Max Branning

Jack did you have to apply for any sort of planning permission? And what sort of price range are you at? I am currently trading at £1500 - £4000 holding around 15-20 cars. If i had to reduce stock holding to around 10 cars from home i may look to go a bit more upmarket maybe 5-6k motors with a bit more margin in them. But then again not sure if a 6k buyer would feel safer buying from "premises"

Yes i could see how for most people trading from home is unpractical but with this proposed property the space is great. The cars would not be on view to passers by or neighbours. One thing that does worry me a bit is how the customer may portray you, as in that you dont operate from "premises" so you are not a real trader in their eyes? Still weighing up the pros and cons but saving 1200 per month in rent would give me a few nights extra sleep every month hopefully..!

Phil i am considering home trading mainly because the property offers excellent potential for it but also weighing up overheads and margins slipping i feel it is the way forward for me, even though i would be downsizing stock levels.

The neighbours wouldnt be an issue as the plot is enclosed. I would work strictly by appointment only if someone turns up and its not convenient i would send them away. Space is no issue. I dont care about people coming back complaining i prepare the cars well and would genuinely make an effort to sort out any problems for them. My main worry is with permission, Someone told me that you need planning permission to trade from home legally, i do not want to approach the council unless it is absolutely necessary as once they get involved they can find problems that dont exist. There would be no signs or for sale boards. Repairs would be done offsite. I would be looking to hold probably no more than 10 cars but maybe only 4 or 5 to start and see how it goes from there. Seems to easy to just be able to do it without some red tape though?

Umesh i agree in some ways but the property i am looking at has a large side plot which could be kept seperate from the house in a way. Also it sits around 100ft back from the road behind 8 ft gates so no one can just come and knock at the door. The biggest pro for me is saving around £1200 per month in rent for my pitch which more than covers the mortgage on the house. The business would have to downsize a bit but i still see it as a no brainer if its possible with permissions etc. To be honest the way dealers are moaning and groaning lately about stock turnover reducing and margins getting slimmer i can see this being the way forward for many traders who are able to do it.

Thanks Phil for this. Do you operate from home yourself? Just to clarify: If i have no signage, no for sale boards, do all repairs and valeting off site then i do not need any permissions at all and can just get on with it - or am i missing something?

I dont mind letting 99% of the customers test drive even the time wasters its part of the game. My problem is with smelly customers that own dogs and insist on getting in the cars with dog hairs all over them leaving them in the car and an odour that will not go away when they decide not to buy it.

Bit quiet here. But last month was very busy which i wasnt expecting for holiday month. Last year was opposite dead August busy September....It must be nice to be in a business which is consistent.

I am currently looking at buying a new house which has a large piece of land/garden with it. The House sits back around 100ft from the road and part of the large garden is situated at the side of the house with access down a long drive to it. Now i operate from premises currently but the potential to sell cars from this property is amazing. My question is to anyone who has experience of LEGITIMATELY trading from home. What would be the usual process of getting permissions etc and any pitfalls to avoid here. Just weighing up the pros and cons at the min.

These are exactly the sort of situations that are going to cause problems, warning lights coming on the dash must be one of our biggest comebacks. Usually its nothing but a sensor but buyers tend to panic at the first sight of a warning light. In this situation i would just offer to fix the issue, if they start saying they want to reject the car then i would refuse. If they decide to take it further then thats up to them but i very much doubt they would have a case.

Buying from auction online is purely gambling. Very rarely is an accurate description given and unless you are collecting the car yourself and inspecting it thoroughly before leaving then its pot luck. I have had several delivered into me with obvious faults that were not put in the descriptions. The sales rep who appraises the car does not really care if the dual mass is knocking away but he will surely highlight a little scratch. Buy local where you can and check the car thoroughly before leaving site. If theres anything not as described you should refuse to take the car and a full refund given.

Ebay offers excellent value for money to list up to 25 cars i think is around £150 per month. You will definitely sell cars from ebay not as many as Autotrader but when you compare price...no brainer.

Im sure you could find a large transporter who could move the lot in one hit for a reasonable price especially if its a regular contract. Try movex then you can say what YOU want to pay and let someone take the job.

The problem as well is if you are using a transport company, they will just chuck the car on the back and off they go, if its being trade plated they will maybe check a little better to make sure its at least road legal but unless you know the guy collecting it for you then i am afraid you are gambling. The descriptions given are mostly the general body condition and if your lucky they will tell you if theres a warning light on or a bit of smoke etc but thats it.

This is a definite problem with the online auctions, Which auction did you buy from? They will often be checked over by a trainee sales rep and the descriptions are mostly cosmetic, i very much doubt they would pop the bonnet and check if anythings a miss and thats if they even knew what to look for.... They normally say on the adverts that no discussions will be entered once the car has been collected, so i would strongly recommend buying locally where you can and checking the car before driving off.

Out of interest was the buyer a "trader" himself? As you listed the car as a trade sale. If so then he would have virtually no case whatsoever. The fact that you stated quite clearly that the car had problems and was sold as spares or for repair ie NOT ROADWORTHY then it would be a very hard case for them to take you to court, and most of the time it will be all threats and nothing more. It sounds to me like a lot of ebay dreamers that this guy thought he was getting a bargain when in fact he was getting exactly what he paid for. Stand your ground. And if any threats are made regarding coming to your house just pass his details to the police.

I was reading about a guy that does exactly that with property. Buys houses a little run down then puts them in auction where prices can go more than a done up house, just shows what a crazy world we live in.

The thing with these type cars is they have such a following that they really are worth what someone is prepared to pay for it. Same with the 4 litre s types in good nick because they are quite rare. There is also the possibility that they are going for export to wealthy buyers in places like africa. My guess is this rangie hit 5k.

Or a bit of black tape over the engine management light - as if we wouldnt notice !!....i have seen this many times at auction as well...

If you also count the independent layby dealers this number would surely be in the 10s of thousands?

I have had many occasions where customers trading in their old car dont tell you all its problems. i recently had a guy who traded in an old rover 45 he told me it was perfect and he was sorry to see it go etc. I think i offered him 300 quid for it as it had a long test on it and the customer was happy with that although he was hoping for £500. I didnt bother test driving it and took his word that it was all good. When i went to move it i realised there was no reverse gear at all, and had to force it in 1st so looks like needs a new clutch. If i had known i would of only offered scrap money so i now even check the bangers when they come in. Never make a solid offer on a p/x without seeing it first. I will only give a rough guide and then re value when its in front of me. Just too many fibbers out there..

You must be dealing in very high margin cars if you can pay 2 full time wages and 2 part time wages on top of usual overheads from a stock of 9 - 13 cars?

I think we have all been here.. Buy at auction everything looks rosey..probably paid a bit too much but its immaculate...1 owner...fsh...dream.. Get it back to the ranch only to find out needs a new set of injectors and possibly some other stuff not fully diagnosed yet..but looking at around 1k estimate to make it retailable... So..do we stick it back in the auction and hope we get our money back or there abouts or do we get the work done and retail it knowing that we break even at best......decisions decisions......

I had a funny one the other day, Woman phones up early in morning about 8 oclock says very interested in 1 of my cars and will be coming over to view, lives around 1 hour away but said she would be there at 10. It gets to about 11 and i think well i will ring back to see if there coming or not (im guessing not by now). Anyway she answers, sounds a bit flustered and says she is on the way and will be there shortly as traffic has been bad. Oh well at least shes on the way - It gets to 1 pm and still no show and i am gonna pop out to get a sandwich so i thought i will ring to see if shes nearly here. She answers and says "How much can you knock off the price" I replied Well you havent even seen the car yet when you get here we can discuss the price - she says "I wont bother then if theres no discount" and hangs up. I think these people all come from a strange far away planet and have been sent to earth to wind us up...

To be honest i didnt realise that commision would be that much. If thats correct then yes i would be pushing finance on every motor ! I will have to get the ball rolling and look into it a bit more the fca website is so confusing though will probably give them a call...