grant8064

Look forward to reading it later Ben. One thing though...£8599 for a 59 plate Megane and old shape KA's as far as the eye can see...might be time to update the stock photo!!

I get that, it's why we keep appointments flexible. Most commonly an appointment is just tying down a day the potential will be in. But any appointment has to be when we are actually open...bit like Asda really. I have yet to see a supermarket open at 7pm on a Sunday just because some people don't like feeling pressured into buying a pizza.

I have no idea...so far they are saying it's just doors and bonnets but last week they were saying it was all fine and dandy so who knows... Toyota do love a recall though so might be a fun one to watch

Now i'll admit I had never heard of KOBE Steel, my knowledge of Japanese industrials is only so-so, but it seems they are the latest to do a naughty and rig their figures... Strength and durability figures have been doctored. Who are KOBE steel and why is it relevant? Toyota, Mazda, Honda all have panels made by them so we're potentially looking at rot boxes for years to come. Something to be aware of, especially if it turns out that their steel is used to make the vehicle shells rather than just replaceable panels. I already avoid older Mazdas because we all know how well they survive, especially on the coast where we are, but now in a couple of years it might be worth re considering the newer stuff too.

Completely agree Max. We stock 4k - 8k but do love a good few 2k - 3k on site because they ALWAYS sell quickly...hard to find right ones but you know when you do they will fly out the door. I always feel a bit more calm knowing I have those month savers on the forecourt for when it's quiet. We're putting a lot more effort lately (I have been a bit lazy tbh) into buying from punters rather than just advertising that we shift metal...can't buy at auction lately so gotta try something!

+1 I too make it very clear I run a REPUTABLE business and pay all our dues. We focus pretty locally for sales and fortunately get a lot of good word of mouth sales from people that have bought before but i'm always astounded by the ones that turn up knowing of our reputation but still choose to buy from the local roadside parking space that the scrap guy seemingly owns and runs as a forecourt because the metal is a few hundred quid less than ours with a proper ticket, service, PDI and a warranty we actually get backed. It's all about looking long term IMO, do it right every time and it pays off, there are no quick bucks to be made. It's just a shame that everyone and his wife with a few giros saved up becomes a short term 'trader' these days. It harms the business from a reputation point of view if nothing else. Can't worry too much because the chancers do usually disappear after a few issues and complaints but at the moment there seem to be people waiting to fill their shoes too readily. The upside is when the former potential customer rolls back up a few weeks later asking for advice because the shitter they bought because it was cheaper has blown up and the guy on the end of the pay as you go mobile has stopped answering...paints me in a bad light but we all know that feeling of satisfaction.

Snap. Thing is the local auction used to be empty on a part ex clearance night and you could pick up the odd space filler but is now rammed with pretend traders and dodgy mechanics looking to earn a few quid off facebook with a hooky MOT in tow and no tax to pay. Anything under £2000 they can hoover up and add a couple of hundred quid of profit...frankly how can I compete when i'm paying bills, the government their bit and proper prep?! Still finding stuff over £3000 buyable now and then because they're priced out of the market but the cheap stuff only comes in through the front door or in chop now...given up on auctions for cheapies that don't need a gearbox, engine or make a few hundred under retail. I used to find that after a few months they would disappear having bought one too many lemons or got a tug from the dole office but these days there is always five more guys waiting to replace them.

I've always found that the potentials that want you to come in on a Sunday or hang on until 7pm are almost always hassle. We sell cars Mon - Sat 9am - 5pm. If you can't/won't take a couple of hours off work or skip a trip to Ikea on Saturday to view then you're not serious about buying IMO. It's a business, not a favours for strangers club. I'd say about 20%-30% of booked appointments don't show anyway. No texts either...why on earth would you give someone free reign to phone you during your evening off. It's one of my pet hates...always think it looks desperate.

Had our best ever month in August which was a surprise. Hit September and my god was it rough...barely saw or sold anything. This month was much the same until Saturday when we had our busiest ever day. Bit lost as to why at the moment but the forthcoming interest rise might be in peoples minds. Funny how the auctions have been an utter joke lately as far as price is concerned. It'll come good again in time though...

Something I suggest to all potentials that turn up with something I don't want quoting WBAC offering far more than i'd give even if I were to consider it. Usually find it's an online only offer, the car will get chipped on price once they're there (as they and I both know) and they have to take into account the admin fee. It's a good bluff catching line...

Just had to look up what one of these is on AT...is it the same underneath as one of those new MG SUV's or a separate thing altogether? Had a similar thing a couple of years ago with one of those MG3 hatchbacks. Main dealers wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. Thing was worth something crazy like 25% of new price after two years and 25k. Makes it a bit tough to retail a new one when a mint two year old example is worth pennies.

Haha yep! In at the deep end...in fairness I did have a partner with 10 years experience though. The insurance policy was pretty expensive that year!

Great post @Earunder - wish it had been there when I started out. Best of luck with it NVP. I only started three years ago with a 35 car forecourt and had only got my driving license two months before taking on the lease so don't be perturbed...it can be done and sometimes diving in at the deep end is the best way. It's a steep learning curve but this forum has some great guys on it who are really helpful. My only advice is do everything right...the second you take a shortcut or think you can get away with something it'll bite you in the arse. Put yourself in the punters shoes when dealing, keep a very very close eye on outgoings and bottom line and cancel all your nights out because it's a grind sometimes.

+1 Just had a good, if frustrating, conversation with our warranty supplier as to why we don't upsell 12 months like the supermarkets. @Christian - Sounds like you sold it too cheaply IMO and didn't do enough pre-sale checking, especially if you've had head issues with the car pre-sale. Charge more for decent cars and simply don't retail stuff you suspect might go pop.

I didn't know we got ours done at the same place?

If it needs the panel replaced ours charges £90 incl VAT

Always put a new ticket on a sold car but the dodgy local stations just scream trade car that some two bit cash in hand mechanic has had a go at trading and cant fix properly. I run a mile when I see t heir name and i'm not even slightly athletic

+1 There's a place around here that i'm certain do MOT's over the phone... If we ever see one with a recent MOT from there we know the seller is either pretending not to be a home trader or the car has loads of underlying issues and simply refuse to even bid on it. MOT check is a great tool and this will also aid piecing together lost history.

Starting to see a few signs that it is picking up but it's still pretty dire. One of our local main dealers we get the odd chopper off managed to sell ZERO new cars last month. ZERO. Unreal stuff.

We took an 07 SL55 in chop recently and what an absolute beast. Probably would have been a good one to keep but the potential bills put us off so we traded it on to a German power specialist. Lovely engine and noise but I wasn't blown away by the rest of the package. Best thing...09 Subaru Outback 3.0 Petrol Auto. I know it's not anything truly special in real terms for most people but my god what a production car. The only thing I have ever really regretted parting with. Immense power, loads of traction, fantastic cabin, great spec but mostly it was so honest. Knew it's job and did it 100%. I keep hoping to get another in but they're too rare to expect it.

We keep trying to use the big online ones but after trawling through the catalogues and getting to hammer time find everything we want (I know we all want the same stuff) makes silly money + fees + delivery + the re con they forgot to put in the report. Unfortunately we're stuck relying on the local auctions for now.

I've not had one...feeling left out now. So is this basically main dealers including road tax in a deal and getting admin to tax the car on the company account? Then when it gets cancelled after 12 months or whatever the deal was the customer forgets they need to pay for it themselves and scream when they get a fine?

I don't get any of those 'free lift' ones but I seem to bump into customers literally everywhere I go. I always say hello with great trepidation...

The Dyson hand dryer in the local auction is cracking but you can't direct the air for when the tap sprays all over your gentleman's area so he's missing a trick there. Good on him. Always seemed like an old fashioned great British inventor who actually managed to turn a few quid out of being a bit eccentric and going ahead with some oddball ideas.

Last one of these we had was an MOT failed rot box and made over £700 on eBay...got exported out to somewhere in Eastern Europe.