petrol head

Elan Sprint is one of the best cars I have ever driven and I have been lucky enough to drive and own some great cars. Once you have sorted the electrics out the rest is pretty much bullitt proof, I really fancy a Europa, have seen a few, but either been out bid or they weren't good. An Elan or Europa for 1/2 the price of an Escort, as our friends across the pond say "go figure"........

Your right the majority are dealers, but there has been a steady rise in the number of private buyers. I think with so many TV programs focusing on classic cars, the private punter is more confident than they possibly used to be. In addition the auction companies are better describing vehicles, along with pictures and video's available well in advance of the auction. The market will always be volatile, but certain models will always be in demand. When I see a Lotus Europe in very good condition selling for 25K and an escort mexico for 60K, I have to give my head a shake.

These E Type's have relatively low estimates: https://cardealermagazine.co.uk/publish/jaguar-e-type-celebrates-60-years-with-chassis-number-60-up-for-auction/216842 May go and take a look.............

Your friend is right its going a but soft, but its a correction in the market IMHO and the usual variable trends of what's in and what's not. If you look at some of the prices Nick and the boys at Silverstone achieved last year, they were astronomical in many cases: https://www.silverstoneauctions.com/auction/archive-auctions Inform your friend there is some, but limited and activity for high end classics in HK and Singapore, but be aware in the latter the car/motorcycle must be at least 35 years old from the DOR.

Not if you look at the results from Silverstone Auctions? The classic market is always volatile, look at the boom in the late in late 80's, also certain cars are in vogue. IMHO the 80's stuff is over hyped and will drop, also the market for concours cars is not in vogue. For me 60's and 70's original cars is very strong, amongst a few other classics I have a P5B Coupe, original, 27K and been in my family since new, I get massive offers al the time for it, but its not for sale. I think overall there will be a drop in used cars values, period, in 2021, but lets see Guy's.

I'm not sure how relevant this is, but I was buying a TV a few years ago from an independent retailer and was trying to negotiate the price as we dealers do..... This was at lunch time and the manager completely ignored my offer and simply said "what time do you finish work" to which I replied round 6.30-7 and he said" the TV will be in your house and working before you get home". That was the end of the negotiation and I went on to spend thousands with them for our home and dealership.

You have forgotten, Opel. Jeep, RAM, MOPAR, DS etc. Marriage made in hell for me, similar to the Daimler take over in 98, conflicting cultures.

Brilliant, keep them coming.......................................

Yes I read the article and whilst I feel sorry for them, it is very slack management. In several companies, I think probably 20-30 sites, I have used Paul Smith from Traka Automotive, their customer service is first class as are their systems. Get in touch with him, a good key management system is worth its wait in gold, not just in terms of security, but also productivity and customer service. The cost of techs and salesman running around looking for keys is massive! Makes me laugh Dealers will have several million pound showroom, several million of stock and a peg system for keys !

This was around 92 from memory, social media didn't exist then. One of those grade 3 celebs...............

Many years ago when I ran a west end site, I had a well known hairdresser walk in, although I didn't have a clue at the time. Flounced in with his obnoxious Mrs and demanded to see a Director, so I met with them. Wanted to buy a unit which was limited in supply and I could sell unit several times over, demanded a discount because of who he was and it would help us sell more units. I explained I can't get anymore units and couldn't give him a discount when I don't give any other high profile people discounts as it doesn't make financial sense, he didn't grasp it and the wife was giving me hell. Off they went and complained to HQ about me and the Distributor, they got the same answer! I was very tempted to say "do you need a discount, because you can't afford it", but managed to bite my tongue.

Yes I read the article and whilst I feel sorry for them, it is very slack management. In several companies, I think probably 20-30 sites, I have used Paul Smith from Traka Automotive, their customer service is first class as are their systems. Get in touch with him, a good key management system is worth its wait in gold, not just in terms of security, but also productivity and customer service. The cost of techs and salesman running around looking for keys is massive!

Beggars belief, you watch these shows like "The Sheriffs are coming" and someone has spent 2K on a car and expect it to be like brand new. I don't know how you Guy's selling the sub 5K units cope with this crap, as the courts will always side with the customer. I think if I was offered 40% less than the asking price I would ask them which half did they want!

There are some nut jobs out there, that really think Dealers are charitable organizations.

You have to remember, accordioning to the great unwashed, as car dealers we are no entitled to make a profit!

Apologies for posting on this again, but these situations make my blood boil. You have sold a good car at no doubt at a good price, done hours worth of work and they are rejecting it for not having electric folding mirrors. Never heard such nonsense in my life, there will be a back story to this, such as: - They have lost their job - Got a new job with a company car - Wife is pregnant Reminds me of a tenant I had back in 2010, rented a beautiful apartment I have and during their tenancy there was a small leak when it rained in the kitchen. All it did was leave a pool of water on the tiled floor and several building contractors couldn't fix it, they made such a fuss about it and I did my best to fix it. So about 10 months into a 2 year rental they want to terminate, bear in mind it a was a few grand a month, to save the grief I said yes. So a couple of weeks later I get a call from a good friend who had been at a dinner party where the aforementioned tenant was present and was boasting about how he broke the agreement without penalty, citing the small leak. This was due to them wanting to live in a house rather than an apartment and live in a different area. I called him and told him what I thought of him, then found out who his company were subcontracting to and through a mutual friend met the CEO of the company he worked for and recalled the story to him. Left it at that, but I do know they no longer have that contract, however I'm sure there are more robust reasons than my apartment. As they say "buyers are liars". Good luck with the next sale.

Customers can leave reviews for our businesses, it's just a shame we can leave customer reviews! I had a punter trying to return a car a few years back, as he wasn't happy with the radio, naturally told him to go and do one. Did a bit of digging around the trade and found he had tried to return 3 other cars, for spurious reasons. Needless to say he didn't get a refund or much time from me. Back to your case, folding mirrors, really does than spoil your enjoyment of a vehicle or affect a buying decision? I would imagine like a lot of us, you Guy's watch shows such as "the sheriff's are coming", people expectations of cars they spend a few grand on are unbelievable. Don't know how some of you cope with these idiots.

Free car hire for 2 weeks!

I have officially cancelled it!

I feel your pain here, but if the vehicle was on lease, if memory serves me correctly then somewhere there is service history. I don't think time comes into the equation if the mileage was misrepresented. Don't give up on this, every time we do someone gets away scott free.

What's the outcome @Willoughby

I think there is a crash coming, but happy to be wrong. Certainly the lumpy stuff has dropped a lot over the last month or two, in terms of demand and prices.

If you want reliability stick to anything Japanese. We have had 4X4 for donkeys years in various countries, so my experience is...............X5 is ok, but my god its boring, few issues with the ones we have sold, wouldn't recommend. ML, built is Alabama, you shouldn't need to ask more! Q7's have all been spot on, a bit less boring than the X5 IMHO. However we always end up back with a Range Rover, the build quality is terrible, but they are great to drive. We buy late models and flip them, buying a 10 year old one is financial disaster.

Whilst not of any comfort we have all bought a "wrong un" from time to time, the best advice I can give you is advise from my Grandad who was a Dealer, "your first loss is your best loss"! Also stock profile is very important. I hope you get out of it without too much of a loss.

How are you getting on with this Buddy, I'm keen to know the outcome as its a very interesting thread.