JimmyGlen

Nick, our acceptance rate is 'usually' over 75%! This past while has been unreal. I hate to say it, but most are coming via Facebook....

Andy, we are going through the longest period of continual declines we've ever had. Its unbelievable.

TV, just be careful with that one. Everyones an expert in that field. Put it this way, when the doctor tells you what prescription you need, you aren't going to challenge him/her? These people are the same, although most are just banking on you not knowing or understanding the process. They will furnish you with shiny reports and wowee numbers... when all you want are actual tangible results. Tbf, its massive, but I do our own now and have things running more efficiently without paying a firm of 'Google Approved' adwords retailers to run our advertising. Its a bit like Facebook, paying someone else to do it for you is never going to yield the same results as doing it yourself. Although learning through trial and error can be expensive, afterwards, the knowledge is yours to keep. Thanks very much for that btw We put in a lot of effort!! Glad to hear it shows!

We do okay, but there's a bucket load of work behind that page, and I don't mean on the website. Brand awareness, and constantly trying to maintain relevant web traffic. Then you have to manage the leads that come in from it. Can price 20 cars and get none, then 3 in a row. We bought from the same BMW Dealer for 25years, but lost them when they were bought over last year. I had a brain wave a few years earlier and registered WeWontBuyAnyCar, for when the inevitable happened with the main dealer. When it did, I had ran a few dummy advertising campaigns with this and it kind of worked. When we lost our supply (one weeks notice) it was days and nights focused on making this work. Just over a year, and we now get enough from it to make it worth our while.

You just come across really natural on camera. Its just works. I've tried it, but watching the video back, it just doesn't work. I'll stick to the glider and subtitles for now I think! We dont get many time wasters tbh. Although we are fighting with finance declined at the moment. Thats slowly killing me from the inside out! :| It'll turn. Everyone can't have poor credit profiles!

One '99V Reg BMW 323i that had been in the same family from new and had 1200 worth of 'insurance approved body repairs' required which duly wrote the old thing off. The family bought the car back and repaired for less than 400 and kept the old thing until it was traded into BMW. At the time, we were buying form said dealership (sadly lost them last year after 25years :'( ) and were offered the old thing complete with 'damage' photos. It was nothing, but scanned all the images into the advert so everyone knew it was very minor damage and only written off as it was an old car with little value. Apart from that, we dont get involved. The price I see accident damaged stuff for sale on AT leaves me wide-eyed at times, it really does. I love it when customers tell me about a 'V-Car' car they've just seen, 'it was like brand new!!', they tell me. Of course it bloody is, half of it it has just been replaced/repainted!!

Ah ha! The trade mark broon and blue dutch flooring! I had tried to buy this stuff online for years, but its a fortune! Anyway, a firm right next door to us where closing down (back in the 2008 Credit Crunch) and I went it to say 'best of luck guys' etc, and found myself staring at a big pallet of the flooring. As it turns out, they stocked the stuff all along! We bought it for much cheapness to save them having to ship it back to their head office down south, paying 1200quid for it if I recall. Its plastic. We lift it once a year, jet wash it and relay it down for another year, looking brand new each time. For the life of me, I can't remember what its called! Saved us loads of time from not having to constantly repaint the floor. The colours wouldn't have been my first choice, but beggars can't be choosers! Well, I'll swap you my website for your video talent AD. I've watched your videos on several occasions, and I really wish I had the cinematic flare you possess to pull it off! They're fantastic. The floor is lifted once a year and jet washed panel by panel, then re-laid back down. It is scrubbed with a deck brush once a week to keep on top, but the yearly wash with jet wash really brings it back. As stated in the other post, it wouldn't have been my first choice in colours, but we did get a deal on the flooring, so couldn't be too picky.

Mo, you'll buy an absolute scrapper E92 for that budget. I've a lovely 36k miler all ready for you here https://www.jamesglen.co.uk/used-bmw-m3-airdrie-lanarkshire-1783405 Obviously some dealer discount could be applied A lady kindly traded in a Lexus IS-F 6 years ago and from then, I'm on my third. Never even considered this model before that point, until I drove one. Unbelievably good cars, exceptionally rapid, sound epic, very rare and never break. They're also very stable on the price front. If anything, later gen3 cars have actually gone up a touch. I've also a 997 GT3 which I bought around 8years ago, and after being used as a daily for four years, realised it had started going up in value, so thats now turned into a bit of a garage queen/emergency fund if ever needed. Amazing car to drive, although pretty heavy duty if you're not in the mood for it. When I do actually get round to driving it now, I can't believe I used to put up with the 'box and clutch every day. Its not the most pleasant of things when cold!

BHM, word for word what I wrote on the IMDA post! Literally a carbon copy!

Great news. Certainly help level the playing field.

Where do you even start with that AD? A new bulkhead! I would have thought a job like that would have rendered it scrap?

Thats a great mag! There will always be future classics, but the problem at the moment is, everyone who has something old and remotely in good/decent condition think they have a lump of gold! For a car to be a 'future classic', imho, it also as to be good looking/good to drive/sound good or have some other merit other than just being 'old'. Had a lad ask me to 'SOR' a 206GTi at the weekend as its going up and value (apparently) and a 'future classic'. I'm not sure I'm with him on that one. One car I did recently recon would be going up in value was the Mazda RX-8 R3 We sold one a couple of years ago, great car with the proper Recaros and Bilstein dampers. Retailed the car for 6500, now there's only one for sale and its 10k! Think the sorest 'classics' for us is the NSX we sold around 5years ago for 15995 and the old 911 3.0SC we sold around 10years back for 8985 and struggled with them both!! God, if only we knew!

Our current champ of the days in stock (and longest ever car in stock) 2007 Jaguar XK 4.2 Cab with 26k miles and 7-Jag stamps. The car is an absolute peach of a thing. Gave just under CAP av (18500) in part-ex and was actually pretty excited, as the cheapest comparable car, age/mileage wise, was 21995 at the time. Its now 19485 and now has a broken roof pump. 3700 from Jaguar!! Thankfully we have it away for repair (Roofpumps.com) but as of today - 109days and two enquires in that time :'-[ Its certainly going to be a pretty expensive learning curve this one!

This had Pro Nav & Heated seats! If one more of our FB followers said 'if only it was an auto', I was going explode! So, we now have a white LCI with red leather and Auto box. Its got Heated seats, but no bloody nav, and guess what - its dead in the water. I find this type of car brutally spec dependant and the buyers completely uncompromising.

TV, it was the flattest battleship grey I'd ever seen with blue velour interior which was totally free of any wear. I have one of the best detailers I know, who spent two days on the old car and by the end, it was fit for even the most critical of inspection. I'll need to look out the pictures, it was a beautiful old car. We found a print off of the eBay listing from when the couple bought it three years earlier - 3k, so in their head, I can only assume they were happy with 1k back after three years of driving. Thank god they never found it on the Car and Classic website...

I can't get my head round the battery situation? I tried to value a Zoe a while back and there was TWO finance agreements on the car, one for the car and one for the battery! After speaking with the lady, she was rambling on about the battery not being included and that it was a lease battery. The whole thing just made my head hurt, and binned it!

We handled a 1980s Mercedes 300D (W123) a few years ago. The couple wanted money off for no trade in, and when I said we prefer a trade in, they explained I probably wouldn't want their car in a trade in. Their trade in turned out to have 56k miles and three owners and they asked 1k for it against a Skoda they were interested in. Anyway, deal done and they travelled down to collect. It was only after the deal was done did I do any real research on the old Merc. I couldn't believe what they were selling for!! Petrols with 150k miles were selling for 4k, so on it went for 6k and sold to an Irish Merc/Porsche collector within days through the free website; Car and Classic. I couldn't believe it. If only we could do that once a month!

Bold first car! Or are you looking to specialise in EV? On topic, thats a fair price to have the car serviced by the dealer, and also a big plus when composing your ad text. As its due so soon, just get it done now so any prospective buyer can drive it away on the day, rather than faffing about with post sale prep. Best of luck!

A nice tidy deal on an Audi on Saturday and one of our old stagers sold to get money back today (note to self, never buy another M135i in manual!). An appointment on a merc estate tomorrow and a good solid enquiry tonight on a 4-Series convertible. All in, looking quite promising so far.

Can always bring them down! A wee cheeky week at 1495, if zero interest 1295 I wonder how many times you'll be asked why its had 'so many owners', as if we ever know that!

Finished on 12 (stock of 16) and scraped our way to where (or perhaps just short) of where we need to be profit wise. Its tough. I'm using everything in our armoury currently, to keep the numbers up. I wouldn't like to think how bad it would be if we relied solely on Auto Trader, but equally, I wouldn't like to see the numbers without AT either. Every base has to be covered right now to spread the stock out as wide and as far as possible. The amount of finance declines we've had this month (and last) is simply astounding. Our acceptance rate with MotoNovo over the past 5 years is 78%, recently thats plummeted to must be 30% Maybe less!! We should have sold way more cars, but the quality of customer is simply shocking right now. Our average time in stock is usually 28days, but have an alarming number of cars that are creeping their way up and over 70days in stock. One has reached 100days (Jaguar XK with 26k miles), a first for us in over 10years. Got one on the board on the first which always sets you up psychologically! Our Dec are usually okay. Fingers crossed that continues! Stevie

Good watch, but as stated earlier, some of the big boys should have a surpise visit too. That would make for even better telly. As for 5-Start, anyone buying a car from a dump like that really deserve whats coming. the warning signs are everywhere. Did you see the shut lines on that what SEAT!! Stevie Wonder would have passed on that heap of nonsense!

Had fast ones, convertible ones, low mileage and high mileage ones. Cool colours and black and white. No matter the cocktail, have always been the kiss of death of us! The fact they can be had for 90/m brand new says it all. Its only 20more than a new iPhoneX !! The phone will probably last longer. Hateful little crocks!

Afternoon Gents, Has anyone else experienced £250/pm budget customers with expectations of being in a position to buy cars with a £20k value? We are getting loads of it just now. I know the telly & radio full of brand new cars from 299pm (and less!), but its often the bog standard model, with no extras and with 3 upfront payments along with 8k pa mileage allowance. Problem is, the customers are only hearing the monthly payment and then expecting a used M135, Golf R etc to be cheaper.

Scraped 10, not dressing this up, this is up there with one of our worst months ever. Last year we sold 21 Time to hit the reset button in the morning and see if we can do better next month. Just hope the enquiry level picks up, the finance declines go down and the customers stick to their appointments and actually show up! Stevie