Ask Pete

Looking at these comments, I'm soooo glad I've just bought a 500 Twin Air - NOT!! I assume the difference between that and a skip is that you can get out of a skip! It will fit perfectly with my 07 Freelander 2 and my 11 plate Mazda 3 TS that no bastard has even looked at in 4 weeks. Still, at least I cleared my asthmatic Merc E200 Estate that I only lost £900 on. After almost 40 years, I think I'm beginning to get the hang of this......

Hi BHM, Thanks for that. For info, the Merc is mine, just letting it go to free up much needed funds. I only bought the Picasso to move my caravan, I'm fairly confident I'll make a small gain on it. I really don't see them as the bad news you feel they are. Drives OK and is cheap enough to attract buyers who want space and value rather than style and engineering. Takes all sorts! As for the Mazda - I have very little experience of them, but I already regret buying it. It's no good being a better car than a Focus if no bugger knows it. As you say, it's a site car, not a door step car. Damn!! Yeah, that's me - have you ever tried correcting your status with AT? It says it's changed, but never does, bloody thing. BTW - I despise AT and use it purely out of necessity. Hi Vet, No, sorry, crossed wires. Been in the Trade for 38 years, but now doing 'a bit' of Trading/Selling rather than go back to the main stream business. IMHO a REAL Trader only buys from one site and sells to another, never doing retail sales - haven't seen one of those in a loooooong time. The modern Trader buys from everywhere and sells into the Trade and has retail selling facilities. That's now the norm' - I think?!!

Hi Stalker. Thanks for watching my back buddy - but I'm cool. I'm a veteran of 2 recessions, after that you tend not to get stressed but it doesn't stop you wondering where the business in general is headed. Wait till I start asking questions about motor trade people who are afraid of the FCA (God bless their little cotton socks!)

Hi OCS. No fella, didn't piss me of at all, I'm always pleased to see people do well in this business - God alone knows how many obstacles get in the way of that. Most dealers in this area are struggling on used at the mo. As for the Freelander, don't kbock it bud, this is farm central where 1 in 6 people work in that industry. I almost stole it so can sell at CAP clean and still make a grand plus costs and VAT. That'll do!!

Cheers Grant, I might just give that a go. Appreciate you taking the time to respond.

I massively agree with this idea - adding just £5 means it comes up in searches with a max of £7k and in ones with a £7k min. There is also the rare punter who likes the idea of people doing 'simple' prices.

That, to me, is what it's all about. Some folks do well on Sundays, and good for them. But for me, the greatest thing is NEVER working on a Sunday. I have to be pushed REALLY hard to see an appointment. I have the same attitude to 'off Mondays'. It is the joy of being self employed, but it's also the whole point - putting yourself before some money grabbing director who NEVER works on Sundays (typical - do as I say, not as I do)

True fella, but there's very little to choose from these days, especially down this way (South West).

I do think it's a seriously under-rated car. So much nicer than the Focus, better built than the Astra and cheaper than most other Jap stuff. Bit billy basic though.

More stories than I can shake a stick at - stories of the days when the trade was run by Motor Traders, rather than the bean counting bankers (or should that begin with a 'w'?) and accountants that run it now. Stories of the days when there was no internet, when there used to be a queue outside the newsagents the day the AutroTrader was printed. As for your pitch close to 11 others, yeah, been there, done that - my last job was as Controller at a dealership on Marsh Barton Retail Park in Exeter - the largest concentration of dealerships in Europe. The truth is, there's no room in the mainstream motor trade for dinosaurs like me!! Thank God for that!!

Hi - and thanks for letting me join. Bearing in mind that I'm an upbeat sort of guy, is it me or is the Sales market getting even slower than it was? Having been in the business for 38 years, I like to think I've got at least some idea of how the game is played, but I just don't seem to be getting any enquiries. After the trauma and stress of a 40 car Main Dealer forecourt, I'm happy now to only have 4 or 5 for sale, but I keep a good cross section of stuff between £1,000 and £6,000. My biggest concern is a very clean 2011 Mazda 3 1.6 TS that has only 74k with history. I've got it on AT and all over FB at £4,500 which is a grand below the next cheapest car of the same age on AT, but I've had ZERO response in over 2 weeks. Let's not even talk about the immaculate Merc S320 on a 54, the clean 2008 Freelander (yes, I actually chose to buy it!!) or the 04 Picasso Diesel that also seem to want to live with me forever. I don't know about you guys, but I've NEVER seen it this bad....