer is the solicitor!

    You'd think they'd know better and understand that a ten year old vehicle won't achieve the same MPG as a brand new one tested in lab conditions but hey ho. Given the complaint and a couple of other spurious claims it's a simple refund and resell. Sometimes it's just not worth investing time in these 'people'

    Wow. I'd tell him to 'go for his life & do his worst'.  Refund?  Really? Another (short term) owner on the log book to explain-paperwork, re-preparation costs etc. 

    I can see why you don't want the headache perhaps, but he's taking the piss.  Free car hire for him is all it is.  Good on you for unwinding it I say.