Vehicle sales; A view from the other side

[ghibbett]

Anyone who buys a car from me gets a bargain. I tend to buy at a high price, spend a fortune making it excellent and selling for cheap. Lucky I'm not in the trade The cars I buy I always get the feeling the person knew it needed loads doing to it before they sold it. i fix it and then sell it add to it and sell for a fraction what i paid for it. The discovery I bought 3 months ago is a prime example. Paid 4.5k for it and have spent 3 k on it already. PRob sell it for 4k and someone ends up with a car that doesn't go wrong for 50k miles.

Ha ha, this is the same for me. Buy something, spent loads of time and effort getting it up to my (admittedly high) standard, maintain it impeccably, then sell it on at a vast loss. As my Dad would say, it's all part of life's rich tappestry!

 

[Deleted member 37751]

It's funny, I keep thinking back to the bus driver who everyone thought should subsidise passengers late at night out of his hourly rate, and yet here we are whingeing about how much profit can be made on a car/van.

Wtf has that got to do with this thread?!

I could have posted my OP in the thread complaining about that 12 year old E-Class but I thought I'd start my own so as to not ruin that persons thread.

Please don't do the same to mine.

 

[C43AMG]

Agreed - I paid top dollar for my current car for exactly those reasons.

Regrets, I've not even had a few.

Exchanging Glances

 

[MD5]

It's funny, I keep thinking back to the bus driver who everyone thought should subsidise passengers late at night out of his hourly rate, and yet here we are whingeing about how much profit can be made on a car/van.

Wtf has that got to do with this thread?!

I could have posted my OP in the thread complaining about that 12 year old E-Class but I thought I'd start my own so as to not ruin that persons thread.


Please don't do the same to mine.

Sorry Lee, but I latched on to your comment in bold below. There are others worse off than us, with much more crap to endure. We're not doing so bad is what I'm saying, but it's tough for all of us dealing with our public. It's not my intention to "ruin" your thread!

Luckily for me, I rarely have to put up with these people any more because all of my dealings are with other traders but I do feel for those genuine people that are struggling to earn a decent wage. This message also applies to every small, independent business trying to earn a crust.

Too many people expect a top product service for a cheap price (champagne lifestyle with shandy money)...

 

[nick mercedes]

I make £14k on a £15k van...

Aim for £15k from a £14k van.

 

[billywhiz]

^^ and a free set of new Mats : )

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Sorry Lee, but I latched on to your comment in bold below. There are others worse off than us, with much more crap to endure. We're not doing so bad is what I'm saying, but it's tough for all of us dealing with our public. It's not my intention to "ruin" your thread!

I didn't think it was pal.

I should have probably been a bit more general with who I was trying to defend (although I did state at the end of the OP that it also applies to all small/medium businesses)

I've been on both sides of the fence; employee/employer and car buyer/car seller and it's not easy right now for a lot of people but there seems to be this never ending race to the bottom as though the only thing that matters is the price and not what you'll get for that price.

 

[grober]

I didn't think it was pal.

I should have probably been a bit more general with who I was trying to defend (although I did state at the end of the OP that it also applies to all small/medium businesses)

I've been on both sides of the fence; employee/employer and car buyer/car seller and it's not easy right now for a lot of people but there seems to be this never ending race to the bottom as though the only thing that matters is the price and not what you'll get for that price.

Absolutely agree with that sentiment, but that's what what you get when you let accountants set the tone. People who know the price of everything but the value of nothing as has been said many times before.:fail

 

[poormansporsche]

i agree with the sentiments of the original post but it just seems to me that theres something about selling used cars / vans that just attracts a particular type of slimey individual

 

[MarriedBlonde]

i agree with the sentiments of the original post but it just seems to me that theres something about selling used cars / vans that just attracts a particular type of slimey individual

Present company excluded surely!

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Also, may are just ****wits to be fair.

The amount of cars I have seen from dealers with filthy interiors in the pictures, even sweet wrappers or empty Coke cans, or with error messages on the dash. It really does make you wonder how they sell a thing.


And I agree with the above. I called a dealer about seeing a 530d touring the other week, it was only a £7k car, it was down in Essex so arranged to see it the next morning, said I would come at 11am. When I got there it was at the back of the garage and so I couldn't take it out, told me to pop back the next day, if I was interested in it.
The fact I had driven an hour and half meant I was interested, but not to come back again just to drive it.

It's those sort of dealers who make so many customers want to negotiate rock bottom prices. As has been said, you get what you pay for. That not only applies to the product you're buying but also the service that goes with it. Presumably there are plenty punters out there who don't care about such niceties as quality and service, which is why there are numerous dealers to cater for them.

I too have been caught out by the "couldn't give a toss" type dealers. A couple of years ago I was looking for a BMW C630i around the £20-25k mark. Saw a nice looking one advertised for £23k about 90 minutes away so phoned. Told it was immaculate so arranged a viewing time. Drove there the next day and saw a 630i that looked very similar parked outside the garage (that didn't look as good in real life as on the website) and filled with a couple and their two young kids. Went in and eventually managed to attract the owner's attention (he was busy on the phone chatting about the previous day's football). He didn't seem too interested but told me (not asked me!) to wait a moment. He went over to the 630i parked outside, the family got out and stood to one side whilst he drove it onto the tiny forecourt. As he walked back past me he nodded towards it and said "There it is". It took my wife and I less than 60 seconds to walk away from the dirty car filled with sweet wrappers and return to our car for the 1hr 30min drive back home! No idea who the family was in the BMW.

 

[billywhiz]

If it's any help to you traders and you can commit to buying 20 cars per month - I can give the contact of someone in the trade for 6/12 month old cars normally being sold around current CAP trade values. - The outlet for this also supplies many main dealers and the car supermarkets etc so I'm sure theres a few quid in it. - but min volume purchases apply.

 

[balge]

i agree with the sentiments of the original post but it just seems to me that theres something about selling ANYTHING that just attracts a particular type of slimey individual

FTFY

As well as decent folk just out to make an honest living, obviously...

 

[Ierton]

Wtf has that got to do with this thread?!

I could have posted my OP in the thread complaining about that 12 year old E-Class but I thought I'd start my own so as to not ruin that persons thread.

Please don't do the same to mine.

No-one owns threads - by virtue of being on a forum they're public.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

No-one owns threads - by virtue of being on a forum they're public.

Never said I did but I do find it preferable to stick to the subject matter of the thread where possible.

I seem to recall you whining about people taking one of your threads off-topic, so your post is quite ironic.

 

[Ierton]

Never said I did

Please don't do the same to mine.

Short or selective memory

.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Short or selective memory

.

I asked to keep the thread on topic even you should be able to work that one out 007.

 

[seven]

You should try being an antiques dealer Lee!
What with the 'Lovejoy' legacy from the older set or the absolute filth that they think is good programming that fills daytime/early evening television and corrupts peoples minds you have got it easy!!

 

[bolide]

i agree with the sentiments of the original post but it just seems to me that theres something about selling used cars / vans that just attracts a particular type of slimey individual

Of course you could turn that quote around like this:

"I agree with the sentiments of the original post but it just seems to me that theres something about buying used cars / vans that just attracts a particular type of slimey individual"

Neither viewpoint is correct but it does demonstrate how polarised opinion can become

Nick Froome

 

[Deleted member 37751]

You should try being an antiques dealer Lee!
What with the 'Lovejoy' legacy from the older set or the absolute filth that they think is good programming that fills daytime/early evening television and corrupts peoples minds you have got it easy!!

You're not going to shatter my boyhood imagination and say that you all don't look like Tinker?