eBay has announced they have purchased Trade2Trade the trade marketplace for UK motor dealers. This deal would seem to show that e-bay have seen the potential in the motor trade to help sell cars in their auction format, indeed many players in the motor trade are now taking advantage of what can be significantly lower costs in advertising stock … [Read more...]
Realistic dealers have to cut their losses
November 28, 2008 By 3 Comments
In recent weeks people have still been out buying cars despite the dramatic headlines about the economy, especially used cars as the deals and savings have been second to none. However it seems that this has not been enough for some customers … [Read more...]
Regional variations in car prices – a traders tale
November 27, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Many many years ago when Mrs Thatcher ruled the world and consumers got excited if their new car came with cloth trim, I would regularly get the overnight train (dubbed the "Red eye" because it was almost impossible to sleep … [Read more...]
The car dealers sale price dilemma
November 26, 2008 By Leave a Comment
An increasing problem being experienced at present -on top of everything else – which is hurting the trade is the dilemma faced by many independent and franchised dealers when it comes to pricing their stock. … [Read more...]
No Roomster at the inn
November 25, 2008 By 1 Comment
Word reaches us of an unfortunate “potential” customer and their customer service “experience” at an unnamed Toyota dealership. It seems that they endured some pretty shabby treatment when they dared to ask for a valuation on their current car. … [Read more...]
New car sales – the uneasy truth
November 24, 2008 By 1 Comment
The new car business in this country is now in such sharp decline that some forecasts suggest that there will be less than 1.7 million cars sold in the UK next year, with somewhere around 20% of this potentially being pre-registered. If the car manufacturers who serve the UK network … [Read more...]
Car tax hikes delayed but petrol duty up
November 24, 2008 By 1 Comment
Car tax hikes delayed in the Pre-Budget Report, but motorists will not benefit from the VAT cut as petrol duty is raised by 2p. Chancellor Alistair Darling said that a wider range of car tax bands reflecting fuel efficiency would still be introduced, but all rates would go up by a maximum of just £5 next year. … [Read more...]
MTI – The ugly car top 10
November 24, 2008 By 6 Comments
As a small diversion from all the serious news about the economy and general doom and gloom we here at MTI have put together a list of the top 10 ugliest cars ever to grace(?) our roads. Hey it's our list so if your car's not on it then let us know (or if your car is on it and you feel outraged!). (Ugly or "ugliness" is a property of a person or … [Read more...]
Part-exchange appraisal – he’s behind you!
November 23, 2008 By Leave a Comment
A customer walked into the showroom of a well known franchise which is managed by a friend of mine. He was a very well to do chap who obviously drove his car functionaly rather than for the love, either that or he had so much money he didn’t really care about looking after it that well … [Read more...]
Some car dealers need to wake up and smell the coffee
November 21, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Because of the nature of our site and the fact that keeping the identities of those involved secret is of paramount importance, I am prohibited from revealing the actual business involved in this piece. Suffice to say that over the course of many years this has been a bullet proof car business … [Read more...]
Point of sale car dealer finance on the rise
November 21, 2008 By Leave a Comment
More good news (of sorts). We hear that the Finance and Leasing Association confirms that that point of sale dealer finance has been rising for several months. As pointed out in an article on Talking Motors it appears customers still in the market for cars are no longer being bombarded with cheap credit offers and are still finding it difficult to … [Read more...]
A small glimmer of good news this week
November 20, 2008 By 2 Comments
I have discovered a way to keep customers happy and dealers selling cars. Make them cheaper! It sounds very simple but the best ideas usually are. From my research so far this month, dealers are still recording high demand for two distinct types of model; either in the small to mid size price range or late 6-18 month old cars. … [Read more...]
Ford, GM and Chrysler ask US Congress for a $25bn bail-out
November 20, 2008 By Leave a Comment
With General Motors being the biggest (at the moment) car manufacturer in the world it’s embarrassing for them all. However if they are not assisted they will potentially run out of money by mid 2009, meaning an absolute catastrophe for the global motor business and tens of thousands of job losses worldwide. If the banks who started this hideous … [Read more...]
Choosing between reliability and style – a cautionary tale
November 19, 2008 By Leave a Comment
A very good friend of mine has been up to stay from the West Country this weekend, he knows absolutely nothing about cars, in turn, I know absolutely nothing about Football, and that’s just fine, we have an unwritten rule that neither will impose each other’s passion on the other. … [Read more...]
Angry plus stubborn equals no sale
November 17, 2008 By 1 Comment
It’s not always customers who have a less than perfect sales experience, sometimes the salesman can be left traumatised by an encounter with a customer. A salesman working in a large new and used car showroom in London recently had what can only be described as a nightmare customer. … [Read more...]
Buying and selling cars – the web’s the place
November 15, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Whilst all dealers whether independent or franchised will undoubtedly be finding the selling of cars tough at present, the challenge for these car showrooms is how to entice the smaller selection of customers who are interested in their cars through the doors. … [Read more...]
Phenomenal value will bring the buyers back
November 12, 2008 By 3 Comments
We all know those immortal words at the beginning of the "Star Wars" film, "Once upon a time in a galaxy far far away"................ well that just about sums up the feeling in showrooms up and down the country at present. … [Read more...]
Government u-turn on car tax
November 11, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Hot on the tails of our article about the car business in this country needing a bit of help from the government comes the news today that the Government’s plan to increase vehicle duty appears to have been delayed for a year. "Changes in the budget meant from next year all cars which had been on the road since 2001 would face above inflation … [Read more...]
UK motor trade not asking for much
November 11, 2008 By Leave a Comment
A debate has begun in the USA regarding the impending bail-out of their beleagured motor industry. The American Institute of Economic Research is of the opinion that this may not be such a good idea. … [Read more...]
Car dealers who go the extra mile
November 10, 2008 By 2 Comments
When the dust settles and customers flood back to buy the latest incarnations of the next generation of cars, who will be left to sell them and will people have the confidence to visit them? If the industry as a whole is not careful customers of the not too distant … [Read more...]
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