Frankieola

Aren't the 1.3 and 1.9 fiat engines and the 1.7 an izuzu unit?

And me too thanks!

Who do you guys use for your stationery needs, Things like purchase invoices, trade sales invoices, car sales invoices etc? Do you use a specialist printer or do you just do your own on a word or excel document? Thanks!

Took a Renault Clio in part exchange from a very respectable elderly couple a few years back. Was only when we put it through the workshop that it showed that it had had a really big whack at the front at some point and that all the airbags were missing! Loads of extra wiring in the ecu like a birds nest I expect to keep the warning lights off!! They had the car a good few years and I think probably never ever knew. We sent it to auction with the warning lights on, lost about £1200 but the right thing to do.

Forgive me for being thick, how can you manipulate the AT price indicators?

Thanks for this info, was it a contract for 3 months or longer?

Hi All, I know this subject has been done to death many times previously but just wondered what all your thoughts were? If I'm mainly selling cars under £3000, is the Ebay / Gumtree advertising the route to go? I've been offered a special "Black Friday" package deal (FFS, whatever next!!) but I'm not relly sure if its that special or not, What are you guys paying if you dont mind me asking? 10 Basic package (plus 3 vehicle overflow)– 3 month subscription - £238+ VAT per month 10 Plus package (plus 3 vehicle overflow)– 3 month subscription - £298+ VAT per month Sorry guys, This if for Ebay Motors Pro and Gumtree together so the title of the thread should be...... Gumtree and Ebay package!!

Where abouts are you based?

Thanks for the feedback guys, always good to get others opinions. I think I'm going to take is as even though I won't be able to take customers there, its going to be so useful.

I've just started to trade from home and have 8-10 cars at any one time, I've been parking them up locally and moving them around but its time consuming and there are some people out there who don't want a random car outside their house! I've been looking around for somewhere to store them and not come up with anything as yet but was offered something today. Its a gated yard tucked away at the back of a rural industrial estate, I reckon it could hold 25 cars easily, maybe even 35 if you parked side to side and the guy reckons it will be £280 a month, no rates, 1 year contract with the option for me to give 2 months notice after 6 months as he knows I'm only starting out. A part of me thinks go for it as I'm unlikely to get anything better but I am a little hesitant as it is more than I need. I'm based on the outskirts of Hertfordshire. What do you guys think?

Those of you that do the pay as you go Autotrader adverts, What level do you go in at? Prices range from 24.95+vat to 40.95+vat, What do most of you do?

I've used Pro driver in the past and always found them to be good and trust worthy. A lot of the time I have the cars dropped to my house and I'm not there, given them instructions and everything hone well. I fell out with Cargoes as they were double charging me on vat, charging me for £20 of fuel for example which already includes Vat plus the cost of the job and then vat again on top. I have used Shipley a couple of times and found them OK, again you just have to pick the one you feel most comfortable with. If you get to know a couple of companies through the brokers you can then approach them direct. Road I've used Pro driver in the past and always found them to be good and trust worthy. A lot of the time I have the cars dropped to my house and I'm not there, given them instructions and everything hone well. I fell out with Cargoes as they were double charging me on vat, charging me for £20 of fuel for example which already includes Vat plus the cost of the job and then vat again on top. I have used Shipley a couple of times and found them OK, again you just have to pick the one you feel most comfortable with. If you get to know a couple of companies through the brokers you can then approach them direct. Road an, am I to assume you are a driver thinking about signing up to one of these sites looking for work?

I've been experimenting with buying a few cars privately recently and have done okay but have missed out on a couple as I couldn't get to them quick enough. This got me thinking about sending a small deposit to the seller to secure the car until I can get to them, Obviously it would be after I've had a good chat with them on the phone first and satisfied myself that they are all they are saying. Does anyone else do this? What's the best way to do it and is there a way that I can call the money back if the cars not for me or the seller doesn't stack up and gets a bit awkward? Many thanks

Just taken in an early VW Tiguan which has a pretty top end stereo unit (RNS510) which has nav, bluetooth and DAB, Anyway the unit is shagged and its either going to cost £350 to fix the hard drive or buy a 2nd hand replacement unit off ebay. Whilst looking there I've found a chinese brand new one that costs £149, The make is A-Sure, reviews are okay and its coming from a company in portsmouth but has anyone got any experience of these? I'm tempted to give it a go as its but theres a small part of me thats screaming dont do it! Appreciate anyones advice, Thanks

For those of you who are self funding your warranty's, How much do you put aside for each car or do you put aside a certain amount each month?

2005 and a bloke walks into the Land Rover showroom in shorts and flip flops, points towards a Range Rover Sport and says how much is that, I say £58500, he asks whether you can get it with a sunroof and I say you can but its £900 extra and you'd have to order one, it will take about 10 weeks. OK then, he says, I'll have this one! Came back next day and paid full balance on his debit card, it didn't even refer! Certainly one of the easiest I'll ever make.

Got a call from a mate earlier asking for advice, he's put his 65 plate car into a main dealer for a service and whilst they have had it on road test its been in an accident. Range Rover has shunted it from behind. They are putting him in a hire car and propose to fix it and he'll have it back in 3 or 4 weeks. He was asking me what I thought. My feelings are that he should refuse the car back and ask for it to be replaced, I'm just thinking along the lines of what if he gets it back and its a bad repair, or the car develops faults in 3 months time, or if he comes to PX it and gets knocked on price as its obvious it's had a whack? All of these will just end up with him involved in conversations with the dealer or customer service and a lot of wasted time and effort on his part. I know that these things happen but am i telling him to be too demanding? What do you guys think?

I think the DVLA will be as unhelpful as they possibly can be on this score, And it will seem as if whoever youare talking to will take real delight in it too! I think your best bet is to HPI the vehicle again and that will pull up the new reg number?

Any of you fine forum chaps got one of these cars that you can trade to me please? Fiat Punto 5dr, under 60000 miles, petrol manual. Thought I had one of these from a private punter but he's just messing me about now. I've sold it to a family friend (I know, I know!) so now scratching around looking again. Any help would be really appreciated!

My mum, who was in her late 70's when this happened bless her, was asked whilst waiting in Sainsbury if she wanted to use the self service checkout. She replied by asking the manager if he was going to give her staff discount on her shopping as she would be putting it through herself!

ABS light isn't on. Speedo needle is stuck half way up the dial.

Corsa just come in and the speedo is knackered, was working fine when I appraised it last week! Is this a common fault and any idea what it could be? Thanks

Interesting that people are choosing to buy cars this way, What sort of price range do you deal in?

No, He was in Yorkshire! I've had a conversation, He is basically moaning that he has spent £23000 on a car and the tyres are "only" 5 and 6mm, Wanted to go 50/50 on replacing all 4 but I said no. Put him straight on the 14 days thing as well and he sounded shocked, I'm so glad that he ended up coming to us to collect and that we are not into distance selling regs. My only worry now is that he'll post some shitty review online about how we conned him.

Recently sold a car to a guy who lives a fair way away from us, He has been a pain to deal with from the outset and I would have told him to do one but my boss wanted the car gone so I've been all sweetness and light to him whilst secretly thinking he is a w*nker. Anyway, We were going to deliver but he came down to collect the car (unannounced!) on my day off on Friday. He moaned about us having to get finance paid out before he left, about a few marks on the car, the cost of the train fare, moaned about everything really. The car itself is a 64 plate Audi estate with 28000 miles, really really nice car but just hasn't shifted. We've prepped it to a very high standard and I doubt you'd find a nicer one for the age and miles, never mind what we have ended up selling it for. He's been on the phone today complaining about the tyres, they only have 2mm on them apparently. My workshop report says the fronts had 5mm and rears were on 6mm. We replace tyres that are below 3mm as a matter of course when we prep the cars. I've given him the workshop report showing the tyre tread and he's still moaning. He's now come back saying they are only 2mm above the wear bars!! I trust my workshop implicitly and I know he's trying it on. He's just stated that he has 14 days to return the car under the finance agreement, I'm thinking that he's confused and has 14 days to settle and pay by other means?? I want to take a hard line with this guy but where do I stand and what do you guys think I should do?