starting out - career change

[PhilA&S 2]

Hi guys, please be patient with me.  I have been managing pubs for a long time but believe the industry is going to suffer massively due to covid.  I have always been hugely interested in cars and through lockdown I have signed up to copart, bought a couple of cars with bits of damage and been fixing them ready to sell.  A couple are just about ready to be advertised. 

I would like to one day have a bit of land and 30 or 40 cars on a lot for sale so please hit me with some starting up tips.  

thanks in advance.

 

[Rory RSC 596]

Got a good tip. 

 

Less thinking and talking. More doing. 

[Nevillec 11]

If you scroll through the  forum  you will find  lots of advice  given ,to a similar question to yours.

 

good luck

[SouthernTrader 20]

25 minutes ago, Nevillec said:

If you scroll through the  forum  you will find  lots of advice  given ,to a similar question to yours.

 

good luck

This is what I did early on, and I still learn lots now - although it’s definitely quieter on here now. Go back to the start and read all the threads, might take a few weeks. 
 

By the time you’ve done that you will have a good grasp on CRA15, buying stock, advertising, photographing, part exchanges and all the pitfalls we encounter. Plus you’ll find some entertaining old threads too. Also at the top of the page is the How to be a car dealer guide, it’s £10 - buy that, it will help you and it will help fund the people who run the forum. You’ll get more than your £10 back in terms of knowledge 

The rest you’ll learn with experience. Good luck 

[BHM 994]

1 hour ago, Rory RSC said:

Got a good tip. 

 

Less thinking and talking. More doing. 

Yep. Although this sounds sarcastic it’s absolutely correct. You can talk this job through until the cows come home but the best education you’ll get is when you start buying & selling. 

[trade vet 702]

20 minutes ago, BHM said:

Yep. Although this sounds sarcastic it’s absolutely correct. You can talk this job through until the cows come home but the best education you’ll get is when you start buying & selling. 

Lesson 1

Forget Copart and try buying proper cars.You won’t make any money resurrecting damaged goods,it takes too long and you will attract too much aggrovation.You might be better off continuing as a pub manager and watering down the beer. !

[BHM 994]

17 minutes ago, trade vet said:

Lesson 1

Forget Copart and try buying proper cars.You won’t make any money resurrecting damaged goods,it takes too long and you will attract too much aggrovation.You might be better off continuing as a pub manager and watering down the beer. !

 ....and fiddling the spirits.

I’m with you on this, if you’re paying someone to PROPERLY nail together damaged shite you can’t make any money.

However I’m sure the lads throwing them back together themselves (plenty of cable ties, sledgehammer chassis work & Roy Orbison paint jobs) make a shilling.

[PhilA&S 2]

2 hours ago, Rory RSC said:

Got a good tip. 

 

Less thinking and talking. More doing. 

thanks for all your positive responses guys, and yes Rory this..  I always say some people wait for the meal to be put in front of them and others go and find the ingredients and make their own.   

1 hour ago, SouthernTrader said:

This is what I did early on, and I still learn lots now - although it’s definitely quieter on here now. Go back to the start and read all the threads, might take a few weeks. 
 

By the time you’ve done that you will have a good grasp on CRA15, buying stock, advertising, photographing, part exchanges and all the pitfalls we encounter. Plus you’ll find some entertaining old threads too. Also at the top of the page is the How to be a car dealer guide, it’s £10 - buy that, it will help you and it will help fund the people who run the forum. You’ll get more than your £10 back in terms of knowledge 

The rest you’ll learn with experience. Good luck 

Thanks ST,  I'll be doing that now.

 

 

[Rory RSC 596]

Its true. Wasn't sarcastic but a well known character on here spent way to long thinking, getting his hand held and couldn'tactually do the basics.

This is a great place for advice but a lot of voices can sometimes make it hard to know what to do.  You buy cheap, sell with profit and polish profit into cars, etc find a niche make a run of it etc and get a good bit going.   This forum is then good when looking for advice on which warranty company to get, how to deal with your first complaint ( daunting I remember mine and shit it at the threat of them taking me to court ) and loads of good advice. Just got to get going.

I wouldn't bother with Copart shit either just buy straight motors.   TBH if I lost my lot and started again I would buy off gumtree and marketplace from idiots who can't take pics or read and write, clean them ensure basically safe and then just sell with limited comebacks and build up again as quick as I could living off bare minimum. Sacrifice, graft and an eye on where you want to be in a few years works.

 

Good luck. Get going.

[David Horgan 564]

19 minutes ago, Rory RSC said:

Its true. Wasn't sarcastic but a well known character on here spent way to long thinking, getting his hand held and couldn'tactually do the basics.

This is a great place for advice but a lot of voices can sometimes make it hard to know what to do.  You buy cheap, sell with profit and polish profit into cars, etc find a niche make a run of it etc and get a good bit going.   This forum is then good when looking for advice on which warranty company to get, how to deal with your first complaint ( daunting I remember mine and shit it at the threat of them taking me to court ) and loads of good advice. Just got to get going.

I wouldn't bother with Copart shit either just buy straight motors.   TBH if I lost my lot and started again I would buy off gumtree and marketplace from idiots who can't take pics or read and write, clean them ensure basically safe and then just sell with limited comebacks and build up again as quick as I could living off bare minimum. Sacrifice, graft and an eye on where you want to be in a few years works.

 

Good luck. Get going.

Good advice there Rory . 

Phila&s Rorys advice of sell with profit = read it 100 times , Don't bother with bent motors as stated just make you a busy fool  , buy private too as Rory states hit them hard and often some you will win some you will walk away . HPI THEM ALL though , You wont buy from auction just yet as no experience to buy unseen online only and is at present a serious recipe for disaster . 

Remember the first comment PROFIT is the way forward . 

All the best 

Edited July 15, 2020 by David Horgan

[PhilA&S 2]

thanks for the responses guys. Trawling through the forums 

[BHM 994]

9 hours ago, Rory RSC said:

Its true. Wasn't sarcastic but a well known character on here spent way to long thinking, getting his hand held and couldn'tactually do the basics.

That’ll be the chap who had a website & took an interest in the CRA before he’d even bought one car 

First & foremost this job’s about cars, not fucking about with website graphics when you’ve got a handful of cars.

[MarkTVS 209]

Welcome and good luck! 

[Casper 272]

Welcome to the forum and good luck . And go for it if you don't you will always ask what could have been keep us all posted . 

[Rory RSC 596]

15 hours ago, BHM said:

That’ll be the chap who had a website & took an interest in the CRA before he’d even bought one car 

First & foremost this job’s about cars, not fucking about with website graphics when you’ve got a handful of cars.

Lovely website but the bit on it that should have cars listed was a bit lacking 

[PhilA&S 2]

So I purchased the guide and spent literally hours reading the forums particularly the FAQ's.   Gotta say guys reading the forums and peoples struggles etc someone please tell me they have a good life and still enjoy this.  I'm hoping people just tend to post more about the negative aspects that's why it reads a bit depressing.  Anyway onwards and upwards I have a few cars to get retail ready so best get cracking.

 

cheers

 

 

[trade vet 702]

1 hour ago, PhilA&S said:

So I purchased the guide and spent literally hours reading the forums particularly the FAQ's.   Gotta say guys reading the forums and peoples struggles etc someone please tell me they have a good life and still enjoy this.  I'm hoping people just tend to post more about the negative aspects that's why it reads a bit depressing.  Anyway onwards and upwards I have a few cars to get retail ready so best get cracking.

 

cheers

 

 

The negative posts tend to be the more accurate ones.This job is not easy,but give it a go.On the way you must be prepared for some big mistakes and you will have to learn to blow money on some cars.You will have plenty of set backs and things will happen you have never even thought of but you will have bonuses aswell.If you survive the first 2 years you will have a good chance of success.You can get some good advice on here as people like to help. Good luck.

[BHM 994]

1 hour ago, trade vet said:

The negative posts tend to be the more accurate ones.This job is not easy,but give it a go.On the way you must be prepared for some big mistakes and you will have to learn to blow money on some cars.You will have plenty of set backs and things will happen you have never even thought of but you will have bonuses aswell.If you survive the first 2 years you will have a good chance of success.You can get some good advice on here as people like to help. Good luck.

I could be talking out of my arse but I reckon if you’ve got a self employed work mentality & ethic you’re in with half a chance (the other half’s the cars) but anyone with a PAYE mentality is fucked from the off buying/selling cars.

[Rory RSC 596]

11 hours ago, BHM said:

I could be talking out of my arse but I reckon if you’ve got a self employed work mentality & ethic you’re in with half a chance (the other half’s the cars) but anyone with a PAYE mentality is fucked from the off buying/selling cars.

Grafters will prosper in anything.    The ones with a bit of common sense who just get on and get shit done always do.