CJ Underhill

Just a quick one Do any of you use number plate covers for taking pictures? Ya'no the show plate type number plates with your company name or logo to cover the vehicles number plate? Do you find them effective? I used to spend time editing out the number plates on my pictures, only to be told by an autotrader rep not to, as customers may think i am trying to hide something. Also, where do you get them from? and how do you attach them? are they just stuck on? clips? velcro?

A lot of the GTI's have become rally cars. The silverstones as the name suggests were track cars used at Silverstone (could you tell?) Think the only difference was the red floor mats, silverstone plaque & badging, and a roll cage. Probably because of the roll cage they are more popular with the rally guys as the Harry Hockly ones cost a small fortune. I get two responses to my GTI, either "i remember when these came out and always fancied one" or "is it some sort of Honda? Citroen?" Are you on the owners club tradex? i feel i should know you haha. But if the time ever comes to sell.... you know where i am

hmmmm a silverstone edition? fancy part ex'ing it?

Thats the problem with working in the trade, im like a kid in a candy shop, i just can't say no Currently own Modified Proton Satria GTI, a standard Proton Satria GTI, a classic Saab 900 Turbo Convertible, Porsche 924, Porsche 944, 1978 Mini 1000, 1992 Mini Mayfair Oh and a VW Golf

I tell them its more expensive if they want to pay cash, as it costs more to bank the bloody stuff

Is everything okay at home mate? The most annoying for me are what i call the "pistonhead brigade", those who have spent 10minutes on the internet and are suddenly a knowitall expert, quoting every issue anybody has ever had with the vehicle as a "common" problem while quoting Parkers price guide and reciting every word the ***** Clarkson has ever said about the vehicle as gospal Also, what seems nothing, but really grinds my gears is the what i call "sunday morning halfords club", the ones who have a bottle of every screen wash, oil, coolant etc in the boot at all times, always have to have upgraded headlight bulbs, better wipers etc and have been suckered in by marketing and believe Autoglym is the best product known to man and have a bottle of everything they have ever made and wont be told that Super resin polish and protection won't make any difference to a 14 year old banger Oh and those who think 2 old MOT certs & a reciept from Big Bobs Tyres for 2 tyres it had 4 years ago equates to their part exchange having a "full service history"

There are some lovely people out there, as you mention, the bottles of wine, tins of beer & mince pies/biscuits at christmas go down really well. The ones that i appriciate the most tho, we have had a few customers who have come in, said they are looking at buying XXXX car, and can we service/look after that vehicle, as if we can't then they won't buy it. Touching that the most important issue for them buying a vehicle is that they can still use us for servicing etc, can't get much better than that in my mind

to me it means nothing.... I know the biggest Con man who has got RAC backed scheme To me its like the "Good garage" scheme.... means nothing, as anyone can be on it aslong as you pay

Not as far as i am aware.. which is a shame as i have 2 Tho howmanyleft recon there are only about 100 left, once it gets to double figures they might start increasing

Oil leaks. seen quite a lot that require engine rebuilds around 40-60k miles

That i have one on my pitch

I wanted an early Evo 1/2/3 to to swap the engine & calipers in my Satria. They were fetching £1k-£2k which wasn't too bad.... now they are fetching £4k-£5k

Holiday? are we allowed swear words on this forum? Why spend money when you can be making it? On a serious note. Just do it. Would you really trust anyone else to look after the place? Make deals? Talk to customers? Do you have any friends in the trade? Someone who could maybe look after the place while you are away?

Just looking through DA now Spotted a vehicle that looked familar. Vehicle had been to me for a service a couple of months ago, owner had popped in last week to see if i'd be interested in buying the vehicle off them. I didn't. Was just too much work & prep on it to A. Make the customer a resonable offer B. To make any decent profit on. I decided to pass Just spotted the same vehicle on DA at another dealership. No mention of the lacquer peel on the bonnet, front wing, front bumper. The rust bubbles on the rear arch, the scuff on the rear qtr, or the rip in the leather seat & strangly enough there are very few images of the vehicle, and taken at such angles that they can't be seen. Oh yeah... they seem to have forgot to mention that the dual mass flywheel is rattling away like a marble in a tin can

GTOs are nice, but bulky.. I prefer the FTO with the Mivec engine

Modern Classics are the way forward at the moment Anything 70's/80's early 90's.. Mercs, BMW, Hot hatches etc Also, keep an eye out for the early Jap stuff. Mitsubishi Evo's, Poobarus, Skylines etc as there will be a good export market to the USA

With regards to stock, it really is trial and error i think. Have a nosey round your local dealers, used car sales centres. What are they stocking? They will know what sells and what doesnt. Also think, if every sales place near you are stocking 3 year old clios/corsa's etc is it worth competing? can you?, what can you offer to get peoples business off them? Whilst you are looking there, keep an eye on what has moved and what hasn't. Are certain cars coming in and going straight out? or are a certain make, bodystyle etc sitting for sale for months? What works for one might not work for others. A place local to me does a great trade in Mini's, yet i have always struggled to shift them. Also, keep your eyes peeled when out and about. Whats in the local Tesco car park? Are they nearly new cars, old bangers etc? Get a feel of what your locals are driving. If you need a chat, just ask its a quite week and im lonely

I had a dabble at the first time drivers market. It was tough. As Mojo says, in that market, customers are very unrealistic. They tend to want an as new car, with full history and ultra reliabilty for £1,000. Never going to happen. Also you need think, 17/18 year olds are very social media friendly. Have you looked at your local facebook buying and selling page? They tend to be full of 1st time cars being offered for peanuts, can you compete with that? What area are you working in? What are your potential customers like? Where i am located, its quite a well off area. Alot of the kids go to private school, and mummy & daddy are keeping up with jones's. I found alot of them were buying the kids nearly new cars, or opting for the new Corsa/Clio on £100 a month finance deals. I'd say think outside the box. Do your research on your area & find your market. Are you in a congested city? maybe go for little city cars. Maybe you are in a well off country side? maybe appeal to the stay at home mums and go for some chelsea tractors? If you are in an area where alot of people commute to work, look at prestigue saloons and hatch backs. Other markets to look at, maybe stick to ultra low mileage cars, low running cost cars or even just what i call "odd ball cars", the stuff you arent going to find at every car supermarket or dealership

personally, i'd go for a Mazda 2

You can never get rid of all the dust, i used to have the same problem Get some blue 3M tape, tape up trims, rubbers, door edges, wipers etc. That stops alot of the dust getting where you dont want it I also find, depending on your setup. get a good blower for your airline, and use the air to blast the dust off before washing

I've a charity pot going for the change, usually end up with around £50 a year in it. When i used to work for the inspection compaines, the guys were making a killing. The BMWs were the best. First job was to slide the seats forward and back half a dozen times. The guys would get a few quid out of them, Sat Navs, Cameras, Phones etc its mad the stuff people leave in their leased cars The main question is tho.... Whats the best CD you've won from a car?

Snow foam tends to be a pre cleaner,to soften and remove dirt, it still needs washing after. If you ask me, its all Hollywood

Its tough, but do able. I think the main thing is managing your time and good planning. Like others i do pretty much everything Sourcing, Buying, Collecting, Advertising, Valeting, Paperwork, Handovers, Accounts etc I try when possible to stick to routines, Saturday is usually the best day for people collect so do my handovers on Saturday Monday is valeting day & checking auctions I find little and often is the best for time management, not getting behind on anything e.g accounts. 10minutes a day is better then 2 solid weeks at the end i also find Redbull or the Yellow Valentino Rossi Monster, 20 John Players, a bottemless cup of Yorkshires finest tea and a couple of Garibaldi's are much needed to get it all done

I have the same problem What i do is give them a really good clean and polish up, a coat of selant and a good wax Then maintenace is just a quick hose off, and a good PH neutral shampoo (no added synthetic wax), then a product called Sonus Quick Detail (usually on offer in Halfrauds for £9) keeps the shine and beads lovely

Bread & Butter stuff for me, always a good seller but i guess i have the customer base for them Convertibles always sell well Estates & Sportwagons are cheap, good looking work tools I wouldn't be put off by the high road tax, the 2.8 V6 and 2.3T Aeros are proper enthusiasts cars, if its the right spec and clean there are buyers for it Haven't sold a petrol one for a while, but they are pretty problem free What car is it? "wud u tke 500 cash & playstation 2day innit?"