Andy Entwistle

Is this sustainable? Would be interested in hearing peoples view, is this real and will it last?

errr... how do you see it from the drivers seat? Aren't these for when you're out the car ?

I've found its not just about the money. Money is only a motivator for so long, eventually they get used to it. I have created different incentives for top performers. Given them a clear target and then the top performer gets a night away at a hotel, some tech, something they wouldn't buy. My last sales team was 55 strong. As well as the commission, I set 12 targets, one for each month, changing these to mix it up, from top revenue, to most units, to most improved, to top service.. this gave everyone a change to win and ensured it was motivational to all rather than my top 2 or three performers. We then let them pick what price they wanted. We had things like Hot Air balloon ride, 4 tickets to Alton Towers, 2 tickets to Paris on the Eurostar, etc... It worked really well, didn't cost the earth and really motivated the team

TSI are starting to clamp down on this. Cars are getting written off more often due to the cost of repairing to manufacturer standard, and more are finding their way back to the road. This is hurting all of us, as punters get carried away with the low cost, taking business away from us. Its important that we all help the industry clamp down on these been sold. In the USA all consumers know to HPI a car as standard, regardless of where it comes from. Do you think that if we could educate the general public over here, it would only work for all of us?

Why are they asking for this, is this to cover them from a quality point, or to cover you against spurious customer claims?

spoke to a dealer who turned this on his head. offered to drive the car 100 miles to us for a view, with no deposit. Is this a clever sales ploy ( play on the guilt of the buyer) or madness, a loss of cash and waste of time?

how about the cars that SHOULD never HAVE happened ? I'll throw the Chrysler Neon in for starters..... bloody awful car !

Hi Clare modern, clean looking site ( viewing via explorer). should be easy to navigate for customers, I have three plain grey squares under the save and compare banner though... is that supposed to be there? Really like the online book a service idea. more dealers should be doing this - might be worth changing this to "book a service or MOT" as you can book MOT's too? Andy

How about the guys who are one step up from these people. They sell nicer stock from home. But don't have the backup, support and complexities that others have with forecourts and service centres. Often sold openly as traders, but rarely offering warranties, these cars are cheap because they have no overheads. Are these any better, or killing things for the legitimate trade sites?

We've recently had all the latest crop of hatches in. I still think the Focus is the most comprehensively developed, but the Kia is easily as good as the Hyundai and Toyota and (in my view) better than the current crop of cars the French manufacturers are offering.. They may never beat ford here due to brand loyalty, but I think they will ( and are) stealing customers from the French hand over first !

This is a really interesting thread. I've worked extensively with Trading standards in the past. As an industry we need to work more closely with them to make sure that they understand that the price of a vehicle has to be taken into consideration when looking at the "faults". Yes, they must be roadworthy, however I know a dealer who sold a £800 Escort with 100k on the clock, 6 months ( yes 6 MONTHS) later the buying brought it back with a seized engine. He was politely told that this wasn't covered. He took it to TSI who forced the dealer to take it back !!!!! I later spoke to the lead motor officer for TSI who agreed this was unreasonable, but highlighted that there is still a lot of inconsistency

i this to protect their stock lines too?

Equally, how important is the local market. It used to be everything to a dealer, but with the internet and the wider market, are more people travelling greater distances for the "right" car ?

This years Used Car awards has a new category. Dealer's dealer of the year. A chance for a dealer to get a bit of recognition from within the industry. We need your votes. Who have you dealt with this year that stood out, maybe you buy stock from them, or sell stock to them. Maybe they have put business your way, or are just a damned good role model within the industry. Feel free to openly discuss here or vote in confidence here ... https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/usedcarnominations13

thats an interesting point - i imagine its a factor

But surely competition in any market is important for the customer - which in this instance is you?

Isn;t the problem that everyone faces educating people about ever increasing amounts of tech on cars... someone who's 1994 micra has died and buys a JUKE is going to need a lot of hand holding ( particularly the older generation). How many people do REAL handovers still and in honesty, how many people can say that their sales staff are knowledgeable enough on every car on their site to do a proper handover

I'll add "SUV" into this.... my X5 is a SUV not a 4x4... but why? And in reality how many people outside the industry know teh term SUV

Thanks Greengiant... actually i did tax one a few weeks ago thinking about it, didn;t even click. It "used" to be a pain

If you use a standard search on trade and retail sites, they just put these in 4x4 with everything else. But, woudl a consumer look in 4x4 or in Estates ?

I remember hankering after the original 216 GTI, Mk1 1988 era car. Can;t remember the last time i saw one of those on the road !

Low mileage mid age stock ( 3 to 5yrs) is in short supply as many people chose not to replace when the recession hit, i've seen an increase in higher mileage stock coming onto the market in recent months, likely a result of the above. I think the newer stock also reflects peoples buying habits when the economic environment was uncertain, with more cheaper models and marques and less mid range stuff ?

:-)

my X5 has just topped 100k, but i cover a lot of mileage. I'd argue its a better car than a similar one that had covered only 10k ! Starts on the button, clean as a whistle ( no smoke) and pulls like a train... ( just don;t mention the GM sourced gearbox)

Well, looks like its not just the world congregating on the M27 !