grant8064

We get £120 for small ones off the scrap boys...

Must be a rust fetish...surely there's a website they can go on to get their kicks tough

I wouldn't want to do them trading from home/appointment only because your time will be wasted with most enquiries. We're pitch based and do £695 upwards, we're open all day anyway so no extra time wasted. I treat them like regular retail stuff...so new MOT on everything, fix the broken stuff (window regs and mirror units are cheap on old models) and test drive yourself well so you know they're good cars. It's labour intensive but you can do it when you're quiet, maybe we go a bit OTT but it works for us. I wouldn't be advertising stuff at £100 - £500, that's scrap yard money. So far this month we've taken in probably eight cheapies and are only retailing three, the rest are ebay export or to the local breakers, you can't just sell any old crap IMO but there's nothing wrong with a sorted cheap car.

Whoever told you that isn't correct. We use a few different firms and have never taken funding, they ask but don't push it or make it a condition of their lending. One we use we give max 100K of business to per year, 10% of balance comms are still there and they're very happy we use them when we do. 6k balance = £620 comms this week. We're a small dealer and have two or three finance reps a week visiting touting for business. The real bottom line, IMO, is that they're business that need people to use their services. They're hungry for dealers....almost as hungry for business as the card machine reps! FWIW - Everything Nick said i'd 'Like' if I had the button. Know what you're responsibilities are to both punter and lender before getting involved and read and understand the FCA guidelines. Make sure your cars are 100% before handover, four years and hundreds of deals in and we've never had a charge back or complaint from a finance company because we spend on prep. You can't predict the future but you can buy carefully, prep well and test drive everything yourself prior to handover. Make sure your stock is 'finance worthy'...for example 100k+ German stuff is asking for trouble. Get a good rep, you don't have to like them but know a good one when you find them. Finally, and it's personal opinion, don't be morally corrupt. We've all met or heard about punters sewn into a shed at Moneybarn 49.9% apr that doesn't suit their needs. Understand that when someone takes on a loan that they might be paying back for five years it'll affect their lives. Don't stitch people up basically.

You can buy plastic diffusers (plastic box shaped covers) to disperse the light more evenly...they're super fragile though

For a first time live i'd say good effort, clean, tidy and navigable, ours is very similar. Click sites are usually nice if a bit formulaic (we use one so it's not a criticism). I've not looked properly but on first glance i'd be taking the photos outside...they look a bit gloomy and the background is a bit dull, turn the osf wheel and i'm not sure what the bonnet up thing is all about. If I saw a car on AT and headed to your website to see what you were about I wouldn't be put off.

Our local has about 100 in tomorrow, typically we list 15 and end up with 5 of them. We can't even find one car to mark down on the list. Had a busy month so could do with stock but we all know what it's like this time of year.

Had a guy try and chop in a 04 Panda with 234k on it but wanted actual money for it. Was like triggers broom...

He must be bloody agile at 79 climbing down into one of those...does my back in at less than half his age! We've all been there...one thing after abloodynother, everything you look at breaks and the phone just rings with screamers...soon enough you'll have forgotten all about it, moan you can't get stock quick enough because you could sell ice to an eskimo and joke about how ridiculous/funny the whole situation was. It's a funny game really.

I've used our Henrys to suck up plasterboard, nails and screws, damp sawdust, just about everything in the house and they're quite happy dealing with a car in between...both still going strong.

I was still at school back then but £400 for a half page each week sounds like mega money...obviously it was worth doing seeing as everyone has such fond memories of it. Was it text only or images too? How many cars could you get on an advert for that £400?

It's always welcome my end. We vary our AT listings every few months anywhere from 25 to 70 listed but the double listing means everything gets on. Given how hard stock is to come by this time of year I find some of the old stuff that's been sitting gets hits you wouldn't expect and being listed on AT only helps. We always plan Nov - Feb really carefully (taking VAT & Corp tax payments into account) to try and be as stocked as possible because it's so much easier to sell well priced stuff this time of year, the AT double bubble is just a nice bonus but not the motivation. Unfortunately as much as I'd love to be full to the rafters there just isn't the stock about at the right money.

Had a few and sold one, the rest have all disappeared after the report as expected. I'm not particularly bothered by them, billy is paying for it after all. If they buy then i have had a free independent examination of the car so no future screaming should take place and if they don't then I have probably dodged a bullet. I do find it's always worth taking a few photos while the "inspection" is going on...some of the guys sent out by Dekra or whoever it is are laughable so if billy doesn't buy off the back of it it's always fun to show them what their £200 has paid for.

Hi CCC, We started four years ago and in the beginning it was a bit of a nightmare finding cover. We've been using exec insurance from day one and they've been helpful and quick to answer any questions we have. Our contact at Exec is Mark Pope, nice guy that knows what he's doing so that would be my recommendation.

...wasn't knocking it mate, some punters love it like I said. It's the small details (a pic with Brewer, well honed adverts, better photos than the next man, whatever) that make all the difference to sales these days

Once at a business awards thing was enough for me...hear enough BS at work, but i'd imagine some punters love it. Make sure your dickie bows straight for the photo! Cracking November so far for us, over a dozen for the week and had a few roll over into the beginning of the month which always helps.Stocks a bit of a chore but when isn't it?!

We've had three of the proper barbie pink ones (not that nasty mauve) and they did well but the last one took a while, changing tastes I guess. Now we stick solely to 1.2 lounges in a decent colour with the blue and me. Sports don't seem to sell because the insurance is a bit higher and pops are just too poverty when the same money gets you bluetooth and a glass roof a year older. Our only auto in stock is hanging about like a bad smell but will go just because of the box. Always just gotta budget for rear suspension and tyres whatever the age.

It was quite amusing after six months of declining the 'for only £xxx per month you can be on our platform that's gonna change the way people buy cars' we suddenly got everything listed for free because there wasn't a sole on there. I almost felt sorry for our rep having to try and push the product for so long. Still waiting for an enquiry from it. Big companies not listening to any input from the people that keep their lights on...how familiar eh! As for finance we're finding it about the same as before. Lot more rejections from a certain lender so we've switched and getting a good % placed. There's a lot of cheap money out there so finding slightly more savvy punters are getting their money in place at a lower rate in advance elsewhere. Balances have got a bit smaller for us, i'm noticing people generally trying to take on less debt than 2017 and start of 2018.

Funny they didn't want to hear any trade opinions when launching findandfund...now it's panic stations they're all ears

"Bad points:" "Dull, unadventurous styling." (unlike the really sexy looking Astra or Pug 308) "Introduction:" "The Auris is a decent enough looking car...It's a bit more interesting inside" John needs to make his mind up.

I'm kinda with Nick on this one. Compare it to an Astra, Mazda 3, Focus, and, imo, they're the better car. Won't break down, better seat position, usually has had an easier more cared for life. Keep avoiding them tho lads, does the rest of us a favour!

We've always done best with convertibles in winter. No idea why but they struggle for us in summer and they shift in winter.

I like an Auris and that's lovely mileage. On a pitch we find them easy enough, much nicer to be in than an Astra or Focus and better reliability, usually in better condition too. So long as it's not silver you shouldn't struggle.

Worst month in the last four years for us. However we did seven today which has helped the month out no end. Good to hear some of you are having it away, that isn't the general feeling around our way.