Advertising very cheap cars, sub £1500

[Nick M.K. 574]

I've decided to start using my two free "cheapie" ad slots on AT to make them pay their whole bill. 

While I can't confidently buy that stock at auction anymore I always get some part exes for £100-£300 that fit the bill perfectly. Easy advert, fewer images, less text, less options, no warranty and I can pretty much write what I want along the lines of "Don't ask about our last, best or lowest price please". My veteran mechanic that gets more and more scared of my newish "retail" stock loves working on these cheapies, he knows them well and I like the parts prices. Today I bought a clutch kit, filters, wipers, fitted floor mats, wheel trims and a couple of other bits and got change from £90 (and this includes the VAT). 

The downside: Spending ANY time driving those cars, no chance for finance, no chance for decent p/x and the level of English when the phones start ringing :-)

[andymc1973 199]

utter waste of time, last few weeks I've utilised my cheapy slots and the buyers are utter knobs, turning up in overalls and with torches and then putting the car into their local mechanic to have it checked, they always invariably tear the arse out of the car and it comes back

the no warranty on the advert is a very slippy slope and TS hate it

[Nick M.K. 574]

2 minutes ago, andymc1973 said:

the no warranty on the advert is a very slippy slope and TS hate it

I didn't mean that it says NO WARRANTY on my advert, I meant that it doesn't say my usual "Three / Six months parts and labour warranty also included"

[andymc1973 199]

oh sorry, these people really are bottom feeders mate, you sell nice high end bits and I think you'll struggle to keep your cool with their expectations

[EPV 631]

I ran an experiment into that darkened corner of the motor sales world. I won’t be going back.

[grant8064 219]

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.

[Nick M.K. 574]

10 minutes ago, andymc1973 said:

you sell nice high end bits and I think you'll struggle to keep your cool with their expectations

It will be a trip down memory lane, sure, but when they turn up at my place surrounded by shinier metal they don't do the overalls and torches routine. 

14 minutes ago, EPV said:

I ran an experiment into that darkened corner of the motor sales world. I won’t be going back.

That £200 Golf? That's not motor sales, that's scrap territory :-) Did it sell?

[stockedup! 63]

It is all about what you sell(Not any old shite) how you sell them and who you sell them to.

There is money to be made.

 

 

[EPV 631]

16 minutes ago, Nick M.K. said:

It will be a trip down memory lane, sure, but when they turn up at my place surrounded by shinier metal they don't do the overalls and torches routine. 

That £200 Golf? That's not motor sales, that's scrap territory :-) Did it sell?

Nah not that. I bought a few cheapies. Mazda 2, Cx-7 

[Nick M.K. 574]

I recently watched an online sale at Paddock Wood. £1000 (CAP Clean) petrol Mazdas, 11-12 years old were selling for upwards of £2000! The brand is certainly enjoying a resurgence 

[grant8064 219]

2 minutes ago, Nick M.K. said:

I recently watched an online sale at Paddock Wood. £1000 (CAP Clean) petrol Mazdas, 11-12 years old were selling for upwards of £2000! The brand is certainly enjoying a resurgence 

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

[EPV 631]

5 minutes ago, Nick M.K. said:

I recently watched an online sale at Paddock Wood. £1000 (CAP Clean) petrol Mazdas, 11-12 years old were selling for upwards of £2000! The brand is certainly enjoying a resurgence 

I could have sold the Cx-7 a thousand times over. Thinking about it now, it wasn’t such a bad experience. 

[Mojo121 229]

1 minute ago, EPV said:

I could have sold the Cx-7 a thousand times over. Thinking about it now, it wasn’t such a bad experience. 

Lucky escape with that thing. 

[EPV 631]

4 minutes ago, Mojo121 said:

Lucky escape with that thing. 

So I understand! 

[Arfur Dealy 823]

20 minutes ago, Mojo121 said:

Lucky escape with that thing. 

There's another thread..... all of those cars which you thought would boomerang back to haunt you and they didn't.....

[stockedup! 63]

3 minutes ago, Arfur Dealy said:

There's another thread..... all of those cars which you thought would boomerang back to haunt you and they didn't.....

Tempting fate there AD

[Mark101 536]

Ok, just taken an 05 Clio in chop - 156k, clutch all but completely gone - paid £100 (finance deposit).

Alloys, new front tyres - weigh it in or fix and sell for £500? I think I know the answer but it seems criminal with brand new tyres and tidy alloys.

[stockedup! 63]

3 minutes ago, Mark101 said:

Ok, just taken an 05 Clio in chop - 156k, clutch all but completely gone - paid £100 (finance deposit).

Alloys, new front tyres - weigh it in or fix and sell for £500? I think I know the answer but it seems criminal with brand new tyres and tidy alloys.

Not one I would go on with Mark and I do plenty of cheapies, probably the answer you expected!!

[grant8064 219]

5 minutes ago, Mark101 said:

Ok, just taken an 05 Clio in chop - 156k, clutch all but completely gone - paid £100 (finance deposit).

Alloys, new front tyres - weigh it in or fix and sell for £500? I think I know the answer but it seems criminal with brand new tyres and tidy alloys.

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

[EPV 631]

2 minutes ago, Mark101 said:

Ok, just taken an 05 Clio in chop - 156k, clutch all but completely gone - paid £100 (finance deposit).

Alloys, new front tyres - weigh it in or fix and sell for £500? I think I know the answer but it seems criminal with brand new tyres and tidy alloys.

I think sell it. Just find someone sensible. If they seem picky or ungrateful just invent a phone call and say you’re needed at home 

[Arfur Dealy 823]

£275 BIN, ebay requiring clutch, no offers pay upfront (transfer) prior to collection or feck off, no messers, no guarantees, brutal video advert. It'll sell within 3 days

I love the scrappers, easy money. 

Weekend beer money  

[c_cars 56]

1 hour ago, stockedup! said:

It is all about what you sell(Not any old shite) how you sell them and who you sell them to.

There is money to be made.

This.

Had a roadside banger site for a little while in exactly this market before Farcebook Marketplace and plastic traders took over. 

Everything was mechanically prepped right, valeted to the max and every customer had their expectations managed; was told it would never work but the only reason it stopped was loss of the pitch due to re-development.

Like Arfur says, done the right way, easy money 

[DCS01 27]

1 hour ago, stockedup! said:

It is all about what you sell(Not any old shite) how you sell them and who you sell them to.

There is money to be made.

 

 

My old boss used to say he would sell a dug turd rolled in glitter if it made him money

[BHM 994]

12 hours ago, grant8064 said:

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.

+1. 

Here’s my take on it;

1. Scrap the pure scrap (or more likely sell it to one of the scruffy lads who’ll break it down & then scrap it).

2. The Ok but not worth f***ing about with cars sell Spares/Repair, Trailered Away with a savage advert & a savage attitude to any stupid questions on the phone. IF IT’S A SMALL CAR, Corsa, Clio, Micra etc. DONT BOTHER WITH THIS CATEGORY, relegate the car to the paragraph above because the punters aren’t on this planet.

3. MOT & fix as appropriate, do most advisories, possible a valet & sell as normal TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE (i.e. chase away the unrealistic fussy scum who want to bid you in the bollocks anyway).

[Mark101 536]

Clio gone - £120

That's a £16.67 profit after VAT margin = free lunch for two days