Nick M.K.

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Everything posted by Nick M.K.

  1. Nick M.K.
    I don’t like spending time in garages. I don’t think it’s for me plus I’ll be a horrible boss that the whole staff will probably hate and leave all the time and I’ll spend all my days with HR lawyers and in courts suing people for losses etc. I’ve thought about it of course but I Prefer to wheel and deal.
  2. Nick M.K.
    I just got a Jazz. Bought for £5700, will list it for £8K, will let you know how it goes.
  3. Nick M.K.
    I would own a garage repairing cars. And vans. After years of paying garage bills I think that business is much better than my own. Purely from an income view. It would be one of those garages approved by every scheme under the sun and which always include £15 oil flush in their invoicing and where the receptionist always asks the customers if they are sitting down before starting to quote.
  4. Nick M.K.
    Sorry, James said nett, I just said £4K. This forum is too open for my liking to post everything like I used to in the old AT forum but please check your sky email.
  5. Nick M.K.
    They serve mulled wine in their auctions? We definitely have some catching up to do here...
  6. Nick M.K.
    I loved your whole post but I disagree with the above. It's an absolutely brilliant and clever piece of kit that saves so much hassle and even money, I almost cried when I drove over my first CTEK which I had stupidly left under the front tyre of a car. If you had seen me then you'd know there was emotional attachment.
  7. Nick M.K.
    Hi Stevie, interesting thoughts. I don't actually offer PCP (I do in theory but avoid it actively). I negotiated my clawback period down to 6 months on HP and this is a risk period I can certainly live with. I will ignore the diesel comments by the ECJ for now because it is still the fuel of choice for over 50% of customers and I am not prepared to wave goodbye to those sales just yet because someone might do something in the future. I also can't comment on Brexit but SO MANY people on this forum told me "Don't worry Nick, we'll be absolutely fine after Brexit, Europe needs us" that I have found a lot of comfort in that thought.
  8. Nick M.K.
    Can I guess? A big german executive saloon from Ingolstadt with an Auto gearbox and a missing history which was all there in the end. The sort of thing some people would run away from but London buyers run towards. Attaboy!
  9. Nick M.K.
    When were these conversations, in 2001-2002? I often read on this forum about dealers' complete unwillingness to stock a high price-high spec-higher risk German car. If I take a plunge on something like that a dozen times a month I expect a bit of a reward higher than what a 3 year old Fiesta can (and should) bring.
  10. Nick M.K.
    What do you mean by CAP margin? The book might offer a £2K margin but if I buy for £1K less than book (possible, certainly) and can sell for £1K over book that margin just doubled. You are not missing anything at all.
  11. Nick M.K.
    You have a choice. Include that VAT in the purchase price (BCA assured is a good example) and don't claim it back in your VAT return OR don't include it and claim it back. It is the same deal ultimately.
  12. Nick M.K.
    A customer told me last month: "You are nicer than I expected. On the phone you sounded like a real car perfectionist that would make me feel guilty about the condition of my part exchange. Like people on Pistonheads". (I told him no offence taken) His was right in a way: his part ex Golf was 4 years old, very low spec, smelled like marijuana, absolutely needed the alloys refurbished and two full valets. Sold with a great margin though.
  13. Nick M.K.
    The £4K was in another thread and it is realistic.
  14. Nick M.K.
    Well, press this button to leave your deposit, press "continue" to select a time slot for your free nationwide delivery, press "continue" to choose a payment method or press "apply for finance". "Please remember to leave us your review upon the completion of the transaction"... Yesterday Simon asked for a recommendation here to buy a small electrical item. Where did he buy it from? And why?
  15. Nick M.K.
    I agree 100%. And all those shop ex-owners will probably agree too. We are just lucky that our respective business models work in 2019. Just as shops worked on the high street for many years...
  16. Nick M.K.
    Because CAP retail is a figure from a guidebook and sometimes my selling prices are not close to it at all. Or if you meant why I said "No" in my reply it's because I just sold a Honda Insight Hybrid that should've been red-hot in my area but only brought £944 gross margin.
  17. Nick M.K.
    Tell this to every high street shop owner that ever had to close.
  18. Nick M.K.
    No. I am saying sometimes it can and sometimes it carries more. Also you can remove the word CAP from this.
  19. Nick M.K.
    Are you kidding? For years I have been using £40 trackers on cars I leave in garages. Any extra mile they travel they have explaining to do. No, never. I am not a fussy eater. Cars? That's different. That's all I know.
  20. Nick M.K.
    So in your partnership who is in charge of the prep where the OCD really shows?
  21. Nick M.K.
    I can't ask you to change your business model or your customer preferences. But if you want to still have a business 5 years from now it might be a good idea. Same as texting (or Viber or WhatsApp) Same as deposit unseen Same as nationwide delivery Same as card payments or transfers
  22. Nick M.K.
    It was meant more as a joke Simon, don't read too deep into it. By the way, there is a huge British company called Accuracy International. They don't sell cars.
  23. Nick M.K.
    All I can do with an ice cream van is sell it at a huge profit
  24. Nick M.K.
    I started from the bottom. After all the free advice you got here you started well above the middle I'd say.
  25. Nick M.K.
    I spent all my day going from one garage to another to keep an eye on the prep of 5-6 cars all at once and was mostly disappointed by people's work, especially one of the bodyshops that sometimes turns out great quality and some other times it looks like they had a "paint it while blindfolded" competition. They accused me of being too fussy and too picky and noticing very small things. I accused them of being lazy bastards and useless. Do you think OCD is useful in what we do or just gets in the way of quicker sales???