grant8064

We just get cars delivered and get most painters, valeters, mot and garages to collect and drop off from us. Mobile dent, glass and key guys visit. Not a big fan of staff when I can outsource it all to specialists but it's each to their own. You might need to rethink the grand a month if you do look for someone...not even minimum wage and you want them to be self employed as well!

Just done two by phone, no issues

Auctions don't generally own anything; they'll sell goods on behalf of dealers and joe public for a 20% fee. On face value they're transparent because all the bidding is conducted online at the same time as the physical auction takes place but in reality lots of Lovejoy-esque things happen. It's more the goods themselves that are questionable though, so many fakes out there it was becoming impossible to operate without routine investigations...main reason I left. I don't think any proper dealers use eBay.

I got out of the antique auctioneering game about five years ago to do cars. Ever decreasing number of actual buyers because it's literally a dying industry with an ageing demographic. Add to that about 40% of the UK art market is forged/fake and a lot of the remaining is heavily restored or simply worthless. Plus the legislation killed lots of the market for no good reason. Takes a lot less brain power to buy, market and sell a Ford Fiesta than a Napoleonic prisoner of war carving, plus the margins bigger and the market's less demanding. Gimmie cars every time.

Fallen right out of favour for us and all we do is bread and butter. French and Ford 7 seaters still selling well.

I've had that Bjork song playing in my head the last couple of months.

Thanks Nick, wondered if the later stuff had been improved. Interesting how Audi sound like they're happy(ish) to fix these...Skoda was a very different experience. Happier to f**k off someone on a supermarket brand than one you're trying to make premium I guess.

Nick, is a newer/modified engine design? Be interested to know as we blacklisted the TFSi stuff because of the oil consumption issues but it was usually on 09-12 plate stuff. Has the newer VAG stuff improved?

Terrible June so hoping for a better July...hard work so far.

We were with them for just over a year. Had a good rep but getting a valid claim approved and then paid out on was a real hassle. We were just a branded warranty supplier so maybe it's better if you go the whole hog and adhere to their "Approved Garage" standards. The branding is great, we'd originally moved to a new site which is why we used them; inspire confidence, be very visible etc. Since we left sales haven't dropped and no one seems to moan too much that we run our own pot.

I'll be sitting in the garden/pub/beach getting destroyed tomorrow berating this weeks buy backs and scrotes (it has not been a good seven days). Real buyers come out in the rain.

Just sold one off an RAC inspection so it does happen. Our new tactic is to get the car MOT'd the day before the inspector turns up and leave the pass sheet sat on the seat.

My closest friends collectively drive a Yaris hybrid (gets an NHS discount/subsidy) one of the small boxy BMW things (personal car) and a C Class hybrid (company car tax swerve...not going to pretend I know what model it is). They're all under 35 years old. The rest get trains and uber, i'm the same. Hate driving outside of work. My favourite garage we use are hammering trade shows and courses to learn about hybrid tech so they can be an indie ev/hybrid specialist. Our only local main dealer doing well (Toyota) don't even stock diesel...not a Landcruiser in sight. Are they the future for consumers? Yes. Do I believe they're good? No. They are utter s**t for the planet. But because people have been spoon fed the sustainability narrative they've become the 21st Century Zeitgeist. Social and corporate responsibility is all well and good when you're sat in a warm comfy design studio or chatting in a bar/restaurant about your new motor but less meaningful when you're stuck in a pit in DR Congo mining minerals for the latest ev battery. Will I ever stock a ev/hybrid? Yep, i'm a hypocrite with a mortgage and they're the future no matter what I believe. I'll stick to my well maintained high tax smoker though.

We haven't really been stocking them for 18 months now, they make up 10% of stock at any one time at most. Saved a bloody fortune in prep/repair costs but it's very location specific. We're in an area with lots of stop start traffic, lefty green council, it's rare people commute more than 10 miles...makes no sense to be selling oil burners for us. If we we're in a semi rural or commuting town then i'd be the other way round.

Surely if they're using the monthly as a headline figure there is a rep example in the advert somewhere giving a screen price?

As others suggest; carefully selected from main dealer sources. But when you're halfway through a viewing and get the feeling you don't want to deal Billy it can be quite handy to drop the real source casually into conversation...never fails to make them 'food for thought', 'sleep on it', 'lots more to look at'.

Pretty sure idling has been a fixed penalty issue for a while now. On the topic of how things are; 2019 has given us our best ever and worst ever months with no rhyme of reason between either. Stopped trying to work it all out long ago, just concentrate on cash flow.

Sounds like a days takings from the washing machine to me...or one fifth of a glued back together ex hire Aventador.

Ticked just about every box on the "why you don't buy a car from Bradford" list. Bet they're having a real good laugh...53K, grab the Persil springs to mind.

Evening MJG and welcome from me. We've not much in common; i'm mainstream, pitch and the mere thought of dealing with used Jag, Audi, BM, Merc & Range, and the people they attract, gives me cold shivers...gimmie a 10 plate Aygo any day of the week. You've also been in the game a lot longer and I know sod all about trading from home. Sure they'll be some crossover though! The same applies to 58 plate Focus's and 61 plate Pandas...firm believer there's only 10% of any auction that's genuinely desirable whatever the makeup and it almost always makes the money

We sometimes retail them if they come in as swappers and are up to scratch, wouldn't buy one to retail. I can't tell you what determines a car becoming a write off or each categories criteria but I can tell you that it doesn't seem to harm the salebility (is that a word?) whatever the marker. All we do is new MOT and a VERY THOROUGH inspection on the ramp. I don't treat them like a normal car, when I say thorough I mean thorough, just for personal peace of mind. The irony is they'll be a load of unrecorded stuff in far worse or even dangerous condition floating around out there.

Been busy for us start of the week but all the mums and dads with an unlicensed 17 year old in tow are starting to surface...I might go hide during the 11am - 12 midday pre pub lunch time waster slot tomorrow and Monday.

No time to log in to online banking on your laptop/mobile (all of 30 seconds) and check???? Am I missing something? Today 7 handovers, most paid the balance in full 48 hours ago which helps with the cash flow. We re-negotiated our terminals recently but debit card is still an expensive way to take money. Card terminal for a dipper maybe but for balances it makes no sense when online banking is there. We don't do same day collection but if you do it's literally 30 seconds to check payment's in. Your business, you dictate the terms. Throwing £100's away each month using a terminal.

Thanks, got another one coming back in next week for it and in the past we've been at £600-£650 all in. Didn't realise Euros were doing them for £225+...might take a couple of deliveries to get the right part but that's a good saving.

Nothing constructive to add but I f**king despise 1.6 TDi's. Factor an EGR into every purchase. Along with all the usual s**t VAG issues. Be interested to know what you guys pay for EGR replacement on a Golf, done far too many and they really eat into profit for us, pm if you want?