Ask a car salesman anything...anything at all (Vol. 2).

[Sheepshanks]

Fast Bug said:

I think most 6 year old cars are going to have a few bits that need doing, let alone a JLR product

I would imagine it’s a familiar term to JLR dealers - they’ll be well used to dealing with lists of issues.

[TorqueR]

I’ve had a car saved on AutoTrader for the past five weeks. When I initially saw it, the price was £13,495.

I noticed that it went online/for sale at the start of April. I wondered whether there was potential to negotiate as it’d been listed for two months when I had seen it however in these last five weeks, the price has increased, incrementally and is now £16,000. It isn’t a special car and is a grey diesel saloon - similar cars are selling within days for £12/13k. Two questions come to my mind;

- Why would the dealer continue to raise the price, £2,500 in a month or so?
- It has been for sale since April. Why has it not been sold at auction yet?

[The Rotrex Kid]

TorqueR said:

I’ve had a car saved on AutoTrader for the past five weeks. When I initially saw it, the price was £13,495.

I noticed that it went online/for sale at the start of April. I wondered whether there was potential to negotiate as it’d been listed for two months when I had seen it however in these last five weeks, the price has increased, incrementally and is now £16,000. It isn’t a special car and is a grey diesel saloon - similar cars are selling within days for £12/13k. Two questions come to my mind;

- Why would the dealer continue to raise the price, £2,500 in a month or so?
- It has been for sale since April. Why has it not been sold at auction yet?

Prices have gone up and stock is hard to get hold of. They obviously think they will get the money for it eventually!

[TorqueR]

The Rotrex Kid said:

TorqueR said:

I’ve had a car saved on AutoTrader for the past five weeks. When I initially saw it, the price was £13,495.

I noticed that it went online/for sale at the start of April. I wondered whether there was potential to negotiate as it’d been listed for two months when I had seen it however in these last five weeks, the price has increased, incrementally and is now £16,000. It isn’t a special car and is a grey diesel saloon - similar cars are selling within days for £12/13k. Two questions come to my mind;

- Why would the dealer continue to raise the price, £2,500 in a month or so?
- It has been for sale since April. Why has it not been sold at auction yet?

Prices have gone up and stock is hard to get hold of. They obviously think they will get the money for it eventually!

I acknowledge that prices have gone up due to stock shortages but if it didn’t sell at £13,500, followed by no interest at £14,500, what confidence would they have that it’ll sell at £16,000?

There are similar examples that have been advertised and sold within days for on average, £3,000 less. Surely dealers aren’t too keen on having stock stay on their forecourt for too long?

[The Rotrex Kid]

TorqueR said:

The Rotrex Kid said:

TorqueR said:

I’ve had a car saved on AutoTrader for the past five weeks. When I initially saw it, the price was £13,495.

I noticed that it went online/for sale at the start of April. I wondered whether there was potential to negotiate as it’d been listed for two months when I had seen it however in these last five weeks, the price has increased, incrementally and is now £16,000. It isn’t a special car and is a grey diesel saloon - similar cars are selling within days for £12/13k. Two questions come to my mind;

- Why would the dealer continue to raise the price, £2,500 in a month or so?
- It has been for sale since April. Why has it not been sold at auction yet?

Prices have gone up and stock is hard to get hold of. They obviously think they will get the money for it eventually!

I acknowledge that prices have gone up due to stock shortages but if it didn’t sell at £13,500, followed by no interest at £14,500, what confidence would they have that it’ll sell at £16,000?

There are similar examples that have been advertised and sold within days for on average, £3,000 less. Surely dealers aren’t too keen on having stock stay on their forecourt for too long?

Well if you can’t replace it with something else then you may as well keep hold of it. I would normally trade 10/15 vehicles a month that are retail worthy because they don’t fit our normal profile but I haven’t done that this year at all.

As for the price, every car finds it’s buyer eventually, he goes up to £16k and then on the way back down he finds a buyer at £14k he’s still done well.

What’s the reg of the car? Or a link to the advert, I’ll have a look at the CAP guides for it.

[TorqueR]

The Rotrex Kid said:

Well if you can’t replace it with something else then you may as well keep hold of it. I would normally trade 10/15 vehicles a month that are retail worthy because they don’t fit our normal profile but I haven’t done that this year at all.

As for the price, every car finds it’s buyer eventually, he goes up to £16k and then on the way back down he finds a buyer at £14k he’s still done well.

What’s the reg of the car? Or a link to the advert, I’ll have a look at the CAP guides for it.

[The Rotrex Kid]

TorqueR said:

The Rotrex Kid said:

Well if you can’t replace it with something else then you may as well keep hold of it. I would normally trade 10/15 vehicles a month that are retail worthy because they don’t fit our normal profile but I haven’t done that this year at all.

As for the price, every car finds it’s buyer eventually, he goes up to £16k and then on the way back down he finds a buyer at £14k he’s still done well.

What’s the reg of the car? Or a link to the advert, I’ll have a look at the CAP guides for it.

Odd one that. Doesn’t come up on CAP, the only thing listed for that year is a 190 GT, but that one is supposedly a 150

[tobinen]

To all you sales chaps, are any of you on here self-employed with your own pitch/site? I used to sell for a Vauxhall dealer many years ago. Have any of you made the move from a dealer to your own business and how was it?

[spikeyhead]

tobinen said:

To all you sales chaps, are any of you on here self-employed with your own pitch/site? I used to sell for a Vauxhall dealer many years ago. Have any of you made the move from a dealer to your own business and how was it?

How good a mechanic are you? and also how good are you at getting mechanics to provide good quick cheap service when you need them?

[JimmyConwayNW]

tobinen said:

To all you sales chaps, are any of you on here self-employed with your own pitch/site? I used to sell for a Vauxhall dealer many years ago. Have any of you made the move from a dealer to your own business and how was it?

Yes. Started out approx 8 years back with 2/3 £1000 and under cars. Corsa / Fiesta etc Now sell 70/80 cars per month turning over £2m plus monthly.

You can't just be a salesman.

You have to be ultra organised, lean and efficient.

You have to be an accountant, lawyer, marketing genius, HR manager and top salesman.

I worked 7 days per week up until 18 months ago.

You will get out what you put in. It will require many, many hours. Its the micro tweaks and changes the make a difference.

Good pictures and high quality videos sell cars. Don't even think about it without doing video.

Good reviews will make a difference to someone picking you or someone else.

Prep the cars aswell as you can. You really don't want them coming back if you can help it as whilst its there they always have a list. You have to be firm and treat people as you want to be treated.

Right now finding stock is incredibly difficult. It isn't impossible, you just have to be smart and keep trying. How resilient you are will determine how far you go.

[loskie]

Can you tell me about VW Audi finance personal lease "Preferential Early Termination" please?

How does it work?
Is it good for dealers?
Is it the least painless way to get out of a lease early?
Will I save on the walk away early termination fee especially when used cars are in such demand at the moment.

3 dealers so far have said it doesn't exists to speak to Audi finance. It was they who told me about it.

[HTP99]

loskie said:

Can you tell me about VW Audi finance personal lease "Preferential Early Termination" please?

How does it work?
Is it good for dealers?
Is it the least painless way to get out of a lease early?
Will I save on the walk away early termination fee especially when used cars are in such demand at the moment.

3 dealers so far have said it doesn't exists to speak to Audi finance. It was they who told me about it.

If it is PCH then you will need to speak to the finance company, not the dealer, it is nothing to do with them.

[Fast Bug]

VWFS have allowed transferring of leases in the past, but from PCH they would only allow it to transfer to a BCH. The lack of used stock may have changed this though

[33q]

loskie said:

Can you tell me about VW Audi finance personal lease "Preferential Early Termination" please?

How does it work?
Is it good for dealers?
Is it the least painless way to get out of a lease early?
Will I save on the walk away early termination fee especially when used cars are in such demand at the moment.

3 dealers so far have said it doesn't exists to speak to Audi finance. It was they who told me about it.

Does this help?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/58...

[Speed addicted]

JimmyConwayNW said:

Good pictures and high quality videos sell cars. Don't even think about it without doing video.

So many dealers don’t seem to understand this. It’s one of the main ways I decide which cars I’m interested in looking at.

So many crap photos, or (quite commonly) no photos of the interior at all.
I’m not so interested in video, although that’s maybe just more because I’m more used to looking closely at photos.

I take it the stock shortage is due to COVID/brexit etc?

[AmitG]

Speed addicted said:

I take it the stock shortage is due to COVID/brexit etc?

FWIW I've just bought a new car and I was told that it's due to a combination of:

• Shortage of new stock due to covid - therefore people are looking for nearly new and the prices for those have shot up
• People have money in their pockets due to furlough, lower expenses etc. and are now looking to treat themselves/splash out

[RUSSELLM]

You may have missed it in the news, and on this thread

But there’s also a global shortage on semiconductors. JLR’s release a few weeks back, suggesting things are going to get worse in the second quarter, before they get better. 110,000 back order to fulfil and rising.

All manufacturers having the same problem, but obviously on a larger scale.

Unless you’re buying a pedal cart

[Speed addicted]

RUSSELLM said:

You may have missed it in the news, and on this thread

But there’s also a global shortage on semiconductors. JLR’s release a few weeks back, suggesting things are going to get worse in the second quarter, before they get better. 110,000 back order to fulfil and rising.

All manufacturers having the same problem, but obviously on a larger scale.

Unless you’re buying a pedal cart

Now you mention it I did hear that, I’d forgotten due to doing huge amounts of work in the house and struggling to get stuff for that too!
I don’t multitask well.

[JimmyConwayNW]

Anyone watch the undercover boss episode with the car dealer?

[Fast Bug]

Yup. Valeters should be in house and a valued part of the team, you're screwed without them! Find a couple of decent ones and never let them leave