metcars

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    2630

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    84

Posts posted by metcars

  1. Posted

    The looming spectre of Brexit is a concern for all businesses.

    Generally speaking when customers are looking to 'pull in their horns' its the new car purchase that gets put on hold first.  This trade tends to feel the effects of any recession or downturn first .

  2. Posted

    20 minutes ago, grant8064 said:

    With auctions on your doorstep and loads of premises for not a lot of money the entry costs into the industry are pretty low meaning there is greater competition. Cost of living and operating are lower too so margins might be squeezed too. As we all know, to do this properly, you need a healthy margin to cover PROPER recon and prep.

    Having spent a fair bit of time in the Midlands previously and seen how the demographic and atmosphere is it would be one of the last places I would ever want to try and trade in. Every customer we have dealt with from there either wants your 'best final last price' or has a disgusting attitude. Not a slur on anyone from that region, i'm sure there are lots of lovely people there but it's not for me.

    I always wonder how difficult it must be to relocate to an area you are not familiar with and set up. We moved about 20 miles a couple of years ago, still in our home town area, and were amazed at the difference in attitudes, buyers and quality of trades and suppliers. Took us a good six months to work out what kind of stock we needed to carry and it was completely different to our previous trading area.

    I can't imagine the Midlands are worse than where I am in East London?

  3. Posted

    5 hours ago, grant8064 said:

    I regularly look at premises in the Midlands near the other half's parents...five years rent at my present site would buy me a similar sized freehold site up there. Tempting figures but I couldn't move away from the sea. My customer demographic here is pretty nice too...I couldn't bear to move to the Midlands and get asked 'best price, last price' by a certain demographic all day every day. 

    Interesting. I'd have thought that being in the Midlands would be the ideal location. It has the largest concentration of large auction houses and everyone there needs a car to get anywhere as public transport is insufficient. Down here in the 'big smoke' we have a complex public transport system with buses and tubes. In many respects, it's not driving a car that is expensive down here but parking/storing it, especially if you are in the City. In many respects, owning a car in London is an encumberment/liability.

  5. Posted

    1 hour ago, justina3 said:

    Whilst a lovely idea, however our country has no means or even close to being able to monitor anything let alone the second hand car business, if anything our society is being held together by a shoe string, and a lot worse than joe public will ever know.

     

    Absolutely spot on!

  6. Posted

    3 hours ago, trade vet said:

    Hi Tradex

    Enfield,what a place that was,full of Del Boys and the rest !We had to stop buying there because our transport company got ticketed outside the back gate loading our stuff and refused to go back.A while before that and before we had a buyer there,I went there a few times.The last time I went,I got a train from Stansted which was OK.However,after the sale I got the same train into London,never again.A few stations down,all these kids get on ( big kids ,mostly white ‘ ish ‘ but speaking / or shouting in  West Indian Patwah English .I was very uncomfortable to say the least .Every time the train stopped,more got on.However,we get to Seven Sisters ( I think) and everyone gets off and I have to stand in a queue to be searched by the Police with sniffer dogs.Apparently this was not unusual and this must have been in  about 2000 ! ....Isn’t on line buying wonderful......

    I'm lucky/unlucky as Enfield is my closest auction, about 20mins drive. I remember before the site was redeveloped and the auction stood in what is now their car park. The auction hall ran cars left to right and you would park on the A10. Back then they did evening sales too which I much prefer, shame the big two can't offer an evening sale inside 50miles of London?

  7. Posted

    10 hours ago, trade vet said:

    We used to do Chelmsford back in the day when we had a bigger operation.We only stopped because we could not get the stuff lifted quick enough for them as they were short of space.I don’t think that applies now.If it is half as good as it was 10 years ago,its worth a try.They had very good vendors then,a lot of high spec ex PLC Direct stuff ,you could not nick anything though because all the big boys were there.I recall,they were straightforward and generally good to deal with.

    I've not been there since they moved from the old place across the road.

  10. Posted

    49 minutes ago, tradex said:

    Must be a Polish thing, moved on from plumbing;)

    He moved into a new build corner plot a few years back. Started doing odd mechanical jobs, then some vans for a local delivery firm. And then moved on to salvage prestige German bits. I've walked passed his place when a truck has been delivering but It's not anywhere I know. He usually builds up a couple then sells them off and the cycle repeats. He never has cars being worked on while he has them for sale. He's very careful about advertising because I can't find him anywhere? I suspect he sells to his own Polish community as they don't seem as bothered about damaged repairables? If I take the dog out later I might try and sneak a pic?:D

  12. Posted

    3 hours ago, tradex said:

    We know of a polish guy whom sells 'German Performance Saloons' some of which are circa £20k and most (all?) of his gear is C or D and he does OK, been around for a few years, nice guy when we speak, knows his cars too.

    I  have a Polish guy on the corner of my road who repairs accident damaged german performance stuff too. Does it all in his front garden. He has three or four up for sale, but keeps a low profile and its all taxed and mot'd. He seems to have a regular and loyal Polish customer base too? I have no idea where he advertises them and nothing hangs around for long

    • Like 1

  15. Posted

    20 hours ago, Pro.Vo said:

    Hello,

    I want to start selling used cars and develop my sales, in particular acquire my vehicles from companies selling LLD in EU. 
    I hesitate between different companies (Volkswagen Financial services, Leaseplan/Carnext, Arval, BCA...)
    What are the advantages and disadvantages of these companies?
    Thank you for your help. 

    Have you considered joining the IMDA?

  18. Posted

    13 minutes ago, andymc1973 said:

    I have a quick query if anyone could help, im after a LHS xenon headlight (complete) and finding it impossible to source, apparently the part is shared with the v70, the part number is 30678935, I'd be over the moon with any pointers, I have tried ebay and the usual breakers

    thanks 
    Andy

    There's a big volvo breaker near me in NE london, I'll try and dig out the address 

  21. Posted

    5 minutes ago, trade vet said:

    Hi RH

    Did they actually call themselves ‘lndustry heavyweights ‘.Having searched one or two of them,that is definateley not the case.

    As I've mentioned before I think an association is a good idea but I don't think they are necessarily the right guys to do it. If they can't debate in a robust manner on a used car dealer forum without getting a 'strop on' and/or getting personal what chance do they have lobbying government?

    • Like 1

  23. Posted

    24 minutes ago, Spsjapps said:

    All cleared up. Spoke to the auction sales manager and he said i can cancel if i wish.

     

    thanks for your input chaps

    Just out of interest had BCA already HPi'd it and knew about the discrepancy or did they wait until it was actually sold before they HPi'd it?

  24. Posted

    I'm amazed that everyone doesn't use this site. It is immensely useful and It is now part of my auction buying process to run every car on the history check. It is also interesting to see how often a car has the wrong MOT information on the auction site.

    I've also noticed that compared to the bad old days, there are more and more 'errors' cropping up on what I would have thought would be a fully automated system to check in a car on its vin/reg number. But it appears its all down to grumpy people too bored to put the right numbers in?:unsure: