sparky

I'm Spartacus.

When it comes to sub prime First Response get my vote, and that's something I would not have said a few years ago. The whole process with them is as smooth as sub prime finance can be.

Bought a couple from BCA on Friday. My plate man rings me on Monday and says I can get one down to Tuesday, one down Thursday. For some reason that only Russell Grant could explain, I say bring the Alfa down first. It arrives this morning and then a few hours later it's all sparkly. Before I have chance to whack it on t'net and put some balloons on it a man walks on, shows an interest, test drives and then bish bosh boom. Funny old game.

I've always found them OK. I'm sure you will be fine

Don't really like these threads as I think there a bit of a ******* competition but what I will say is yesterday was good, which makes the month of April good, following on from a good March and Feb. Now then, that's nothing to shout about apart from the fact it's been done without AT since Jan. It takes a leap of faith and sometimes I feel like Phil Mitchell drinking OJ in the Queen Vic but so far so good.

I wondered why those Zafiras were cheap.

If I was in TV I'd be working on a program for those greedy little punters who thought they were getting a bargain then cried to Anne when it all went pear shaped. The ones who bought a 10 plate focus diesel with 50k on for 2k which turned out to be an ex taxi, an iphone 6 for £20 quid which turned out to be a bar of soap or some land that was full of frogs and newts in the middle of nowhere but in 10 years would suddenly become the next Kensington. My title for this program would be simple. You bought it, tough ****! Apologies for going off topic.

Given my ticket away mate. This time last week I was going, sadly since then our manager thought he was Pep Guardiola when he's more Mike Bassatt meaning we have been beaten at home by Dover and then absolutely tonked by the mighty Guiseley. Guiseley FFS!! Given some of the players we currently have in our squad I'm thinking of giving up the car job because there is clearly still hope I might make it as a professional! Enjoy the game

Indeed. When it comes to stats I'm with Mark Twain but there must be something in this to suggest that good old fashioned paper advertising, walk ons and word of mouth etc still have a huge part to play. If that's the case then I think the title is a little misleading but the point is taken. The stat about Wales does not surprise me. Having North Wales on your patch has always been seen as a poisoned chalice by AT reps. Hopefully my rep for trinity mirror hasn't seen this report as I'm due to be haggling over some classified adverts very soon.

I've only just been starting to get into FB but I've no doubt that it works and is providing decent leads. I'm averaging a car a month off it which doesn't sound a lot but in some cases, it's a car a month that I would not have sold had I not been on it. For example, I had a decent spec 7 seater in last week, put it on my usual platforms (not AT) and also did a FB boost as per usual at £20. Now I'm on the North Wales coast and I've been targeting either side of me. On this one though I played about with the target audience (and this is something I need to speak to Jim about) and went further south to include the town of Wrexham (home to to the greatest football team the world has ever seen) and hey presto. Next day, a woman walks in to see said car, it's exactly what she has been looking for some time. On the test drive she remarked how she's been looking for this type of car for a while and how she saw it on her FB feed. Whether or not she would have seen the car on other platforms is debatable but to be honest it's san fairy ann. £3 pounds worth of FB advertising and boom, nuff said. Now tales like this are clearly not the norm, but it's an example of just what can happen for very little money, mixed in with some time and effort, and as always, a sprinkle of luck.

And that is wrongly, why they won't pay out IMO. I'm sure had you been handing Quentin loadsamoney each month they would have been paying out. I suppose you can argue the toss with your rep, who will no doubt ask for more business, but then obviously that puts you in a catch 22 situation. If you go on Jim's forum there is a bit of a warranty expert on there, failing that might be worth getting in touch with lawgistics, or maybe waking Quentin up in the middle of the night....

If you've sat on it this long surely you could wait another few weeks for the soft top weather to arrive? Maybe take it off sale for a while, get it mint and ready to drive away and then as soon as the sum comes out, bang, ave it!

Whoever it was at Ford who thought it would be a good idea to open up a bonnet from the outside using a key should be forced to spend a night alone with Katie Hopkins.

Agree with this. Two years ago I sold a Renault Espace for 7k. A year later the same car was going through BCA under the UGCGS banner, having only done average mileage since it left me and having had no more change of keepers. The odd little mark here and there, apart from that it was the same car. I was delighted to buy it back for £3500 even though it was 'on sale' at 3k. God knows what my (ex) customer was thinking of although rumour has it he went on to manage Newcastle United.

Feel for you mate. Hope you manage to keep the deal.

Heads or tails whether it's a timing chain or head gasket or if your lucky, a coil pack. Terrible engines. As you say, it'a a shame as they are great little sellers but just not worth the hassle.

That's certainly a dangermouse. Swapped in by Mr Penfold?

Or you could change the colour of your balloons. I find pastel coloured balloons do the job this time of year.

Ask Delilah.

I do buy a few, but only if they are on the 'assured' report. That same buying principle applies to anything going through BCA or Manheim. Just not worth taking the risk, as you have sadly found out. Once bitten and all that....

I used to be a bit of sniper bidder on the online auctions, however this would often end up with me acting like angry german kid (you tube it if you have not seen it) after being out sniped at the last second, suffering from a technical hitch with seconds to go or simply forgetting about the auction until it was too late. Last month was the final straw and so in the interests of low blood pressure from now on I'm a proxy bidder. I whack my bid on and then it's a case of Que Sera. I'm also adopting this policy with BCA and Manheim - saves time and also takes away the temptation to 'go one more'. So, how do you bid?

Can't believe this thread is still going. I guess we're all a mutton for punishment.

Like many who have been in this trade for a number of years, I'm in no position to laugh at anybody's hair. Beards on the other hand....

I'll be having a butchers at this. Hopefully the first episode will include sheep and puns.

I hope he doesn't get to herd of this.