Willoughby

Don't think its quite that easy as it would be seen by the tax man as appropriation of company assets at below market value, particularly if they have either been written down or had work done by the business without reflecting that in the their sale value......So you should sell them at something like market value - taking into account their condition, if they had a few issues (say engine problem or some other issues) you would value them accordingly! - just keep a written note on file in case you were ever asked to justify it.

Same as MttR, car was MOT'd so was roadworthy at sale. Clearly car does show signs of wear and tear due to its age and mileage - its what cars do. Its all about expectation - would the garage who inspected it like to find him a similar car for the same price with no items showing wear? - I suspect they would advise him to spend more money on something newer/lower mileage........ No point in falling out, tell him that's what you get of money he paid, throw him a few quid as a gesture of goodwill to assist in getting the car to the standard that he is comfortable with, however if he doesn't want the car deduct £500 or so for use and take it back. For sure if you think he's going to be difficult take it back, its not worth the hassle...

I use excel, and have been looking around at the API's on offer just this week, (there must be about 20 to choose from)..for me Vitaltax looks to be about the simplest as you download the software once to your PC and don't need to send your data via the cloud to a 3rd party as with many of the others, its also cheap... like you wondered if anyone else has done it yet?

I'd rather use a classified advert on ebay rather than an ebay auction listing, if its cheap you can get the idiots who win without viewing, then pitch up to collect and moan "its not what I was expecting" .....and you are back at the start..... With a cheap classified ebay advert you sell it to the first buyer to pay and drive away, also if you think the buyer could be trouble just tell them "this car isn't for you" - there's also no feedback issues.....Oh and never never never accept paypal......

yeah, don't have an on site mechanic so if a customer isn't quite happy about something or think something isn't quite right ...(even if you're pretty sure there's nothing wrong) no need to try and talk him around happy to say we can get it checked out properly by a third party when its serviced and MOT'd.......

no you are not reading me right - since when has a car needing its tracking checked or perhaps a possible exhaust rattle of blow when the engine is cold been dangerous ......I've been in the trade for over 30 years and touch wood have never had any contact from trading standards or a solicitor - so must be doing something right... calm down dear....

If a car has a known issue get it fixed when it arrives but as I sell stuff that can hang around a while do the service and MOT only once sold, when we go on a test drive I tell the customer its not yet been serviced so if the customer comments on anything - "it pulls to the right a bit", "exhaust sounds a bit noisy" - easy to say it will be checked properly and attended to prior to the handover. ...... but do see if different if you have people turning up wanting to pay and take stuff away....

We sell specialist stuff that sometimes sits around for months, batteries are a right pain.....sometimes when the battery is completely flat (like leaving lights on overnight) - the Ctek just won't start the charge cycle, if you hook up the flat battery to the booster pack and let it sit for about 20 minutes it transfers enough charge in the flat battery for the ctek to then do its thing.... always worth a try before buying a new one...

Posted about this couple of months ago, we use pretty simple excel spreadsheets, don't have a workshop and just 1 valetor. Have had a look around and everything is much more sophisticated than what we need.... Hoping someone will bring out a simple API (interface) that will mean we can still used Excel (which HMRC have stated they are happy with) and basically transfer the numbers from excel into the API - which will communicate it to HMRC. According to my accountant there are hundreds of thousands of businesses in the UK that aren't yet aware of the requirement both small ones who issue only a few invoices, and large ones with groups of companies who perhaps have multiple bespoke accounting systems - that quarterly produce a VAT summary and until now someone keys it in and send it.... The industry are saying someone will bring out a simple API but as yet no-one has broken cover............my take is that either the deadline will slip or they will run the old system in parallel until they have vast majority of companies sorted....... I'm not panicking yet, I understand the first new system electronic Vat return to be sent will need to be made at end of July - for the first accounting quarter....

The cars we have sold for export to Cyprus or anywhere else are always on the basis that the invoiced buyer pays in sterling and once paid its down to them to arrange onward shipping, import and taxes etc. We sometimes provide customers with a few pointers of help if they need it but from experience if you're not careful you become the point of contact for the complete thing (for which you're not being paid).......like car hasn't been loaded at docks (even when it was there on time) so will be another month before it can go, there's damage at the other end or somethings gone missing, ship was re-routed due to bad weather so it will be 3 weeks late.............Depends how committed you are, easiest route would be to buy UK cars, get them imported and then sell them once they're tax paid and ready to go - once had a customer who as ever wanted to buy as cheap as possible........bought and paid and arranged his shipping on a 7 years old car without seeing it - he'd had loads of pictures, he then moaned when it arrived that the paintwork wasn't as good as he expected and that did I know it had 3 different makes of tyre on.......so you may well be able to made a go of it with the right contacts and you'll never know unless you try....

Have sold a few to Cyprus over the years, and as you are probably aware there are a few companies / sole traders who are already into this market, typically Cypriots who already live in the UK, there are quite a few shipping lines that take the cars some RORO others in containers.... You'll need to be 100% on top of the import regulations, as getting it wrong can give you a major problem. .....Once sold a car that had originally been first registered in Japan then came the UK, had a UK V5 - no problem............unfortunately the buyer wasn't aware until the car arrived in Cyprus that as its first registration was outside the UK import tax was huge.... and he ended up sending it back to the UK, effectively re-importing it (as it was down as being exported) finally selling it on about 12 months later - and down about 3 grand.......

Looks like you are heading to a situation where the buyer is starting to loose trust in you and your garage, recently had something similar with a low mileage Merc and a turbo problem, I suggested to best guarantee a fix it needed to go to an Independent Merc specialist, customer was happy and it ended up going to someone who they'd used before and were happy with. Unless he simply wants his money back, don't see a better offer than a specialists second opinion & repair.

Had this a couple of times, I'd work on the basis that until you get a deposit nothing is sold, so providing he pays the AA sure he can get it inspected as you don't have anything to hide - I'd assume as a result of an average report he'll probably not be buying it - but if he does go ahead there can't be any come backs as he's had his own expert inspect it and report on any faults prior to handover.

ok thanks......not sure if I'm also a "newbie" ....... first job was a car salesman with Lex Rover selling the last of the SD1's.......had my own place for the last 13 years.........know its a changing business but often seems its a sledgehammer to crack a nut...........same with FCA registration........but that's another story.....

This seems to have passed me by but from April next year you wont be able to simply log onto HMRC and input your VAT figures.......the information must be transferred electronically from an accounting system of some sort........It goes under the HMRC heading of "Making Tax Digital".... if you're in doubt do a google search..... We sell niche motors doing perhaps 6 cars or so a month, simply use a couple of spreadsheets for sales and purchases. Its then not rocket science to take the totals and put the numbers into the HMRC Vat return. Nice and simple and doesn't cost a penny.... You guys with SAGE or "proper" accounting systems will no doubt have it sorted.........anyone else out there aware of this........sound like it could be a real pain in the arse! .

Take a look at the expiry dates on the MOT's, this doesn't stack up that both the 2 new MOT's referenced the same "old MOT" to come up with the new expiry date. Could be some sort of computer system error that's got thing mixed up.... didn't by any chance have a cherished transfer done around the same time.......have had instances where the old MOT history hasn't come across when the registration number was changed.......

I'm broadly with BHM, if it was serious would have been noted on MOT at minimum as advisory, really depends just how bad it is. At 13 years old wouldn't be surprised if the diff is a bit damp and oily, and probably PAS pump the same... so hence are also leaking - do these need replacing as well? As I say really does depend just how bad it is, and how realistic the customer is......

Just got a 35,000 miles 2009 Merc at the block with no service book, its not my usual thing, I have some old MOT's that confirm the mileage and they are done by Merc dealers so i suspect it may well have a Merc History - which would be very nice...Spoke to local Merc dealer who needs V5 in my name before they can help, looked at Merc online and think will have same problem - anyone know if their is a route around this.....

Got a car from Manheim without a V5 after about 10 days nothing has arrived.........and I've got a buyer for the car. I've just sent the application to DVLA for a V5 and have telphoned to see how long before we get it...........and I'm told the stock DVLA answer of up to 6 weeks..... Anyone had any experience of how long they actually seem to be taking...... in the meantime I assume without the V5 there is no way of taxing it....

Have sold a car and customer who has put his cherished number on a retention certificate with us as the nominee. The V5 for the car he's bought from me still shows the previous keepers details as when we took it into stock we sent the "sold to the trade" section off. I know we can send the doc's off in the post to DVLA, change the keeper, and tax it in his name all at the same time.... He doesn't want to take the car on its current plate - when he collects wants it to have his private plate on...... Have looked at the online system but I'm not clear if I can do a similar thing online,,,,,,,as it seems to suggest the car he's buying needs to already be in his name first...which its not..... An ideas on the quickest way to do it......

Sames as others, just filled it all out online - they did ring me with a few questions about a month later (so it shows someone does actually read the application) but otherwise straight forward.

Really very straightforward, send blue slip to swansea and give customer rest of V5. If he is organising the shipping its up to him to remove car and take it to docks, or alternatively the shipper will tell you where the car needs to be delivered. Its then up to the shipping company to load etc. (this assumes he's not literally driving it away himself and taking it on a ferry).... If you are exporting outside the European Economic zone then there will be no Vat liability on the sale. To qualify for this you will need a copy of the "bill of lading" which is a standard document the Shipping Agent will let you have.

I think that if its clear its a trade sale, and importantly you don't give a description (other than factual one i.e. make, model, spec etc) or discuss if its fit for his purpose, then this potentially only leaves "of satisfactory quality" which is a relative term related to age, mileage and price. If it went to a small claims court the buyer would somehow need to satisfy this test. If the buyer is the type who wants to go all the way i'd just give him a refund and sell it to someone else. Hopefully he might realise his case isn't as watertight as he may have thought and take it on the chin.

Sold a £20,000 truck to a customer 6 weeks ago, he came to look test drove and signed an order form and paid a 20% deposit. It was a business to business sale. If I'm honest I though he was probably a time waster and that his cheque would bounce... but it didn't. It was serviced and couple of minor jobs done and 10 days later was ready to go. I've now been chasing him now for a month to pay the balance and take it, but he keeps stalling - tells me he will come and see me and pay, then doesn't ring or turn up etc..... My order form states the 20% deposit is a "holding deposit" and in small print deposit payments are refundable at the discretion of the seller. I also have a clause in for storage fees. I think its not unreasonable that I give him a final 7 days to pay - or I cancel the contract and keep the deposit? Alternatively service, work and storage would be about £2,000..... Is refunding him 1/2 his money safer... just in case he decided to pursue it legally? Anyone else any experience of this sort of thing......