Mat C

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Posts posted by Mat C

  1. Posted

    I went for the Landbeasts one in the end. 

    Collected it yesterday, I can honestly say, what a pleasure it was dealing with them and the car is 'Split Mint' I had the biggest grin on my face driving it back up from London. If I could add a Picture here I would.0

     

    On 22/11/2017 at 0:23 AM, DHill said:

    Landbeasts have got one in, go onto their Facebook page. 

    You should ask for a referral fee!

    • Like 2

  2. Posted

    9 minutes ago, Pip said:

    I've been in the trade since 1995 and the margins are smaller now. I've always been fussy and car must have history, be clean and look good. I've never had very high mileage stock. It's more trouble than it's worth. There are thousands of cars for sale so yours have to be very very good. I've never been the cheapest as the cheapest are the rubbish. Let them look at the cheapest before they come and buy mine. 

    Ive often wondered how traders make a living when I see some of the shite they buy at the block.Always polished the backside out of a car and vacuum it to near new condition. It works for me and I always normally sale to the first viewing.If only I had a quid for every time I've heard this is by far the cleanest and the best we have seen. We have seen some rubbish. I then think to myself yes you didn't see this when I bought it lol.

    Hard work pays off and being the cheapest wil not make the phone ring, it just makes them think it must be a lemon. I have a friend who never repairs dents or scratches and he holds them for weeks. I always touch all blemishes up and clean any stains on interiors, I have a very good paint shop and it works.

    I whole heartedly agree. I get a nice warm feeling when our customers come into our (shed) showroom and say, 'wow' look how lovely your cars are. I see some crap for sale every day, terrible photo's, filthy interiors, damage hear there and everywhere. My mantra is, why give them a reason NOT to buy it. Like Pip, we detail every car, polish chrome, scrub exhaust pipes, dent man, machine polish, it needs to look as good as it possibly can, good pictures, good bodyshop for bumpers / bonnet paints ( especially on MINI's ) I also really only like to buy stock that I know will sell, bright cars, that when you look at them you say,.... That's a lovely car..... With us its easier I guess, as Most people love a Mini, we sell to 17yr old girls, 80 year old fellas and everyone inbetween.

    Look at your oldest car and ask, would I buy it, is it clean, are the pics good, does it start..... Retail is detail.....

  3. Posted

    4 minutes ago, have a word with the wife said:

    Split mint is totally non fault able both bodywise, interior and mechanical !

    oh and its dog cock red :lol:

    My spelling, I was evidently high on some exhaust fumes, Dog Dick red is our usual, however I have heard Dog cock too!

    2 minutes ago, Mat C said:

    My spelling, I was evidently high on some exhaust fumes, Dog Dick red is our usual, however I have heard Dog cock too!

    Or dog knob... 

    I'd love a split mint DK red IS200 though

     

  4. Posted

    7 hours ago, tradex said:

    Does the term relate to anything in particular or has the meaning been lost in time...I like odd stuff like this?B)

    I have no idea,  its just something thats always been banded around garages i've worked at. I'm sure my brother uses it all the time when describing a particulalrly beautiful car, particularly is its old. 

    There are some daft motor trade sayings out there... Ducks on pond, Got some billys on, Flat as a witch's tit, dock cock red..... I should start a new topic......

    I'm sure some of the ( older ) guys in here have loads of them..

  5. Posted

    2 hours ago, kenji.autocom said:

    are you willing to buy it straight from the auction? it will be from japan though. 

    but what does split mint means? I was at lost, mint condition and 50% downpayment first? 

     

    1 minute ago, tradex said:

    'Split mint' is a new one on me too?

    Must be the Midlander in me! Basically I want a new car thats 12 years old.

    there are some stunners out there, but i'm prepared to wait for the right one!

     

  6. Posted

    5 hours ago, Ocsltd said:

    You're starting to sound like a typical customer!!! :P

    Next you'll be moaning about the price!! :D

    I'm starting to annoy myself now, i'm such a tosser!

    I wan't a MINT 13 year old car with full history and in the right spec and right colour, low mileage......

    I'll just ring the used car factory now sir....

     

  8. Posted

    1 hour ago, ik1980 said:

    I think I saw one that's coming up for sale in the auctions, its a 250 SE with 66,000 55 plate think it was registered in Nov

    250 is the new model, and Manual kills it as after 06 they are £500 a year to tax, the auto;s are much better in the 250 but I want a 200

     

  9. Posted

    11 hours ago, BHM said:

    Snap and I have yet to buy one that’s 100% right.

    At my end of the market the newest Lexus I’ve driven is an 09 but everyone has drove disappointingly, they’ve got little get up & go (even the 4.3 V8s need kicking) and the cabins have the ambience of a truckers cafe furnished with plastic chairs. 

    Each to their own I guess but compared to a Merc they’re a joke and tbh a 1.8 Focus is a damn sight superior car in just about every way.

    Ha ha, wondered when Grumpy would comment.... :D:D

    The car is for me personally, just trying to relive my youth..... so i'm not selling it ( well, not yet, but everything's for sale! )

    Having worked for Lexus for 10 years, I can honestly say there isn't a more reliable car out there. There's a reason they win JD power year in year out, but each to their own. They're certainly not the most exciting cars to drive, but the quality ( even on 10/15 year old ones ) far surpasses Merc, BMW and definitely ford focus! 

    10 hours ago, twerp said:

    I remember an IS220D that was on its third engine at 4 years old (150k) going through the block

    All of the above except for the 2.2 diesel that they produced, which frankly is probably the worst engine ever. It was a massive mistake and undrivable under 80mph and then DPF issues and all sorts.... one for the history books and i'm sure a few japanese techs got the boot over this one!

    7 hours ago, DHill said:

    Landbeasts have got one in, go onto their Facebook page. 

    Just seen this, Perfect. I've messaged them

    Thanks

     

  11. Posted

    8 minutes ago, Ocsltd said:

    I had one of these last year, 2005, 19k miles, Manual, 1 lady owner, Full Lexus Main Dealer History, it was like a new car!!! 

    Needless to say it drove like it was running on butter milk.... :D

    Thats exactly what i need. I know of one that I sold new to a guy in 05, its now done 9,000 miles and is like new, but he won't let me have it...

  12. Posted

    2 minutes ago, Mojo121 said:

    I always watch these and laugh as they go through auction... especially the ones with 140k that still make barmy money! Are they that good to drive? I've never been able to get near one... I'll admit the engines sound superb.

    Here's a cracker

    https://www.gumtree.com/p/lexus/lexus-is200-sport-low-mileage-full-service-history-2005-excelent-condition-/1276261822

    I worked for Lexus for 10 years and these were the best company car i ever had. I think for the money, they are bullet proof. I'm just waiting for the right one to pop up. I've had 2 over the last 2 years but they just weren't exactly the one I wanted.

    They still make strong money, but the auto's are dreadfully slow so it has to be a manual. I really just want to relive my youth!

    I've messaged that guy 3 times, looking at the HPI it had a change of keeper 5 days ago, so i'm assuming its sold. But that is exactly the thing I need.

     

     

  13. Posted

    Morning, 

    I'm after Lexus IS200 - Manual, Less than 100k, Ideally an SE or Sport. As much history as possible and obviously needs to be split mint. :D

    Preferably last of the run so 54 plate or 05 plate

    Just in case any of you have one just lying around........ its for me

     

  14. Posted

    We've been with Cargurus for about a year. We get 2/3 leads a month, usually no reply at all. We reply to the message and also send a fresh email to the email address that's supplied ( customer 223345566@cargurus.com ) or whatever it is. 9/10 never reply and after 5 emails I send a message asking if they are still interested, then to contact us, otherwise we will archive their enquiry. 

    However, we have sold 6 cars this year through cargurus, so yes, it does work a bit. BUT We've only ever sold cars when we've not been on the free trial!!!!!

    This is how I see it working.

    1 genuine enquiry comes in..... ( Magically ) then 3 or 4 more arrive over the next few days..... then the call / email from the Cargurus team, explaining how you'll get more leads and more sales through their well priced product. Its all a crock in my opinion, fake enquiries to get you thinking you're gonna sell loads from it.

    I don't agree with the whole concept of carguru's like many others, i find their whole ethos is based on price and nothing to do with spec, quality or customer service.

  16. Posted

    Just now, Ocsltd said:

    Ha. Funny this thread should come up, because like you, i'm fed up my grubby looking floor. Be interested to know what you go for?! 

    I've considered all sorts, garage tiles, laminate flooring and even carpet!!.....

    I was considering dark carpet, but the main problem we have is that our main roller shutter door leads directly onto the road, where there's 18 wheelers plowing past every 5 minutes into the yard across the way. Its so dusty here its untrue, so my thought would be the vinyl stuff so we can just mop it, currently if we mop our floor, its just pushing the paint from one place to the next!

  17. Posted

    3 minutes ago, sparky said:

    I had something similar to option 2 earlier in the year for a valeting bay. Approx 50 square meters of proper industrial flooring which is hard wearing and wipes clean etc. That cost me £800 fitted and i have to say it's been well worth it.

    you got a picture?

     

    15 minutes ago, Ocsltd said:

    I use a vacuum cleaner!! It's amazing how warm you get when you hoover a car!! :lol:

    Stops me from sitting on my arse, spending all day on here..... :P

    Ha ha, I tell that to my Partner, Lets go and eclat all the showroom, soon be sweating!

  20. Posted

    After advice or any reliable contacts please.

    We operate in an industrial unit,approx 2000 sq ft nice white painted walls and concrete screeded floor. When we moved in the floor was lovely, 2 years later its minging, paints faded, gets so dusty, I have to constantly sweep up and spray water to take my pictures to make them look better, its starting to get on my t1ts now. We've just removed some internal walls to fit our own 2 poster ramp in so we can get a tech to do our prep and then start offering specialist servicing. We need a new floor relatively quickly, so i've been looking at a few options.

    1. Paint the floor again. We're next door to Dulux paint centre, so could get a deal on the paint and spend a weekend doing it ourselves, however, after 10 mins of having the door open, will be dusty and shitted up again fairly quickly. 

    2. Vinyl flooring. I've seen this on a mates garage and on a few car dealers pics when scouring the net. Comes in 10m rolls about 3,mm thick and just rolls out and stays put, this would give us a much cleaner look, easier to clean, and look a lot more professional than we are right now. However struggling to find a local supplier or specialist. Also not sure this would be any good for under a ramp? And its not cheap! but can be moved with us if we move?

    Any alternatives or contacts or advice from you seasoned professionals?

  22. Posted

    31 minutes ago, sparky said:

    I know you have mentioned that before and it's an interesting mind set to have, and as Rory says it clearly works. I guess that means taking the emotion out of what you have, which is fair enough on the bread and butter stuff. But your stock has a bit of emotion in it and some of it must be difficult to source. So, would you still apply those principles to to a fancy rare as rocking horse cooper works for example?

    I don't bother much with stats and repricing and my view has tended to be there is an arse for every seat so let it sit there, partly because I've got so much space. It's worked to a point but I know I need to embrace such pricing and days in stock policies as yourself and maybe find the middle ground. As ever though in life, a change in mind set is easier said than done.

     

    Its been drilled into me for 20 years, theres a reason why every company i've ever worked for has a strict stocking policy, is because it works. Cars don't go up in value, ( however I do put mine up in price sometimes )  so as far as i'm concerned I need to move it asap. We have had some real strange ones stick over the last year, a beautiful Green Cooper SD, up on miles but a lovely 1 owner example, great spec and beautiful condition, sat here without the door being opened for weeks, but that MY ££££ sat there, rotting, doing nothing, I need to make it work harder for me, thats my opinion. So I gradually kept creeping the price down and then all of a sudden, bang, the phone rings. 3/4 people interested in it. In my view, there is a man for every car, however you've got to find him, or more importantly, he's got to find you!!!! But it also has to be priced right. People these days are so price focussed, and without a showroom presence, we are destined to always be keenly priced until I fond my 30 car roadside pitch. We just don't have the space ( and funds ) to have cars sat around for weeks on end.... get the £££ back in the bank and get it invested in something else!

    Don't get me wrong, I do premium price my stock for the first 10/14 days and splash it about on facebook. At the minute I have a 1 off, JCW thats been locally owned by a MINI Employee, best i've seen, and tastefully modified, so its priced way above market, i've been told its too expensive by the facebook experts ( the ones that can't afford it ) however i've had 4 enquiries on the car in the first 10 days and an appointment on it this morning. 

    We've also been bitten by being too proactive and advertising stock we don't own yet, like a PX coming in or an existing customer wanting to sell back to us after a few months, This happened the other day, we'd sold a JCW that was due to come in from a local guy, that we'd sold a few months back, he'd had a chance in circumstances and neede out of the car, we re advertised it before it came in, sold it first day and had everything lined up for the weekend. Friday comes, he calls me and says his wife can't part with it so they're keeping it..... ARGHHH 1 very p1ssed off customer on the other end, however its now our job to find her another car ( if there is one! )

    But thats the way I work, it needs to be prepped, cleaned and advertised within 24/48 hours of it landing with us. Again in PLC world if my stock wasn't in, photo'd and on the pitch in 48 hrs you'd get fined. Unless it needed bodywork, which it was then 72 hrs.  I advertise everything within minutes of buying it from auction, by pinching the auction ad pictures too. Just gets it out there as soon as physically possible.

    • Like 3

  23. Posted

    Back in PLC world 8 x stock turn was the benchmark, any lower, you were sh1te and any higher you got a b0llocking for p1ssing everything away. 

    I benchmark myself at 12 x , we stock around 13/15 cars and on average sell 13/15 a month, so I'm happy with that. I am rigorous with my stock though, Check prices and enquires / hit rate pretty much daily, re price and get it gone before 90 days old, I guess thats the PLC in me still as we used to get fined for cars over 60 days and then again at 90 days....

  24. Posted

    I use Autosales ( just started ) and after the initial pain in the A of loading our last 12 months deals ( as its our year end )  its a brilliant system. Runs alongside our SAGE for VAT and monthly management accounts etc..

    I've just signed up for an all encompassing accounts package with a Local firm who are motor trade specialists, so they understand the ins and outs. They do my Vat return, payroll, accounts, POS system and reconsile my bank, basically everything, saved us £££ in the long run and also saved us lots of stress. If anyone want their details, let me know.

  25. Posted

    16 minutes ago, James01 said:

    So if we are on the subject, how many people put full service history on an advert when in fact a car may have missed one of the ten services required by a manufacturer for example?

    Would this not be misrepresentation? Could a customer come back to you 2 months later on it?

    I only ever describe a car with ' service history' as I wont supply a car without any history. Keeps it simple

     

    You also haven't mentioned how old the car is and the mileage, if its a 15,000 2 year old car then the customer is being slightly unreealistic, but if its a 70,000 7 year old, then I think they have a fair shout.