Nick M.K.

It could’ve been a previous out of date logbook with no valud reference numbers (if the Jag had a private plate after) so don’t get too excited :-)

Who? Why would a professional dealership even begin to consider leaving THE ONLY advertiser in the UK that consistently delivers??? I think anyone that thinks of saving £3-£4K per month advertising (that works!!!) from a multimillion pound a year business is certifiable. I am yet to see a single dealer that does better AFTER leaving AT.

Their fees were out of this world, only BCA private buyers pay more! I am surprised they have dropped them completely. This is an absolute outrage, like showing the trade "the finger". Not that any trade customer would ever want the CarGiant "no prep-mega mile-basic spec" lease returns...

Me too but lately they are a bit of a struggle. Their buyers are switching towards small and medium MPVs, SUVs, 4x4 of the sort that didn't exist 7-8 years ago. They also like to buy petrol estates now in my just-out-of-London area. Give them a year of high fuel bills (E Class Estate petrol auto, can you imagine the real life MPG!!!) and just as many reliability issues and diesel estates will make a minor resurgence.

No one here can tell you what that car is worth since no one here has sold one even remotely similar in the last 3-4 years :-) Try a high price, monitor AT response, then increase or decrease the price accordingly. It’s 30 years old. A classic in most books :-))) 7 stamps for 30 years??? This is one stingy and tight owner :-) The 2012 Volvo I bought from you had 7 stamps at 27K miles...

6 to 8 weeks in reality. They always say UP TO 6 months.

Absolutely. Loads of ideas as usual... Rarer higher spec or very low mileage prestige cars in the right colours that punters simply can't find around every corner, even better cosmetic prep, even more questioning over the phone before their appointments, a few more holding deposits before viewings, higher price points for more finance, fewer cash deals, more finance approvals in advance so I don't have to do a 15 mile test drive followed by a 5 minute finance auto-decline...

Improve stock quality, improve some processes, reduce some costs, increase profitability, revamp my website, work smarter, sell more cars after fewer viewings, make most of finance while still available... Travel more, play more, work slightly less.

Luckily I got several very good part exes in early Dec and have 4 cars waiting in my prep queue so won't need to show my face at an auction for another 10 days.

Happens every December, now the fun of restocking in January begins...

2013-2014 Mercedes C220 (or C250) CDI Sport+ Estate Auto with around 50-60K miles, White, Obsidian Black or Tenorite Grey with kerbed alloys, missing Becker SAT NAV unit, heated seats, Xenon headlights, panoramic roof and the Red seat belts. At around £1500 under Cap Clean. Target buyer is in the late 40s to mid 50s, nice part ex or a small deposit, the rest on finance.

They all do but keep pushing it. Close will consider up to 150K miles and 12-13 years (at the start of the agreement). I've never worked with MN but suspect 100K/10y

Considering two sites, establishing a servicing business and employing several people before he has sold any cars at a profit?

I didn't mean disrespect by comparing you to a Dash Q400 Benji, it's still a capable and popular aeroplane but Lucas's vision is quite simply unmatched on this forum (and beyond), hence the Dreamliner accolade :-)

Benji is MrV. Lucas is Lucas. In terms of vision, capital and business development appetite comparing both is like comparing the Dash Q400 to a Boeing Dream(forgive the pun)liner

Invoice your son for £3150, might be a good idea to ask him to pay that money in your business account. Tradegirl: this basic math should’ve been known to you from day one. The purchase price of a used car is auction hammer price plus indemnity / buyers fee. This is the full price.

Why? ZUTO customers used to feel very positive after their huge “WIN” in 2016...

Happy Christmas to everyone! I already had one of those “Are you open tomorrow” Christmas texts so it looks like the market might come alive this weekend :-)

Had a stolen-recovered p/x and rang HPI to remove the marker. They did but the insurer was reminded of this case and slapped a Cat C marker as they had paid out because of damage during the theft. £2K (not a loss but a missed profit) down the drain because I made a single phonecall...

You don’t do small sums, do you Lucas :-)

I also prefer bank payments from my customers providing our bank details by text mesage or an email. I will definitely introduce phone verification also to make sure my customers don’t send those payments to a third party’s account.

Hopefully the bank sees some sense and refunds the money... Do you still have to complete the purchase of that vehicle David? Ring the dealers, explain this predicament and if possible ask them to lower their price a fair bit to help you absorb that loss. If the money is eventually returned (even months later) send the dealership the difference. They are not exactly at fault but the leak or hack is probably at their end or DA.

Small garage is good. After your last post about paying your first repair bill last month and thinking of a garage business I was worried you might start by taking over a BIG garage or a chain. Best of luck! You will need lots of it mate!

Yes. You can negotiate a bit but the trade insurers stipulate that teade is all they pay. They obviously don’t have an idea how much the average auction-bought used car needs spending on it sometimes.

I hope there is money involved somewhere between the viewings and back to the mince pies David :-)