Why do SOR dealers keep going bust?
Why do SOR dealers keep going bust?
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Discussion

JimmyConwayNW

Original Poster:

3,405 posts

146 months

Why do SOR dealers keep going bust.

I sell used cars, have some stock funding, have some of my own money try to keep a ratio that ensures I stay afloat and can pay the bills etc.
Bought the premises and have a nice chunk sat there.

If I solely sold on SOR which is essentially interest free stocking I don't know how I could get it so wrong.

Where does it repeatedly go wrong?

I understand no mentioning of names in this thread.

FlyingPanda

548 posts

111 months

Are they really going bust though, or is their MO simply to steal cars/money off unsuspecting punters for as long as they can get away with and then wind the business up when it all goes breasts-skywards?

vikingaero

12,126 posts

190 months

If you own your premises, even with a mortgage, you're halfway there. If you own it outright you essentially have no premises costs. There's a cash and carry where they pay about £1m a year in rent and have been there 50+ years. I asked why they had never bought the place and they shrugged their shoulders. I can understand with shareholder/capitalist ventures where they milk and drain property for all it's worth.

But going back to SOR, they get in a cashflow pinch and the easiest thing to do is to "borrow" your customers money, and they end up in a slippery slope of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Jamescrs

5,740 posts

86 months

vikingaero said:
But going back to SOR, they get in a cashflow pinch and the easiest thing to do is to "borrow" your customers money, and they end up in a slippery slope of robbing Peter to pay Paul.
I suspect this is the answer, the dealer gets silly and starts using money they should be sending back to their SOR customer as their own for other purposes then the next car they sell money goes to the previous sale they didn't pay out and it spirals.

Heathwood

2,918 posts

223 months

It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Surely, there’s less effort and cost involved in sourcing suitable stock when using SOR, and no interest to pay as would be the case with a stocking loan. Perhaps there’s less margin, I don’t know, or is there less regulation/control and therefore more temptation to gamble a little with other peoples money?

crofty1984

16,733 posts

225 months

Presumably they overestimate the price they can get for the cars so the seller chooses to go with them, which is all well and good until the market says that's too high a price and they don't sell anything.

vikingaero

12,126 posts

190 months

Would SOR be mainly on infrequently sold high ticket items, so they sell less regularly than say £5,000 hatchbacks?

Lester H

3,894 posts

126 months

Jamescrs said:
vikingaero said:
But going back to SOR, they get in a cashflow pinch and the easiest thing to do is to "borrow" your customers money, and they end up in a slippery slope of robbing Peter to pay Paul.
I suspect this is the answer, the dealer gets silly and starts using money they should be sending back to their SOR customer as their own for other purposes then the next car they sell money goes to the previous sale they didn't pay out and it spirals.
This is probably it. It’s a bit like a Ponzi scheme. Sometimes small time solicitors get caught out the same way by using clients money instead of passing it on in good time. Sometimes small independents will sell a friends car in this way but that is a different scenario.

LuckyThirteen

893 posts

40 months

The moderation is strong in this thread!

alscar

7,730 posts

234 months

Cost of running the business including all the marketing simply exceeds their commission on sales if either customer not realistic about selling price and / or commission not sufficient when a sale is made.
As a customer that has sold 2 cars via SOR from Main Dealers with whom a lengthy relationship and 1 car from someone with an Indy business that I have known as friend for more years than I care to remember the right choosing of any SOR entity is paramount.

Terminator X

19,195 posts

225 months

JimmyConwayNW said:
Why do SOR dealers keep going bust.

I sell used cars, have some stock funding, have some of my own money try to keep a ratio that ensures I stay afloat and can pay the bills etc.
Bought the premises and have a nice chunk sat there.

If I solely sold on SOR which is essentially interest free stocking I don't know how I could get it so wrong.

Where does it repeatedly go wrong?

I understand no mentioning of names in this thread.
I had one call about my car for sale. First off they wanted £600 to inspect my car before it went on their website etc then they wanted 10% of sale when sold! Needless to say it was FRO.

TX.

Terminator X

19,195 posts

225 months

vikingaero said:
If you own your premises, even with a mortgage, you're halfway there. If you own it outright you essentially have no premises costs. There's a cash and carry where they pay about £1m a year in rent and have been there 50+ years. I asked why they had never bought the place and they shrugged their shoulders. I can understand with shareholder/capitalist ventures where they milk and drain property for all it's worth.

But going back to SOR, they get in a cashflow pinch and the easiest thing to do is to "borrow" your customers money, and they end up in a slippery slope of robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Tax ruse? Less profits, less Corp Tax.

TX.

Lester H

3,894 posts

126 months

JimmyConwayNW said:
Why do SOR dealers keep going bust.

I sell used cars, have some stock funding, have some of my own money try to keep a ratio that ensures I stay afloat and can pay the bills etc.
Bought the premises and have a nice chunk sat there.

If I solely sold on SOR which is essentially interest free stocking I don't know how I could get it so wrong.

Where does it repeatedly go wrong?

I understand no mentioning of names in this thread.
Does the SOR seller ( if competent) have to warrant / guarantee the car as one of his own or does that responsibility revert to the owner if the car sells; presumably this would make quite a difference with an obscure or exotic car, as opposed to the £5000 hatchback already mentioned above.

Heathwood

2,918 posts

223 months

LuckyThirteen said:
The moderation is strong in this thread!
Just a tad!

alscar

7,730 posts

234 months

Lester H said:
Does the SOR seller ( if competent) have to warrant / guarantee the car as one of his own or does that responsibility revert to the owner if the car sells; presumably this would make quite a difference with an obscure or exotic car, as opposed to the £5000 hatchback already mentioned above.
That might depend on the type of car being sold.
SOR usually tends to be on much higher valued cars than £5k.
To refer back to my post above with the Indy dealer - I had the car from new and was virtually a unicorn in terms of ownership and spec and type and indeed very limited mileage.
Every item of paperwork over 9 years of ownership added to this.
There was no guarantee offered or indeed asked for by the buyer.

boyse7en

7,893 posts

186 months

Terminator X said:
JimmyConwayNW said:
Why do SOR dealers keep going bust.

I sell used cars, have some stock funding, have some of my own money try to keep a ratio that ensures I stay afloat and can pay the bills etc.
Bought the premises and have a nice chunk sat there.

If I solely sold on SOR which is essentially interest free stocking I don't know how I could get it so wrong.

Where does it repeatedly go wrong?

I understand no mentioning of names in this thread.
I had one call about my car for sale. First off they wanted £600 to inspect my car before it went on their website etc then they wanted 10% of sale when sold! Needless to say it was FRO.

TX.
10% commission doesn't sound too bad for a sale, unless all the cars they are selling are £100k+.
Auction fees would be much more than that

paul_c123

1,600 posts

14 months

Lester H said:
Does the SOR seller ( if competent) have to warrant / guarantee the car as one of his own or does that responsibility revert to the owner if the car sells; presumably this would make quite a difference with an obscure or exotic car, as opposed to the £5000 hatchback already mentioned above.
Yes, legally they have to warrant/guarantee (as per CRA2015) and that obligation is of the dealer (not the true (previous) owner).


alscar said:
That might depend on the type of car being sold.
It is not dependent on the type of car (or indeed, the type of product at all).

Robertb

3,210 posts

259 months

Do they keep going bust any more than other car dealers, or do they just tend to be higher profile because of noisy customers understandably wanting their cash?

alscar

7,730 posts

234 months

paul_c123 said:
It is not dependent on the type of car (or indeed, the type of product at all).
I stand corrected although not a cast iron warranty as such.
A quick look at the CRA adds this.

• You can seek compensation or a refund after six months of purchasing the vehicle, but it’ll be up to you to prove the fault was there at the time of delivery.

ADJimbo

810 posts

207 months

alscar said:
paul_c123 said:
It is not dependent on the type of car (or indeed, the type of product at all).
I stand corrected although not a cast iron warranty as such.
A quick look at the CRA adds this.

You can seek compensation or a refund after six months of purchasing the vehicle, but it ll be up to you to prove the fault was there at the time of delivery.
Note that a ‘cast-iron’ warranty does not replace nor erode your basic consumer rights.