Darkbluecars

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Posts posted by Darkbluecars

  1. Posted

    57 minutes ago, Beautiful South Martin said:

    Looking for some advice on a Fiat 500 1.2 petrol convertible with a start stop issue. After driving the car for about 5-6 miles the S start stop disconnected light comes on the dash together with a warning triangle. When you drive it from cold and stall it intentionally the SS works ok but won't come on a junctions etc. Had it to the local auto electricians who has changed the battery and the brake switch which he said was faulty, its still no different. Its looking like its going to have to go a fiat main dealer. Anybody had a similar issue and a cure?

    I had this issue with one bought at auction and was within the 3 year manufactures warranty. Took to dealership “sorry sir that’s not covered in the third year” 

    Really?? that’s a surprise bearing in mind it’s even called Fiat Stop Start on the V5 you’d have thought that it may have been covered. 

     It was a software update at the dealership and was £60, about half the price of battery so not too bad

  2. Posted

    Morning, Thank you for the replies it's good to hear your opions. 

    My take on this has been various options from SOR to commission but my preference has always been to be buy the car outright. However they're always sold under my name with all the usuall responsibilities.

    I've always tried to put my car obsessed friend off these 'selling for a friend' ads. I'm generally successful, on the one occaasion I wasnt he had a very interesting chat with DVLA as the seller had never told them he'd bought the car/p.ex'd it and was driving it around on the previous owners V5 and Tax!!. Ive no idea why they hadn't wondered where their tax refund was.

    Anyway, the reason this has come up again is a family member is interested in a Commercial type vehicle which they are finding it hard to source. So this seller has advertised a vehicle on their business facebook page but when they've called about the vehicle the seller says it being sold on behalf of a customer to whom they'd originally sold the vehicle to. They offered to arrange finance but insisted the sale would considered to be a private sale. The family member says under those terms, thanks but no thanks.

    Then shortly after that call, the seller contacts them to say they would offer a three month warranty for £500 plus VAT but that would be it, still a private sale. They continued to say that if they were retailing it, it would be about £3000 more so the customer was getting £2500 off, by in effect buying it privately. 

    This isn't a back street outfit, it's a limited company with retail premises. A few enquiries has revealed that this is common practice by this company. So as i said in the OP it appears even larger companies are using this practice to avoid their obligations under the CPA and I can only assume generally quite successfully

  4. Posted

    Just interested in everyone’s views on something which seems to be becoming much more common.

    Dealer advertising a car on their website but either in the blurb or during a call reveals they are selling it privately. Usually the story goes an old client returned the vehicle to them and they are just selling it on for them or it’s a friends vehicle.

    The reason I’ve come across this is I have a friend is constantly looking at cars and sending me ads asking what I think. The ads from plastic traders have always tried “the selling for a friend” but I’ve noticed more and more larger outfits trying it on. I know it’s to avoid the CPA but plenty must be getting away with it.

  8. Posted

    3 hours ago, David Horgan said:

    No where to go , Nothing to see , No one to talk to , Cant even have a barbie on the garden with friends . 

    We call it smiling at them , he raises his lip if anyone comes near my wife , they instantly retreat :D

    You can only have Barbie on the garden if she’s a member of the household

  9. Posted

    14 hours ago, Boycie said:

    Yes, I massively underestimated the effect of the reaction to this, didn't see this coming at all....

    But, I still stand by the death statistics. 1700 a day die in this country, we are up to maybe 80-100 a day now, which I know will rise but is still a tiny amount compared to the amount of people killed by smoking each year.  Not sure i've ever seen you saying anything about smoking being bad for us all and how we should all stop immediately.

    A minimum of 50% of these people would have died anyway this year.

    The main point, which I heard from someone much clever than me on the news earlier, is that if the UK economy contracts by more than 7% because of the partial shutdown, more people will die through poverty, than will be killed through the virus.

    So the choice is, vulnerable people who are elderly and have underlying health conditions, or vulnerable people who are poor and also the destruction of the economy.

    I think we can all see what the Chinese government has saved, and what Trump wants to do so he can have the Churches packed full of people for Easter....

     

     

     

    Before you belittle the consequences of this virus it maybe useful to listen to the accounts of the Spanish Dr’s working in a critical care environment. The accounts are of Medical Staff fighting and failing to save someone’s life only to turn around to find someone choking to death in the next bed and just having to watch them. 

    Victims of this virus are not passing away peacefully surrounded by loved ones. It must be terrifying. It must be like dying in a war zone. The health service in every country operates a just in time policy and this tiny extra demand, as you allude to, means thousands of people are dying in horrific circumstances. 

     

     

  11. Posted

    Sounds like an accurate account of the position as I understand it. If you're in the business of selling cars you're bound by the CPA, the warranty is something you provide as a way of adding value over and above the consumers statutory rights. EBay is full of traders advertising cars as a business with the caveat that there is no comeback and no warranty but they are just as liable under the CPA. I often wonder why Trading Standards don't act on these ads. I realise ebay couldn't give a toss. 

  12. Posted

    I've stood in an empty hall... Just me, the auctioneer and the car, listening to the bids running up without online bids!!! I've always understood its legal upto the reserve, I maybe wrong. Whereas on the goodies side, spinning anyone, legal or not 

  15. Posted · Edited by Darkbluecars

    3 hours ago, Jaime said:

    EPV. I understand everything you say. I just hate toxicity. Just dont bother coming onto this thread or bother typing out a message if your just going to be like a bitter old man.

    I'm sure we all needed help when we first started and that's what I'm here for.

    I haven't just come on here after a day of thinking about car-trading. I've been looking and scanning through, I read the same stuff over and over but there is nothing better than speaking to actual people who do what you want to do.

    Thanks for your input anyway. Really appreciate it.

    I think the questions you've asked could be resolved pretty easily with a few equiries yourself, the advice you're getting from some might seem blunt or toxic but it reflects the reality of business in a very tough arena. If you don't like toxiity or confrontation you may find it a difficult job. It's one thing having a dealership behind you when dealing with angry customers it's another having them come to your home shouting the odds. If you've got family or a partner it's worth bearing mind. Most customers are fine but you have to consider you're inviting complete strangers into your home and there are some crazy people out there. 

    Some dealers who have been operating for some time do get a bit impatient with new entrants as there are so few barriers to entry anyone thinks they can do it. 

  16. Posted

    One of the problems with part time trading with a tiny amount of stock is the fact that things can grind to a halt when you get a car that just won't sale. If you've got 10 vehicles and one sticks it's a pain but doesn't drag the business down. When you've got two cars and they won't sale what do you do? It's a genuine question you'll have to resolve otherwise you could be doing nothing for two months. 

  17. Posted

    Thanks Willoughby and Trade Vet. That confirms what I'd suspected. I'm not a limited company but it does make sense that it should be at market value. The opportunity for avoiding tax would be to transfer appreciating classics into your name then use your personal annual Capital Gains Tax Allowance to minimise the tax bill. 

  18. Posted

    Hi all, more of an accounting question than a vehicle question 

    I've been trading since 2005 first from home and then from a Unit. I've currently got a couple of cars that now fall into the bracket of popular classics. One in particular has appeared in quite a few years of the accounts, in the opening and closing stock sections. Taking life a bit easier these days and would like to take the two out of stock into my private ownership. 

    No problem with registering them in my name but as far as valuing them for tax purposes does anyone have any idea how to go about it. I've had a few over the years that I've bought as stock but then a close family member has wanted them and they've gone back out showing a nominal profit only. On the market the two cars in question would show a combined profit of approximately £4500 on their valuation. 

    So the question is what do I have to pay for them. 

    Any thoughts or experience would be appreciated. 

  21. Posted

    I had one I've not heard before today. I've got a modern classic ad on eBay and someone messages to say would you sell me the badge off it!!! It's an immaculate example with low miles. It's been around a while but perhaps thats the answer with slow sellers, sell them bit by bit.

  23. Posted

    Hi All. I've only contributed a couple of times here but a regular viewer. I've been trading full time since 2005 but only found you all a couple of years ago. I've found the shared info really helpful and interesting.

    I know this is isn't a happy topic for my first go but I can't find any information that deals with my question.

    My concern is about the fumes at car auctions. I happily stand for a few hours a day inhaling noxious fumes relieved only occasionally by a noxious coffee. Purely anecdotal I know but quite a few of my middle aged acquaintances have suffered some unpleasant illnesses which may or may not be linked. Has anyone ever come across any studies into the subject or come across remedies. I see a few guys wearing face masks these days.

    Sorry about the gloomy subject as a starter 

  24. Posted

    My 206cc story in brief. Petrol 2.0 gets bogged down at low revs in second and third. Usual plugs etc then trip to Peugeot Main Agent, diagnose hydraulic lifters, "as you're trade...£880 thank you very much". 

    Politely declined, toured the car around and received quite a lot of useful advice.

    Began to narrow down to an ECU problem. Back to a different Peugeot Main Agent. Software update, £60 solved the problem. Perfect.

    I often wonder what the original Main Agent would have done with the car whilst it was with them. Mentioning no names but their intials are Robins Day in Bristol. This was years ago now.