slightly off topic, I saw a valet service in a Dublin multi storey a couple of weeks ago - 115 euro for a full valet on a 4X4. Yes indeed, one hundred and fifteen.

I always remember an article in the old "Buying Cars" from c.1992. Article was entitled "A Car that's not Too Grand" and lamented the £2k price bracket..."too little for a trader to make a decent profit on but enough for the punter to think they're spending a packet and wanting the world" was the vague gist.

Most secondhand cars for sale are in poor condition said the dealers I have spoken to. They are findingn it hard to get well looked after and maintianed stock...(Lots of PCP/lease stuff very grubby bodily)

I know first hand, the biggest problem the independent dealers at the lower end of the scale are facing is 3 fold.

1. A real lack of quality stock with proper full service history. I'm told 75% of the auction stock are lemons. The emergence of we buy any car and the like have also reduced the footfall offering them to indi's.

2. Car technology has become complicated and expensive to repair, modern diesels in particular are avoided or at least must have low mileage or evidence of work carried out to make them worth the risk. Too many customers returning cars within warranty with costly faults.

3. Auction buying and selling costs have become to expensive. The big 2 prices are wiping out profit margins and making it difficult to buy stock at sensible prices. The indi I know has told me he and some of his colleagues in the game now try other revenues when wanting to shift stock , with eBay and motorpoints part ex sales channel being popular choices. He has not renewed his mainheim trade card and has only kept his BCA trade account for the ex police vehicle sales with the flat 5% buyers fee.

3.

No its under the CC Trade and CC trade Select all the WBAC I belive. Although CC trade is owned by UKCGR.

Edited by TML CARS LTD on 30/09/2014 at 21:55

<< Oh and be prepared to travel when the right bargain comes along, they won't be in your area often, too many sharp eyed and sensible (foreign) punters.... >>

Some buyers do travel seemingly silly distances. My daughter advertised (A-T) a decent 55-plate Golf Plus for £4300 in E Cheshire last spring. The only punter came to collect from beyond Kings Lynn. Story was that such cars were much dearer there.

I eventually traded my Outlander in for much more than I would have got at auction. I got £1100 tbh, even though there were just days left on the MoT, engine warning light on, about a million former keepers, and 110k.

I was beginning to despair about autotrader and Parker's guide. I spoke to a motoring journalist from one of the weeklies and he said that Parker's is yesterday's news and he doesn't know how they keep going. Nobody buys it and the prices in it are guesswork. The massive discrepancy between the online and print versions is just a symptom of that he claimed.

In exchange for my banger I got a Santa Fe, 2.7 petrol, leather and auto, black, one owner, 06, 68000 miles, impeccable history. £3000 so cost to change was £1900. Parker's was irrelevant, I just compared this deal to the others on A-T.

Had it ten days now and it's been A1.

Keep looking chaps!!!