Andy Entwistle

It took about 3 weeks for us to get our confirmation through, of course they backdated the renewal to the start of the month, i wonder if we had been using the trade plates in this time if they would have been legal?

I feel your pain Ken, we have 3 trading up cars, none of them in a saleable state at present !!!!

interesting thought, its not something i've heard of and i doubt they would admit it if they did?

two snowmen in a field, one says to the other, "ere, can you smell carrots.....?"

I know of people buying up green and being Range Rovers and wrapping them in black and white, makes a big difference to its value apparently. Buying green and being at auction knocks off a few grand and selling white of black in the city ads a few grand. Sure its not the same for all cars, but interesting for the "trendy" stuff...

Exchange and mart? Are they still in business !

Let me know how it goes and drop me an email if i cam help with any more info

Our trading up Impreza WRK is coming along nicely, but at some point the boot carpet / floor cover has walked..... Been looking at fleabay, but with no luck. Anyone got one to fit a 1999 ( 1993 to 2000 model) ? Andy

This is really interesting. My biggest concern is that no "real" dealers appear to be on the commission. Surely we need some people at the front end of the coal face to be on this commission to represent us directly?

and as always Jim, we're here to help at CDM in any way we can....

Hi WD, james has just pointed me to this. I spent 10 years in the industry advising and working with Finco's, courts etc. I won't go over the number one rule about never buying before you HPI, you know that, but thats always the golden rule.. So, to the issue. Firstly you need to verify that this is a Bill of sale agreement ( the legal term for a log book loan), you are correct that there are differences in how these work, but despite what the BBC have suggested, these are just as likely to be registered with HPI as any other loan. Although the finco has more protection with a bill of sale, recent government review has put them under pressure to work with dealers in situations like this. Sadly, they probably will have title to the car and if it was registered with HPI then we don't have the option to take the route that it wasn't registered. So, its all down to negotiating with the finco. They are only entitled to their original value, so its worth trying to negotiate this down, it may be that they have added fees etc. which you can get taken from the balance to reduce the amount owed. The only glimmer of hope here is that you have been talking to the debtor and you can ask why they have not repossessed the car already if the debt had gone bad, it may be of course that the debtor has moved. They are obliged to go after the debtor for this, but sadly as you now have the vehicle and they know where you are they will take the path of least resistance, you. My advice, store the car somewhere safe while you negotiate, otherwise they could, and probably will, just turn up and take it back... Legally, your customer did not have legal title to the vehicle to sell to you, so you can pursue him for wrongful conversion ( the legal term). However it sounds like he may not be worth very much and you could just be throwing money away. So in summary, Try to get the finco to go after the debtor ( give them his details). Negotiate with them on the value, tell them the car is stored somewhere and you are happy to go to court, this may encourage some negotiation, but if they play hardball you are holding their property, however they will have to provide you with proof of their interest ( which i'd be interested in seeing to see if there is a way out). Lastly, work out if your customer is worth pursuing. if you can get this sorted for £2k, its probably just an expensive lesson, legal fees would be significant in this. Drop me an email, i'm happy to review any documentation you have and give you any help i can Andy

I've been using a number of the sites recently while sourcing stock for trading up. Can;t say i've heard of Dealerbid and we've not spoken to them. All the sites have their merits. It all comes down to stock profile at the end of the day, each site is stronger in different areas and obviously the physical auction guys are getting their act together online now. As suggested above, the biggest challenge is that some of them seem to have quite relaxed rules, so you can;t be sure you're dealing with just trade !

Still bedding in the process ?

Sparky. If you are planning on an MOT bay, its worth looking at the rules and regs before you start to plan. The rules on new build MOT bays are far more prescriptive than those with grandfather rights. For example, the bay must now be a drive through bay rather than drive in and reverse out.... This may make you consider this and how the build will go

If a car isn't Sorn then it must be insured. So, you can either worn the car or MID it. In practice, its best to MID it, although you could argue that you are using trade plates. If you took a SORN car out on a test drive you "could" find yourself in trouble.

We need a boot floor / carpet set for our 1999 Trading up Scooby... on the off chance you have one floating around.......

We're looking for anything us usual for our trading up feature. Something that maybe needs a bit of work so you can't retail. Anything considered as long as with bit of work and spit and polish we can make a few quid for Great Ormond Street. Drop me an email Andy@blackballmedia.co.uk if you can help in any way

It depends on what age of stock you are thinking of buying. the newer stuff is clearly going to be less of an issue, but from your couple of posts and the fact you've been stung i'm assuming its going to be slightly older stock, so my top 5 tips. Check the SH for when it was last serviced ( even when its sold with a full service history) , if its due a service you can guarantee a punter will expect it to be done and you wouldn't want to sell it without, so factor in the cost Check Warning lights, they are rarely a cheap fix, if they were they would have been done. Clutch - ask the driver what it feels like (try and check it yourself), if its on its last legs a diesel a dual mass could set you back quarter the cost of the car and your profit will have gone the way of the old clutch Air Con - NEVER believe that it just needs a gas..... if it just needed a gas up, it would have been done... Cam Belt - know the car, does it need one, if so when. Assume it hasn't been replaced unless it says it has ! There is so much more, but that might help you a little... Andy

Like WD says, Classics can make you a lot of cash, BUT ONLY if you know your market and what you are looking at. Thats why these guys are specialists, they know the difference between a genuine Mexico and a very good copy and whats a bargain and a banger... I have made good money on classics in the past, but only one the stuff i know inside out. If you want to dabble. Pick a model you like and research it properly, try with a couple and see how it goes, but be prepared to make some mistakes (for make mistakes see "how to lose money")

Hi Ken Welcome to the forum and welcome to the never dull world of Car Dealing. Online buying is a great idea to help widen the appeal of stock, but if you are new to the game then there is nothing better than actually eyeballing the stock. As you start to get a better feel for the types of vendor and what works then buying online is less of a risk. It does sound like you have been a tad unlucky and in the case of the BCA experience, you may find you have some recourse if there was a major mechanical defect, however it depends how bought and how significant the problem was. I would speak to BCA in the first instance, however until you are really comfortable, you simply can't beat kicking the tyres Andy

Agree with WD. and to be honest i don;t think they suffer for it, unless any toyota dealers out there can tell me otherwise. Much rather have my car recalled than drive around with something waiting to go wrong

Lovely little nest egg... we all have to have something to retire on....

ooooo interesting..... Although Kelly and i do need SOME sleep :-)

The rest of us still can't work out how the hell the MX-5 actually wasn't killed by you !