Buying Advice on Stock Under 5 Grand

[Mikey360 68]

27 minutes ago, Del Boy said:

Oil from Asda!!? What’s he gonna use, cooking oil? 

Baby oil 

[metcars 395]

It's easy to blame lack of maintenace on the 'potless' but it seems to be the norm at many levels. You only have to spend some time on car forums to see the lengths some people will go to to not repair their car properly. Bodging and fudging is almost an art form! 

And when its held together with string and glue they limp it to a dealer as a part ex. 

I've mentioned before but i actually had a punter that was convinced having an MOT every year classed as a service?

[Area 51 33]

1 hour ago, David Horgan said:

Agree with you there Met 

Had a guy ring us in panic , been told you guys repair cars . Er yes whats your problem ?

Cars chucked oil all over my drive . Get it down here then . He tows car down to see us . Last time it was serviced was 4 yrs ago , 3.0 litre V6 petrol S type Jag 128,000 miles . The oil filter was hanging on by a crumb of rust and that was the leak . It also had tape round it to attempt a repair 

The guy asked us if he could get his own oil from Asda , I told him to collect his car and take it to ASDA for the filter too 

4yrs and 40,000 miles on same oil , never heard it running but it must of sounded terrible 

Charged him £50 + vat  diagnosis too  

Bugger, bloody embarrassing to read this isnt it?.. Choose your cars wisely when buying is the clear message.. got to guess likes of WBAC etc will only feed similar vehicles through the block! They must be wetting themselves at the prices they reach too! Have seen some local franchise dealers (GM and VW) offer a lot of other marques for sale, some over four years old! 

14 minutes ago, met said:

It's easy to blame lack of maintenace on the 'potless' but it seems to be the norm at many levels. You only have to spend some time on car forums to see the lengths some people will go to to not repair their car properly. Bodging and fudging is almost an art form! 

And when its held together with string and glue they limp it to a dealer as a part ex. 

I've mentioned before but i actually had a punter that was convinced having an MOT every year classed as a service?

Good few I have spoken too recently have absolutely no interest in what it takes to "look after a car", I wont use the term "maintain it".. totally lost on them, no interest in looking after them properly... Speaking to friends over Xmas.. this PCP lark appears to have gone potty; never mind cheap prices.. many mentioned the ability to "pay and forgot" about motoring costs as they just need to pick the phone up if it doesnt work!

Just before Xmas one local leasing group was pushing out eight 520M sport Exec saloons, very good spec, delivery next week; £295 inc vat.. 10k pa/serviced/breakdown.. They needed to get rid of inventory before year end. But the price seems bloody crazy!..

Are cars becoming as disposable as mobiles/ipads..? just a thought 

[MattR 177]

19 hours ago, DBCARS said:

Couldn't of agreed more, this is what im good at, I go to town on every car I have in stock regardless of age or condition, I do whats needed to bring it right back up to the best it can be. I spend alot of time on prep, advertising, photos, etc... 

Are you over prepping on the cosmetics? you are in a market place where it is very price driven.your competitors are, as you say, not prepping, but you would assume still selling. So there are people out there who will buy cars with MINOR scuffs, scratches and trolley dents. in fact most will. So try and work out what you may be able to 'get away with' at your current price point. But Dont skimp on mechanical prep.

EPV is spot on that cosmetic prep needs to be better on 5k plus. So you may not make much more per car. But you can get a better quality p/ex which you can go again with. And you wont be in a bidding war to buy that.

 But do be aware that if you decide to go to 5k plus you are competing against some bigger dealer groups on smaller cars. so dont go stocking up on 14 reg aygos and expect to do any better. you'll still be looking at them in 6 months time.

[CCC 31]

2 hours ago, Area 51 said:

Bugger, bloody embarrassing to read this isnt it?.. Choose your cars wisely when buying is the clear message.. got to guess likes of WBAC etc will only feed similar vehicles through the block! They must be wetting themselves at the prices they reach too! Have seen some local franchise dealers (GM and VW) offer a lot of other marques for sale, some over four years old! 

Good few I have spoken too recently have absolutely no interest in what it takes to "look after a car", I wont use the term "maintain it".. totally lost on them, no interest in looking after them properly... Speaking to friends over Xmas.. this PCP lark appears to have gone potty; never mind cheap prices.. many mentioned the ability to "pay and forgot" about motoring costs as they just need to pick the phone up if it doesnt work!

Just before Xmas one local leasing group was pushing out eight 520M sport Exec saloons, very good spec, delivery next week; £295 inc vat.. 10k pa/serviced/breakdown.. They needed to get rid of inventory before year end. But the price seems bloody crazy!..

Are cars becoming as disposable as mobiles/ipads..? just a thought 

I suspect we might see some poor sales figures on new stock over the last quarter, which explain the stupid deals last month. I got a ring from Lancaster BMW at 9.00am sharp on the 28th December...... 

If that's the case then BMW/Audi, etc won't want to be busy fools and will adjust down their RHD production allocation for next year and some of the amazing deals will disappear which will help the used market. If credit is tightening then the market for PCP's will decrease a bit too.

[DBCARS 3]

3 hours ago, MattR said:

Are you over prepping on the cosmetics? you are in a market place where it is very price driven.your competitors are, as you say, not prepping, but you would assume still selling. So there are people out there who will buy cars with MINOR scuffs, scratches and trolley dents. in fact most will. So try and work out what you may be able to 'get away with' at your current price point. But Dont skimp on mechanical prep.

EPV is spot on that cosmetic prep needs to be better on 5k plus. So you may not make much more per car. But you can get a better quality p/ex which you can go again with. And you wont be in a bidding war to buy that.

 But do be aware that if you decide to go to 5k plus you are competing against some bigger dealer groups on smaller cars. so dont go stocking up on 14 reg aygos and expect to do any better. you'll still be looking at them in 6 months time.

Possibly, but its the way I am and I can't do the job any other way, I find some people are still really picky even on my mint stuff which just winds me up as I know whats out there and mine are amongst the best on offer. But the good thing is when you get a customer thats been elsewhere or looking for a while they really appreciate a good clean honest car and are often taken back and say "we've seen some right sh1t" which of course signals to me that this is now in my hands and no negotiations are going to be happening. 

I think if I move onto the newer stock then il have no problem in the prep, its just a bigger market place with more choice, I will need to choose wisely and try to work out whats going to sell well and what isn't  

[EPV 631]

2 hours ago, DBCARS said:

Possibly, but its the way I am and I can't do the job any other way, I find some people are still really picky even on my mint stuff which just winds me up as I know whats out there and mine are amongst the best on offer. But the good thing is when you get a customer thats been elsewhere or looking for a while they really appreciate a good clean honest car and are often taken back and say "we've seen some right sh1t" which of course signals to me that this is now in my hands and no negotiations are going to be happening. 

I think if I move onto the newer stock then il have no problem in the prep, its just a bigger market place with more choice, I will need to choose wisely and try to work out whats going to sell well and what isn't  

Actually I think you will be moving into thinner territory. It stands to reason the more expensive a car the fewer buyers (still plenty though at that price point) 

Knowing what to fix and what not to (cosmetically) is an art i’ve only recently mastered. I used to mint everything up, now I just get it to a state where it looks half it’s age and that is plenty better than most out there. A condition video appraisal stops the picky fuckers arriving at your door, as the video weeds that out and bobs your uncle. 

[BHM 994]

On 02/01/2019 at 9:55 PM, trade vet said:

Focus more on what you are good at.Work harder on the buying side,it is the same for everyone.Its not just cheaper stuff that comes with big bills.Don’t believe other traders too much,the job is full of bullshitters,it always has been.

So so true. Don’t think just because you’re buying a car a £1000 more expensive it’ll be fault free.

On 03/01/2019 at 7:11 PM, Arfur Dealy said:

A lot more people are completely  strapped up. With the ease of PCP deals “rent a car” schemes used cars aren’t so attractive. But the ones who can’t get PCP can’t afford to maintain their own cars,  it’s a vicious circle. The whole game is changing, as I always say it’s a rollercoaster.....

Absolutely. The other week I sold an £800 Focus with a DMF rattling its tits off (advertised & signed for as such) to a punter. They HAD been intending on getting a nice, shiny, brand new one from Ford on the rent but at last minute they’d been declining so ended up buying a piece of shit from me. The best thing was, they’d been to see 4 others first & mine “was the best by far”! FFS, what are people selling out there?

[DBCARS 3]

Some of these so called traders sell some right sh!t, some of the stories I get told are quite unbelievable! 

I had one guy come to buy a Kia Sorento off me and the one he'd just been to see had a starting issue, the seller had bodged a can of easy start into the door panel with a tube from the can nozzle end, he'd drilled a hole through the side of the door into the engine bay where the pipe was fed to the air intake, so every time you got in to start the car he said it just needed a couple of squirts and it would start without even opening the engine! Hahahaha

[Row 71]

23 minutes ago, DBCARS said:

Some of these so called traders sell some right sh!t, some of the stories I get told are quite unbelievable! 

I had one guy come to buy a Kia Sorento off me and the one he'd just been to see had a starting issue, the seller had bodged a can of easy start into the door panel with a tube from the can nozzle end, he'd drilled a hole through the side of the door into the engine bay where the pipe was fed to the air intake, so every time you got in to start the car he said it just needed a couple of squirts and it would start without even opening the engine! Hahahaha

That's unbelievable!

[Mikey360 68]

On 05/01/2019 at 3:09 PM, DBCARS said:

Some of these so called traders sell some right sh!t, some of the stories I get told are quite unbelievable! 

I had one guy come to buy a Kia Sorento off me and the one he'd just been to see had a starting issue, the seller had bodged a can of easy start into the door panel with a tube from the can nozzle end, he'd drilled a hole through the side of the door into the engine bay where the pipe was fed to the air intake, so every time you got in to start the car he said it just needed a couple of squirts and it would start without even opening the engine! Hahahaha

How's that for convenience!

[Dave2302 387]

So who's all old enough to remember the Mk I Ford Transit Diesels, they would never start on a real cold morning, even when new and under warranty 

Ford did a re call and, bet you can't guess .......................

They fitted a Glass Jar under the bonnet, plumbed into a manual windscreen washer pump fixed in the Cab, pipe going back into Air Intake, and they sold bottles of ether to fill it up, 3 or 4 pumps and crank it over .....................

I shit you not, that was the official Ford Motor Co Fix  

Was it the "York" Engine ?? I can't remember now 

I had one in a Recovery Truck, found that they would start better with the Pump retarded a bit, but would smoke like a bastard !!

Ahhhhh, the good old days, long before "Emissions Testing" and "Tree Huggers" were invented   

[trade vet 697]

39 minutes ago, Dave2302 said:

So who's all old enough to remember the Mk I Ford Transit Diesels, they would never start on a real cold morning, even when new and under warranty 

Ford did a re call and, bet you can't guess .......................

They fitted a Glass Jar under the bonnet, plumbed into a manual windscreen washer pump fixed in the Cab, pipe going back into Air Intake, and they sold bottles of ether to fill it up, 3 or 4 pumps and crank it over .....................

I shit you not, that was the official Ford Motor Co Fix  

Was it the "York" Engine ?? I can't remember now 

I had one in a Recovery Truck, found that they would start better with the Pump retarded a bit, but would smoke like a bastard !!

Ahhhhh, the good old days, long before "Emissions Testing" and "Tree Huggers" were invented   

I don’t know about the diesels,we never had them.Circa 66-70.the petrol Transits were excellent compared with the column change 15cwt Thames predecessor in which the gear linkage constantly jammed and you had to get underneath to give it a shake.What about the Mk 1V Zephyr produced at the same time,now they were crap...But everything was fixable.....Best not to mention the good old days too much.

[Dave2302 387]

LOL, yeah, I had a Thames Trader waaaay back, put a straight 6 Zephyr Engine in it 

That Diesel recovery Truck ended up with a V6 Granada / Consul Engine

Everything is still fixable, it just isn't always economical to do so these days 

[It's me 613]

yep york diesel terrible things with the diesel snoop front on them

i bought a luton bodied one but it had been converted to a 2.o litre petrol pinto,did all of 8 to the gallon

 

[DBCARS 3]

All of a sudden I feel very young! Hahaha

[Dave2302 387]

LOL, /\ /\ /\ LIKE

I got a Car that will get down to 8 mpg, but that's a darned sight faster than a pinto Transit 

[have a word with the wife 299]

pinto transit on the motorway, inside screen kept freezing, spraying de icer INSIDE to see ahead, then the sleet got on the ht leads, and i spluttered onto hard shoulder, no wd40, so, not wanting to turn it off [ to wipe leads] in case it didn't start again, i sprayed the leads with de icer,  the resultant fireball dried the leads, and i continued my journey [note, do NOT spray de icer onto ht  ]..

the york diesel had a single glow filament in the inlet manifold, idea being that it warmed the air going in, it didnt work ! 

Them lads in the 3rd lane in there sprinters dont know how lucky they are 

[metcars 395]

Vans being so civilised these days probably explains why half the population seem to use one as a daily driver!

[Dave2302 387]

18 minutes ago, met said:

Vans being so civilised these days probably explains why half the population seem to use one as a daily driver!

Very true, I put more miles on my Van than anything else, it's nice to drive and goes like the clappers (RHX 2.0 HDI Expert)

But once every couple of days, and holidays etc it's nice to get in a decent Car and go somewhere in clean clothes and shoes as opposed to work gear / overalls and boots

[metcars 395]

6 hours ago, Dave2302 said:

Very true, I put more miles on my Van than anything else, it's nice to drive and goes like the clappers (RHX 2.0 HDI Expert)

But once every couple of days, and holidays etc it's nice to get in a decent Car and go somewhere in clean clothes and shoes as opposed to work gear / overalls and boots

My memory is not what it was but back in the distant past i remember guys having to have good reason to park commercial vehicles on the street overnight. Vans had to go back to the yard at the end if the day. Obviously being able to take your sign written work van home has huge advantages but round these parts 'everyone' is a courier/builder? My mum has just gone into a care home thats located on the edge of a new build housing estate. If you visit at night the roads are like vanorama! They block the pavements, create pinch points and make it difficult to drive down the narrow streets

Edited January 8, 2019 by met

[Nick M.K. 574]

On 04/01/2019 at 9:54 AM, Del Boy said:

Oil from Asda!!? What’s he gonna use, cooking oil? 

No George 5W30 "semi" synthetic 

[Mark101 536]

12 hours ago, met said:

My memory is not what it was but back in the distant past i remember guys having to have good reason to park commercial vehicles on the street overnight. Vans had to go back to the yard at the end if the day. Obviously being able to take your sign written work van home has huge advantages but round these parts 'everyone' is a courier/builder? My mum has just gone into a care home thats located on the edge of a new build housing estate. If you visit at night the roads are like vanorama! They block the pavements, create pinch points and make it difficult to drive down the narrow streets

We live in a cul de sac, each house quite different and all older houses (mine is one of the youngest 1950) = therefore bigger gardens than more recent properties.

Two of the houses have sold their gardens or part of their gardens off making way for two newer exclusive small developments, about 6-8 houses in each.  

One of the developments has a restrictive covenant regarding sign written vans being parked overnight.  One of the residents nearly always parks his van outside one of my neighbours houses each night (no covenant on our road), something that really pisses him off (he is a bit of a perfectionist/very house proud). The van.........a drain rod thing (luckily not a bright orange dyna rod one).

I haven’t seen that van for several weeks now, not since I saw a mobile tyre fitter repacing all 4 tyres.

True story which I had forgotten/not concerned myself until met’s post.

[BHM 994]

3 hours ago, Mark101 said:

I haven’t seen that van for several weeks now, not since I saw a mobile tyre fitter repacing all 4 tyres.

True story which I had forgotten/not concerned myself until met’s post.

That reminds me too; A previous home was an ancient street house with the usual fight for spaces - i.e. a pain in the arse. I had space for 2 outside my house. Everyone stuck to ‘their’ area except for some young smart arse who started parking right up against my living room window on a weekend.

After a month or so funnily enough their driver’s side windows ‘went through’ one Sunday night.  Rather like your van driver they chose never to park there again.

[metcars 395]

4 hours ago, Mark101 said:

We live in a cul de sac, each house quite different and all older houses (mine is one of the youngest 1950) = therefore bigger gardens than more recent properties.

Two of the houses have sold their gardens or part of their gardens off making way for two newer exclusive small developments, about 6-8 houses in each.  

One of the developments has a restrictive covenant regarding sign written vans being parked overnight.  One of the residents nearly always parks his van outside one of my neighbours houses each night (no covenant on our road), something that really pisses him off (he is a bit of a perfectionist/very house proud). The van.........a drain rod thing (luckily not a bright orange dyna rod one).

I haven’t seen that van for several weeks now, not since I saw a mobile tyre fitter repacing all 4 tyres.

True story which I had forgotten/not concerned myself until met’s post.

There are lots of those type of bew build housing estates/gated communities near me. You literally step outside the front door onto the road. Its clever how the architects have found a way to do away with front gardens and pavements and made the road 'soft'.