grant8064

Call me old fashioned but I still use a templated word document. It's set up well so only takes a max of 5 mins per sale to invoice.

I'm not going to buy your car because... IT'S TOO F**KING PERFECT!!!!! It's within budget, is the make and model we suggested, has 5 doors as requested, is the colour we like, has full history, below ave miles, has never been smoked in, drives bloody well, is tidy outside, is cheaper to tax than we assumed and comes with a new MOT not the 7 months that are left on it...OK well do you have a card? We have a few more to look at. You just have to smile and say 'certainly' sometimes....sometimes though you just have to ask why do you need to go and look at others? It does everything you want for less than you thought. Week in week out. I wonder if these people spend four hours doing a round of Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons and Waitrose just to buy a can of beans sometimes.

Having lurked on this one I think fair play to the guys involved for starting something that aims to help the trade. I wouldn't ever sign up until I started hearing about its benefits on the grapevine and I guess it's a vicious circle because if everyone is like me it's difficult to get it off the ground...well done for starting up something though chaps. Instead of the sniping that everyone is doing maybe I could add what I would want being a member of a trade body to do for me and see if some answers/suggestions are forthcoming? I want it to be low cost and get big benefits as we all do. So from a membership I would like: A big sign, stickers, point of sale etc stating that I am a member to stick on my office and I don't want to pay for them...I would want some included in the membership with the option to purchase bigger better signs, stickers etc. Support. I want a closed forum the public cannot access that I can post problems and questions to and communicate with people that have experienced said issues before ( I have this already here but another doesn't cost much to start) The body to actually represent something. To Joe public it will mean nothing for years so I need it to mean something to me. I would want it to show that I am a decent dealer so if I go to court being a member might sway a decision. A website with relevant trade news (no offence but car dealer magazine focus's too much on franchises and not on us lowly used dealers). I would want to see legal updates and news relating to our business and a section of FAQs for the trade. A discount on Lawgistics because frankly they have been useful for us and, whatever your opinion of them, represent our trade. Discounts on other suppliers such as keytag, movex, euros, etc. A directory where only traders that have used a service can upload contacts for upholsterers, smart paint, electrical guys etc...this is a thing I would launch myself if I was any good with computers. You sell a car to someone 100 miles away, the EML flashes up two days later and you have to guess which garage local to the client won't fleece you. With a directory that would be easier BUT ONLY if the trade members supplied the contacts rather than it being an advertising page for cowboys who spend too much time online and not enough fixing cars. Good people don't advertise which is always a problem for distance repairs. A 'we're all in it together' attitude. The dealers local to us compete directly with us and by and large we all get on really well, buy from the same sources and use the same trades all in the name of grabbing the same customers. We should hate each other but we don't because we're in it together to an extant and all understand what a crap week of aftersales issues and phonecalls can be like. It can be a lonely and soul destroying game this so a bit of camaraderie (which this forum brings) goes a long way IMO. A website for the trade body where my cars get autofed to. If i'm a member and that's a good thing then I want my stock fed to a website so any potential punters know. I want it to be on the main trade body page with a tab that says something like 'vehicles from our approved members' or some similar BS. That way if I get one sale a year out of the membership it has paid for itself and I don't have to convince my partner it's not a waste of money and more than a d**k rubbing membership. So that's what I would want. My reason is that I used to be in the antiques game and PROPER dealers were members of LAPADA. If you wanted a clock it was 3k but from a LAPADA member it was 4k. You always bought the 4K one though because they were a LAPADA member. LAPADA did most of the above for their members, we're friendly guys and gals, earnt them money by improving their reputation and therefore earnt them money. It'll take time, money and effort but best of luck guys, I wish you well and hope it gets off the ground.

I have a set of these but found that they only fitted on about half of the cars in stock and even then i'd either end up cutting my finger or scratching an already touched in bumper. Someone earlier mentioned a roof top magnetic thing which is a great idea in principle but how would you get around soft tops and stuff like Outlanders which have a plastic roof?

Get cars delivered to you from auction and pick a test drive route without any ANPRs, simple. I'll chuck a plate in the window but frankly it's not high on my list of worries. Surely it's only an issue if you're doing big mileage in stock cars which is unnecessary anyway?

If you run a forecourt/pitch and are only doing half a dozen sales per year from walk ons you've either taken on premises in the middle of nowhere or are doing something very very wrong. The internet is great but we're still doing approx 50% of sales to passers by and walk ins. Stock has to be correct for the demographic of your area, priced right and well presented. Our pitch has a lower rateable value than a similar sized unit and the rent is about the same as a unit half the size. Yes you have to man the place but we keep opening hours rigid...like Tesco we are just a shop and have opening hours just like any other.

We're on the same package as Rory...45 on AT and another 30 in stock that we rotate. Biggest bill followed closely by rent but worth it.

If i have something with FULL history it goes on the advert, if its partial history I don't mention it in the advert or promote the fact it has missed some services, come look in the book and at the bills if you want to buy. I specialise in selling to non-screamers as much as possible so like to minimise issues as much as poss...if it means I sell two fewer lumps a month because I don't promote an eight year old car having 3 stamps then so be it Better than trying to be smart...I give them credit for not being a mug! All comes down to wording but also never assuming your buyer is gonna fall for something. Might sound controversial, given how the thread has developed, but I would say most of ours are quite well informed and if they don't understand something they know full well that if they ask we won't mug them off with a 'salesman' answer. Do the job once and do it properly IMO. If you're not going to then at least be more careful with how you word something like history. Oh, and as we all know, if they seem like hassle just don't sell them the car.

Hi Jimbo, I have two forecourts just outside of Brighton. Happy to take a PM if you want to discuss the site? As an example there was a potentially good little forecourt with office on a busy A road near us that holds about 12 cars up for rent recently for 14k p/a. Didn't have planning for car sales though (still doesn't after a year of trade happening). I did a quick check to see if we wanted to take it on and worked out costs for it to be about 25 - 30k p/a all in if run as an independent site exclusive of employee wages. Rates are the big factor really. Not gonna tell you to suck eggs over the cost of rates, insurance etc for a pitch but be careful stocking it...the guy that took it on has got it all wrong and is cutting his throat.

IMO the seller was naive, foolish & hopeful thinking he would get away with saying a car that had no history prior to sale prep had history. Nice try but the buyer was a bit too cute to fall for it this time. Sellers mistake, again IMO, was leaving the situation too open to interpretation because of poor wording in the advert/on the order form. If it has no history but will get an oil & filter before it goes out just write it down in black and white. We all know the most important thing in this game is to cover your arse. Customer can easily claim ignorance because they don't deal with cars every day like the supplying dealer does and therefore don't have the same experience. How many punters do you get claiming their part ex has full history because it's been for an MOT every 12 months?!

Bit too creative with the wording IMO. It's kind of asking for hassle describing it as having history when the only bit is the one you had carried out yourselves...hardly a 'historic' record of servicing is it? Right or wrong it's stuff like this that is always going to bite you in the arse.

We're a roadside pitch and find it's a mix of online and walk on. Some will simply walk on and buy but the majority will have done a bit of research or found the car online to begin with. I find having both strings is the key. Having no online presence to me just seems crazy these days, it gives you a cheap shop window and backs up your stock on the forecourt. Get some decent signage done that matches your website logo & colours and make the place look good if you do take it on, nothing too OTT but a pile of batteries and discarded mats in the corner isn't a good first impression.

Another vote for the Clarke 4000 from me. Thing will start anything no matter how dead it seems and the leads are long enough to reach most battery locations. Good value bit of kit imo

We're just outside Brighton and used to stock probably 50/50 on fuel type. About four months ago we simply stopped buying diesels predicting that they would die a death locally and we called it right. Managed to clear out most of the remaining stock and now we're almost exclusively petrol. Even big tax SUV stuff like Jeeps and Kugas need to be petrol here now. It's the first question on punters lips when they walk on the forecourt with us. I'd put it solely down to location, we're next to Brighton with lots of London area commuters. Traffic here is awful too so diesels never made much sense locally anyway. Add to that loads of vegan, hippy greens and it makes sense. Our stock turnover can sometimes be a bit slow too so having a load of diesels owing strong money that are collapsing in value was a scary proposition too.

A big factor I would take into account would be where you are in the country. If you're in the South East like me 30k start up will mean trading from home is the only option as there are zero sites or units around that would be anywhere near affordable. I've never traded from home so can't give any tips or hints other than do it properly because the last thing anyone needs is a disgruntled turning up on their doorstep.

Had similar on a Fiesta ST. We filed off as much of the hard gunk as possible, sanded the area flat and then stuck some carbon effect wrap over it. Looked perfect on a twatty ST

Father in law and neighbour both run XC90's and both have had nothing but issues from new. Faulty power steering, handbrakes that even Volvo couldn't fix for a while and other bits and pieces. We're not talking wear and tear stuff, these were all issues built into the cars and ECU. Had to get one recovered from France because it didn't like cold weather. Avoid IMO.

Loving these... The 'bringing my mate who's a mechanic' is great. Most of the proper mechanics we get in have a quick flick through the service book and go for a spin round the block and make a few realistic notes based on it being a used product. Best one we had told his customer to make sure they had a grand ready in case it blew up. Panicking customer asks why to be told by her friend that it's a 10 yr old car and that's what old cars can do! Proceeded to explain to her that she should buy new if she was gonna question everything and that it was a waste of time him being there on a 3k car that had just passed a ticket and had FSH. Did my job much better than I could have!

...no offence Rob but a dog dick red Megane with three doors not selling might not be because it's a quiet month. Would need to be unbelievably cheap for me to stock and just pray that some sub prime finance lead comes in wanting a newish reg for sub 3k

Nothing like a punter dictating how you run your own business is there! Even if you deal him at full price he'll be looking to make up the £500 in warranty claims and hassle later on...would be a firm thank you but the car is not for sale to you sir.

Right next to a football club and a big Asda...£150 p/w?!?! It's a different world away from us in the South East. Cracking pitch if the lease was sensible. Paint it up, loads of point of sale and hit the online adverts hard. I don't see any reason why it needs to be a cheapies site...it's in a good location with major cities and towns nearby.

The 1.6 TDi Golf+ has always been a good seller for us with caravan types...i'm not into hat kind of thing but apparently it's a really surprisingly good tower.

God I wish my rent could be £900 p/m (where is the 'CRYING UNCONTROLLABLY AND SMASHING MY HEAD AGAINST A BRICK WALL' emoji?). If you're worried you just have to assess your business model and work out why it isn't working if it isn't and what you can do to change it if necessary. Also remember that sometimes it's just a lean dead month and don't make unnecessary knee jerk decisions. I have no idea about your setup but you need to look at the things you can change. Rent, rates etc can't go down in price so look into what you can affect. And don't do this once a year IMO. You need to always be looking at bottom line and costs and finding ways to save a few quid...it's coming out of your pocket afterall. To me your insurance looks crazy expensive. We have five drivers on unlimited social/domestic/trade cover, two premises and have only been trading three years and our costs are nowhere near yours. Re negotiate that. Motors is a complete waste of time IMO so i'd be chipping that off. Ebay is full of time wasters asking for the best price so I would consider losing that. Travel...£400 per month needs looking at. That's over 10% of your fixed costs. Why? Can you save money buying blind online? Can you find a local auction closer to you? Buy locally privately? Advertise that you buy cars? Buying direct is so much better for the bottom line than buying from auction...consider forgetting travelling to cold smelly auctions and investing £300 of that £400 each month into pushing an advert drive stating you buy cars from the public and are a nice trustworthy guy. If WBAC can do it then I can do it better is how I position myself. I personally find it's sometimes hard to care about saving £10 p/m here and there when we're out spunking 15k on a Wednesday on three hatchbacks and an estate but in reality those £10 p/m savings should give greater satisfaction than buying any motor because they really matter. Apologies if it sounds a bit preachy, it's not meant to be.

We've suddenly got really busy...punters literally rolling over on sight. At first I thought it might be a positive sign but then realised that our stock that we've had for a couple of months is now super value given what stuff is making in the block...anything even half reasonable that I write down is still bringing near retail so it's making our stock on the forecourt look very good value to anyone that's paying attention.

I'd recommend Cardealer5 for smaller outfits trying to keep costs down and clickdealer for bigger firms. Both are really good as others have said. Cardealer5 we used for approx 18 months and it's cheap, well presented and reasonably flexible for a template site.It basically does what it says and is no nonsense. A good product IMO. Clickdealer costs significantly more but we've found greater SEO results, great finance integration, more flexibility and detail in the backroom software and a fantastic support team. It costs though so is more suited for slightly larger dealers I would suggest. Clickdealer support though is second to none as far as i'm concerned...a great well trained team. I wouldn't touch a bespoke tailor made site with a bargepole given that these two firms are out there and cover most ground between them.