Lazz

Register with Hmrc and and start doing self assessment if your going sole trader

I think you need at least a dozen cars as there is alway some that stick, you buy some and do alright out of some, make a little on sum, break even on some to get rid because you get fed up looking at them, and then there is always one that sticks and you can't shift it for love or money and then when you have just about gave up on it three customers come out the woodwork and all want to buy it on the same day. And then there always is the one that you pay all the money for it and more only to find its knackered but you have no choice but to put it right because if you don't you will never sell it otherwise and see your money again.

Thanks everyone for the input, just that many moons ago i used a company that used to administer warranties for me and you just used to just keep paying in, into there account every time you processed a warranty, you could draw it down if you wanted which i did once a year, i never had a problem with them but it always concerned me that if they went bust it was properly the last i would see of my money and would properly be more comfortable now with it siting in one of my accounts.

Do they hold the pot or do ?

Just wondering if many of you are using their self administered warranties as i am think of starting to use their booklets and i am not sure if to go down the self administer route and let them take the calls or if i might as well take the calls myself as i would prefer everything to come back to me for any repairs being a trusting sole and all that. Unless there is an alternative out there that i can't find on the internet.

I had a 2010 e class that had command and did not find the menu very intuitive to connect my phone, gave up eventually

Thanks for the input I think I will carry on leaving under the bonnet alone unless it's absolutely minging

+1

Just wanted to know what people do as far as Valeting is concerned, it is just that many moons ago when when I operated from a pitch every car got the full works, spare wheel out, back seats lifted cleaned under and engine steamed off the lot, but since I have worked from home I have not gone to the same degree getting engines steamed off etc, but maybe I should and just pay the extra and get them done. just woundering what every one does, also is it just me but do a lot of valetors start of dead keen but then start scrimping to the point I seam to have to fall out with them to get them to do a proper job.

It's all the none recorded ones that are the real worry as there is quite a lot out there.

I would not advise anybody to get into this game now as it's getting harder. I have encourage my own children to stop away from retail and pursue a professional career. This job deffinetly a bare knuckle ride at times, blown 3k on vehicles a couple of times with nails, one being a BMW. And that money you think you've made sometimes has a habit of getting clawed back. wish i was the vat man 20 percent for doing nothing and getting the mugs to administer all the paperwork as well. People don't realise that you can blow money in a month, but the vat man will still Want his slice or should I call him the sheriff of Nottingham

Brought a few when it initially kicked of, but anything looking half decent seems to fetch to much

If I was starting fresh and going to sell vans from the start I would of registered for vat from the word go because of how vans and vat work, I am surprised your accountant did not mention it. if I was starting out only selling margin cars I would not register until I had hit the vat threshold. the few vans I have sold have always been sub 3k with no vat and have always sold quite easily.

last time i did finance was all pre fca, then you just filled the form in ticked all the boxes, had a visit from trading standards then and then we were good to go.

I know the fca application thing has been talked through numerous times and I have gone through previous posts but can't for the life of me find the information I am looking for. can anyone please enlighten me the permission I need to get to be able to start offering finance.

Thanks for the vw thing, just had a look at it and it is within £25 of the figures i have been getting from valuation anywhere that will save me a bit for the few valuations i need to to

I woundered if I opened a hpi account with another provider or someone if anyone offered cap prices without perhaps having to do a hpi check first

I know this topic has been done before and a lot of you don't use any but i tend to a bit, and use cap, now i tend to buy most of my stuff from auction so all that information is to hand in the catalogues, and just seeing as my cap subscription is up for renewal and was wondering do any of you get that information from another type of provider, if so who. I use mototcheck for checks and i would say their price guide does not bear much resemblance to what you have to actually pay for stuff in the open market place. I am just trying to see if there is another way of getting the guide prices without committing to another 12 month subscription for the few i do a cheaper way.

When i started i had not sold a thing, nothing did not know anything about cars either and just did/say as i were told. I just assumed this was how cars were sold, this is all pre internet etc so people would get the paper at the weekend and came down with that and we literally pounced on them and pendle was all about maximising profit, get them in an office qualify them to death, find out their weekly payment feed that info into the computer and that would show you what car to sell them to make the maximum profit. then you would show them that car and get them out in in. (they would come in for a 4 speed fiesta and you would be taking them out in a maestro) The manager would say they don't know what they want take them out in that and we would, back of test drive and get them in the closing rooms as they were called then, load them up with a coffee that was hotter then the centre of the sun and then you would go to town on them trying to deal and we sold every extra from mud flaps to paint protection to spotlights the list went on and on. We would literally say to people " what do you mean you don't want it, is it me, is it the price, do you want the shirt of my back" and you would literally just grind them down. When you left the managers office to present the 1st deal he always said don't let them walk and they did n't, how could they with no keys. Did not matter if it was a lady on here own or the biggest bruiser in the world they all get treated the same, we used to regularly get people crying because of the pressure they were put under, if they did not deal there and then they never came back but we were told if you don't do it somebody else down the road would and i new no difference. I am really surprised some of the customers put up with that but they did 20 percent flat finance was quite normal (the finance companys used to max out commisions at £1500)and there was no customer satisfaction nobody cared about that from the owner of the garage downwards it was always just about the money but we are talking the 80's here so it is quite a while ago. Years later i worked at dealerships that were a little more relaxed with customers but i must admit i had the best laugh selling cars when i 1st started when it was only about the money,

Back in the day when I worked in a dealership as a young lad starting out in this game they operated a Pendle type sales process they would loose he customers keys for a bit so the customer could not walk. i was told by my then manager that all this the customer is always right is a load of bull, and if the customer is wrong tell them. them we're the days

Funny how different cars attract certain type of people

+1

I have had the AA recover me twice in a recovery trucks I have been using to collect cars never been a problem and I have personal cover. infact while I think about it I have broke down quite a few times, perhaps I am not a very good appraising cars?

Do you bring that up at sale time ?

Wish I could sell my stuff on dealer auction