Hi All,
Just registered here after spending a few days reading the messages.
Any motor traders here ???
I'm a part timer, delaing in japanese imports, usually only 2,3 or 4 at a time & over the past 6 months done OK (low profits but tick along ok).
This past month has been awful !! 3 cars in A/Trader this week & not ONE phone call. 2 out of the 3 are the cheapest for 60 miles & the other one is 3rd cheapest.
Is everyone away on the hols or saving ???
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I work at a main dealer selling vehicles through brokers and yes it is very slow. The retail guys are feeling the pinch too
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Yes, my mate is in the trade, nothing's moved for him in about 3 weeks. He's gone to France on holiday to get away from it all!
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It's hearing comments like that, makes me nearly pleased we've sold our site!
But between you n me, I'd much rather be winging on about how poor the business was doing, rather than sitting here cliking away!!
VB
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Suppose that's good news in funny sort of way - if everybody is slow across the board, it's not because I'm too expensive or in the wrong location.
Is there a good & bad season each year ?? I know in my other business we have a real slow time around July when all the little trades people are off on holiday, wondering if I have that to look forward to in the motor trade too !
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must be slow, only took 5 mins to haggle £1000 off a £21K silver bmw 320ci convertible. 02 plate with an extra bmw years warranty. £310 bmw service included in 4K miles, 12m MOT&Tax&full valet. and a good price on my car.
;-)
must be my only stroke of luck in yes you guessed it in 13 cars !
funny how i found it on the 13th too (fri)
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My brother runs his own business and says that since the beginning of the month it has been like turning the light off. I blame the new government - but then I blamed the old as well.
MGs
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Guys
there is a major consumer slump appearing at a high st or car lot near you, very very shortly. Ah in fact its arrived.
Its market wide, from DIY and electrical goods to Cars via clothing shops
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there is a major consumer slump ... at a car lot near you ....
>>
apparently, it is not the fault of gordy brown. he puts blame on all those greedy house buyers and car-buyers who borrowed using cheap finance on fixed rate loans which are now sadly all coming to the end of their fixed periods. (remember how gordy wanted to change the system so that mortgages would be tied to fixed 20 plus years and not be availbale on short fixed rates ? )
and gordy also blames the local councils for raising council tax too much.
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Customers viewpoint, some of the traders are asleep, probably comatose.
Just heard I will probably end up waiting 20 weeks for delivery of a Panda due to dealer inefficiency.
The Panda should be a big seller but you hardly see any here in Sunderland. Dealer too busy knocking out cheap Puntos.
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Well it certainly seems that everybody is feeling the pinch & it's good to see the replies from the end user too - same story !!
I wonder if it is just a mixture of the election, fixed interest rates ending & holiday savings that are stopping the buyers in their tracks ??
My stock tends to be non finance (£3000 - £5000) & every buyer so far has pulled a wad out to pay with, which suggests it's either bank loans or money in a "spare" fund for new toys.
Let's hope it improves soon, I'm getting bored :(
Thanks for the replie - very helpful.
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Yep, I had the same problem when I worked for them, someone came in looking at one and then asked why the hell she should buy a Panda when we were knocking out pre-reg Puntos on a 6 month old plate with delivery mileage for £4,999? I had to adit, I couldn't see any reason why she should.
At the moment they're knocking 54 reg ones out for £4,999 IIRC. The power of bulk buying eh? :-)
Blue
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Speaking as an 'end-user' who is at the time I would normally change my car, I've decided to hang onto the current one for at least another year,probably two.
Can't quite put my finger on it but I have less disposable income than ever before (10% minimum yearly increase in council tax doesn't help)
I know theres a lot of good deals on new and nearly new motors but I'm reluctant to take more finance on at the minute!
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This would explain why I'm having difficulty finding a car to buy (After a Seat Leon 1.6SE, best mix of price performance and toys)
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I keep reading in various papers that the consumer boom was driven by rising house prices, and remortgaging. Supposedly people are now mortgaged to the hilt and house prices are thought to be near a peak. Paradoxically low inflation whilst giving us low mortgage rates, also means that mortgage payments stay at roughly the same value relative to earnings for many years.
Obviously the time to negotiate a good deal on a car ...
Leif
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