c_cars

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Posts posted by c_cars

  1. Posted

    1 minute ago, Mikey360 said:

    Make sure you don't over bid aswell! Its really easy to get caught up in a bidding war with someone who only wants a £200 profit! Just leave it and move on, you're just loosing money to win low profits! 

    This and keeping it low key, don’t get the attention of your competition if you can help it. 

  3. Posted

    6 minutes ago, Arfur Dealy said:

    you’ll learn more by watching some of the pros, you’ll also see who you are potentially bidding against...

    The pros being the ones in the branded jacket, pointy shoes walking around with their clipboards touching every tyre you mean? <_<

  4. Posted

    Personally, I don’t rely on the driver for things like lights on dash, I look every time for myself. It takes seconds, as well as checking stuff like window switches. B)

    Just get yourself around, in and over the car like you would with buying from a private, admittedly in a limited window of time. 

    • Like 1

  5. Posted

    15 minutes ago, Arfur Dealy said:

    I tried using a gimbal, I just couldn’t get used to it. 

    Btw, 16 so far for me with some really big deals. My third best month ever ROI wise. It seems like a real production line at the moment with 7 in prep and 5 still to arrive. Happy days  :) 

    Good numbers! We’ve struggled to do just over that from a retail pitch this month..

    19 here from 35 in stock and closed tomorrow, though the right email enquiry tonight may tempt be to go in! 

  6. Posted

    23 minutes ago, whitestone679231 said:

    i personally think they are both no brainers for the price,,, i get results from both and more than pay for themselves,, way i look at it on a dead month worst case scenario sell nothing from them i lose a few quid,,, sell nothing from autoraper and i aint eating for a month...

    Same here. We don’t use AT but instead run eBay, Facebook and CarGurus free package. 

  7. Posted

    6 minutes ago, Arfur Dealy said:

    I'm with you..... When theyve paid, done the docs and then they mention, oh insurance I tell them I have to leave and usher them outside.... Got to be done...

    Would have loved to do that today just our opening hours state 4pm close! 

  8. Posted

    43 minutes ago, boring dave said:

    men in shorts

    What would even possess someone in this weather?! 

    My handover today turned up in shorts and a jacket as it was lashing it down, then once we’d done all the paperwork proceeded to spend an hour on his mobile in my office arranging (not swapping over) his insurance!

    Thats my pet hate, customers not arranging insurance before collecting no matter how many times I ask them to.. 

  10. Posted

    24 minutes ago, Nick M.K. said:

    I know that different things work well for different set ups, mine is very similar to both James and Simon, a one-man-band, a dozen cars, I don't rely on video as much but I get a lot of finance interest in my stock. Each and every finance company that set me up asked "Do you offer a warranty" so I had to start offering it if I was to get the finance deals. After paying WarrantyWise for a couple of years (average of £150 per car per 3 months) I switched to the self-administered £5 per-car-per-3-months option and have not looked back since. In fact looking forward I think I'll start making revenue from extending my own warranties. 

    My mistake, thought you were pitch based for some reason!

  11. Posted

    9 minutes ago, Nick M.K. said:

    I don't know why you and Simon keep repeating that mantra. We are not discussing a service-inclusive package here.

    We are not talking about maintenance at all. We are talking about the sudden and unexpected failure of a (non wear and tear) part which is supposed to last the lifetime of a car. An alternator or starter motors being a nice example. 

    When a customer pays you a "Retail price" profit margin they have this expectation that if a part like that failed for a short period of time after their purchase you will have some responsibility to take on some or all of the cost. 

    That warranty very nicely defines AND limits the time frame for this, the miles covered, lists the covered parts, even sets a price limit for the claims and leaves you a record for all this. How do you see a value in a PDI but can't see the value in this? Why don't you trial it selectively on just a few of your vehicles?

    Plus 1, was trying to think how I was going to word it!

    I can see both sides of the argument here though as I’ve worked both site and by appointment and each approach to warrantys work well enough for each individual setup.

  12. Posted

    30 minutes ago, Area 51 said:

    I'd say its a good 2-3 years before it all comes together, however as the market place changes from traditional pitch sales to media based interest/shoppers.. that is where the next learning curve will be.. Likes of AT - ebay motors etc are all stuff loads of effort into the process.. I'd guess with that kind of investment, its not going away anytime soon.

    As with any business, cant really stand still too long

    20 years in and still learning but this is the statement that rings true the most for me.

    From doing Autotrader listings on a Monday morning ready for a Friday magazine to a few clicks and your advert is changed in real time; worlds apart!

    • Like 1

  13. Posted

    9 minutes ago, Mat C said:

    Autosmart Eclat for me - We have to use this twice weekly on all our stock as dust is a major issue here. Spray on - wipe off and it stick the dust to the microfibre like glue.

    Also Autosmart Blast - chewing gum flavour - give it a "blast" half hour before customer arrives and every time they say, "wow" this car smells amazing.

    I also 2nd/3rd Tardis, great stuff for tar removal.

    ( the Autosmart guy does well out of me every month! )

     

    +1 for Autosmart, tried many variants over the years and nothing seems to come close.

    Other than that, G3 and a mop for polishing the profit in! 

  14. Posted

    8 minutes ago, EPV said:

    People, including myself, give you advice. For free, which has taken years and thousands lost to learn. I see a decent bit of advice given and you say "thanks I'll look into that" and I look and think "really? you're going to get a train at 6am to Scotland to buy a car are you?" to which the honest answer is "no, I'm not" and it makes me think you're a bullshitter. You say you're going to do one thing when you have no intention of doing it. It makes me think you're not genuine and doesn't make me want to take time out of my day to help you again.

    I talk straight, don't sugar coat and walk the walk.  I don't think you do the same and it frustrates me to see it. 

     

    Like

  15. Posted

    Am I right in saying you’re trying to specialise in small cars?

    Surely as a door stepper you’re much better off getting out and about buying whatever you can that’ll earn you a profit (at minimum, a wage?) 

    I honestly can’t think of any worse way to spend my day in this trade than trying to buy 9 year old Hyundais online.. 

  19. Posted

    2 hours ago, Mark101 said:

    My mates got a newly built (albeit basic) unit on a farm.  The farmer is gradually building several (about 20 so far) sheds and wait for it £250 month all in.

    One of our traders was just telling me how he’s just got a unit and yard, inside space for 6 and outside space for 10-12, gated and secure for £250 a month! 

  21. Posted

    1 hour ago, met said:

    And of course back then poor Terry couldnt even plunder his pension and buy a 'classic' BMW e46?

    Good old Wiki on a quiet Thursday afternoon:

    ‘In the first series, Terry drives a dark navy blue Mk2 Ford Granada. At the start of the second series, Terry receives a new company car, a metallic Tara Green Austin Princess (a Series 2 1700HL model, with fake registration NMO 49W). This Princess was not used in the following series as the next model Terry uses is an older Series 1 Brooklands Green 2200HL, but still with the fake and now incorrect registration. In the 1985 series, Terry keeps his "Wedge" theme with the updated Neutilus Blue Austin Ambassador. In the 1987 series, Terry goes back to Ford and drives a metallic red Ford Sierra. In the last series he switches to a briefly seen Mk3 Ford Granada.’

  24. Posted

    3 minutes ago, NOACROSS said:

    We have some lovely bright and hard-to-remove window stickers which we put on every sold car. 

    There was a local car supermarket that seemed to use the same type of sticker; 10 years later you’d still see their stickers in the back of stuff!

    Plus one here for complete branding, plates, sticker and key ring, for the cost per unit why not have your name out there!

     

     

  25. Posted

    23 hours ago, EPV said:

    Just sold, 14 days to turn.

    Quite surprised the number of hits it was getting I have to say and it's made me consider actually stocking them. I've always looked at them and shied away but perhaps I'll give another one a go.

    Quick turnaround, nice to see!

    Just goes to show that it doesn’t hurt to take a punt sometimes.