Autolink100

I am in the wrong business! I should have gone into computers. I spoke to Dragon 2000 last week about their planned hike in charges and how it seems a bit steep for the small independents such as myself and I was basically told tough luck, if you don;t like it, jog on son. They are obviously doing so well they are not bothered about losing the smaller dealers, must be a lovely to be that comfortable about your product. It's a good system and we have been using it for about 11 years now but I have had a good look around over the last month and there are plenty of alternatives that do the same job for a whole lot less money.

I have just had the same letter. When we started using them back in 2002 it was a straight up front purchase of the software and you paid a nominal amount for support. It does seem an outrageous hike in what they charge and I wonder if they are pricing themselves out of the market for the smaller trader. They seem to be modelling themselves on Autotrader's business model. I will also be looking around at the alternatives. Not impressed with them at all

I believe such a car would need to be described as 1 Registered keeper

We use Dragon 2000 and have done for over 10 years. It's an excellent package, very easy to use and links with sage. We use the standalone version but they do offer a cloud based version

Interesting thread. I have a similar scenario going on at the moment. I took an Audi A3 TDi in from a guy about a month ago and he promised me faithfully that the car had full history and cam belt change etc, he told me the history was with his mechanic and he would collect it and send it on.Needless to says to say it never arrived and I am probably out of pocket as I valued his car as having history. I have emailed him a couple of times but have not received a reply so time for a call I think!.It's my own fault, I took the guy at face value as he seemed a decent genuine guy but he was in fact a lying scumbag, his car also had some issues that I had to get to the bottom of which he also lied about. Anyway, lesson learned I suppose, I hope for his sake that he doesn't have any problems with the car he bought because he won't be finding me particularly helpful!

Champagne taste and lemonade money is the phrase that I like to use, never to their face of course But it is always very frustrating when dealing with unrealistic people. I think I prepare my cars to a pretty decent standard but as I deal in mainly 5 -10 year old stock they are never going to look like new which is what a lot of punters seem to expect these days. I absolutely hate it when the magic finger comes out and they start picking out every tiny stonechip and minor blemish, I must admit my patience does not last long when they happen to be looking at say an 8 year old car. I normally politely point them in the direction of the nearest main agent of the car that they are looking at and tell them that the main dealer will be happy to supply them with a 3 year old example that will better meet their expectations. The inevitable answer is of course " Oh No, we don't want to spend that kind of money". makes you wonder what they eventually do wind up buying

I sell 4x4s and I am dead! Total waste of time for me opening over the break.

A very interesting topic. I am more than happy to offer a test drive to anybody who appears to be a genuine buyer but what about the others, the ones that you have qualified and realised they are not ready to buy but simply doing the rounds and have half a dozen more to look at before they make a decision. What about the guy that rolls up at 4PM on a Saturday afternoon, it's nearly dark, pouring with rain and the car he wants to drive has just come out of the valeting bay and is gleaming!. It's also blocked in by half a dozen other cars and he has already told you he is not ready to buy and is going to look at more in the morning! Does this chap get a test drive? It's quite a fine line you have to tread, you don't want to give them the hump by refusing but you also don't want to have your time wasted. We have a huge car supermarket place just up the road from us that specialise in BMWs and they insist on a deposit before giving a test drive which sounds crazy to me but they are a very successful operation so who is right ? I will say that I have spoken to countless punters who have been in there and left very unhappy at their policy ( and the hard sell tactics) and swear never to go near the place again. It would be interesting to see how others approach this.

I agree 100% with the comments about a decent deposit, I always ask for a minimum £500 and it rarely causes a problem. Sometimes they genuinely don't have it in their current account and that is fine, I'II take £300 as an absolute minimum. I find that sort of figure usually guarantees a bit of commitment and I have very few deals fall out of bed.

We are a smallish independent in a fairly rural location and I tend to go for the smart casual look with trousers, shirt and some branded fleeces and polo shirts for the summer. Personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable dealing with customers in a pair of jeans, I guess it a personal choice but if I were walking into a dealer looking to do business I would expect the sales person to look the part, not like he was off down the pub for a few beers.

I wouldn't say this is a new issue, we had a visit one night last summer and they kindly removed 2 cats, one from a Ford Ranger and another from a Shogun, both very easy to crawl underneath. It seems to be a common problem here in Kent.

Except on days when you might have to deal with a few ruckers, then it needs to be Hai Karate, remember that one? "Be careful how you use it" oops, showing my age again !

Umesh, What I like about their system is the simplicity of it. It is clear cut black and white and everyone knows where they stand. Here, we are forced to wrestle with the complexities of the SOGA which when applied to a 10 year old car for example is frankly a bit of a nightmare. What is considered 'of satisfactory quality' for example comes down to the opinion of a small claims court judge on the day, someone who may have zero mechanical knowledge. Having such a system does not mean you can't look after your customers as you wish, there are many perfectly reputable dealers in the US who do just that. I would have thought that if anything, a system such as this would drive the public away from the cowboys and straight into the arms of reputable dealers. Anyways, it's not ever going to happen here any time soon but I would have thought that if you asked a selection of dealers the simple question, Would you prefer a system where you do not have to offer any warranty on any used car that you sell ? I am pretty sure what the vast majority would answer!. A pretty emphatic YESSSSS!

There is a simple way to deal with this which is the way that certain states in the US base their law such as Florida for example, In the state of Florida all used cars are sold "as is". The only warranty that they come with is the manufacturers warranty if that is still in force. The average used car dealer does not have to offer any warranty whatsoever only to make sure that the car is described correctly and not misrepresented, for example all accident damaged or ex rental cars must be declared but there is no onus on the dealer to offer any form of mechanical guarantee whatsoever. In reality most dealers will either sell or give away an MBI type warranty but they are not obliged to. Its a simple system where everyone knows where they stand from the word go, it is up to the punter to check the car and make sure he is happy. If you want a warranty you buy one otherwise you are on your own. I have several good dealer friends over there and they can't believe their ears when they hear what we have to put up with over here, although every state has their own laws and I believe some give the public much more protection. It will never happen over here in a million years because of our ties the the EU but just imagine how it would transform our industry if a law such as this was implemented, the small claims court would suddenly be a very quiet place. Just imagine, you sell a car and as soon as it is driven off your forecourt, you can be 100% sure it will never be your problem again, Heaven!