used cars - 3/3 - Motor Trade Insider

Triumph Stag V8 – Thanks for the memories

July 4, 2009 By In51der Leave a Comment

Believe it or not there are still those of us who liked cars for what they were and not necessarily what they could have been, if you get my drift. Cars today are all fairly similar in that they are run by some kind of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Manufacturers Tagged With: toyota, triumph stag v8, Used car buying, used cars

If you can’t sell your car now, you probably never will

July 3, 2009 By In51der 4 Comments

As we are constantly pointing out at MTI, used cars are not only extremely difficult for dealers to come by but prices are reaching boiling point. This of course means that customers will be expected to pay the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Car Dealers, Consumer Tagged With: cant sell car, Car Dealers, part exchange valuation, profit, stand in value, trade-in, Used car, Used car buying, used cars, what is a stand-in value

Don’t be tempted to offload your old car on the cheap

June 26, 2009 By In51der Leave a Comment

When we hear the phrase fair deal, or good price we usually associate this with something we are buying, however the unique aspect of car buying is that a customer is likely to also have a car to sell. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Car Dealers, Consumer Tagged With: Car Dealers, car sales, new car buying, part-exchange, profit, shortage of used cars, trade-in, Used car, Used car buying, used cars

68,000 complaints may just be the tip of the iceberg

June 19, 2009 By In51der Leave a Comment

The recent announcement by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) that they received a whopping 68,000 complaints about used cars in the UK last year was disappointing to say the least. In the wake of the OFT launching … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Car Dealers, Car Repairs, Consumer Tagged With: Car Dealers, car makers, car sales, customer service, new car buying, Used car, Used car buying, used cars

Car “matchmakers” still up to no good

June 2, 2009 By In51der 1 Comment

This time last year we ran a piece about the dodgy practice of vehicle matching (Car “matchmakers” are on the prowl, beware!) where some 'sales advisor' purporting to represent a company which puts … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Consumer Tagged With: car sales, car selling scam, matchmakers, Used car, Used car buying, used cars

Criteria extended as more dealers chase less stock

June 1, 2009 By In51der Leave a Comment

Dealers are reporting that demand is certainly holding up, but a lack of quality used cars at reasonable prices is having a real effect on margins. We are now seeing signs that customers are not … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Car Dealers, Consumer Tagged With: Car Dealers, car dealerships, car sales, Used car, Used car buying, used car criteria, used cars

Valuing trade-ins by the book, but which book?

April 30, 2009 By In51der Leave a Comment

The motor trade use a variety of methods to arrive at car valuations, two of them being The Glasses Guide and Cap's Black Book. Although, as any car dealer will say, they are only a guide to a cars value, they … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Car Dealers, Consumer Tagged With: book prices for used cars, car buying book price, Car Dealers, car trade ins, car values, glasses used car book prices, motor trade black book, motor trade ins, motor trade prices book, motor trade recession, parkers book for valuing cars, part-exchange, profit, Used car, used car book price, used car book prices, Used car buying, used car price guide book, used cars

Used car activity slows down, but is this just the norm?

April 29, 2009 By In51der Leave a Comment

This week the auctions we visited have seemed somewhat quieter than of recent times, and as we have said before nice car examples are still achieving top money, while cars that missed the boat in terms of colour, condition … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Car Dealers, Consumer Tagged With: Car Dealers, car sales, economy, motor trade recession, profit, Used car, Used car buying, used cars

Crazy times but the used car market will find it’s true level

April 9, 2009 By In51der Leave a Comment

We are in a fluid situation at present, most car people are just glad they are selling cars and finance and managing to keep their jobs. Lots of commentators have made predictions but the used carjuggernaught just … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Car Dealers, Consumer Tagged With: Car Dealers, motor trade recession, profit, range rover, Used car, Used car buying, used cars

Maximizing trade-in values in a bullish used car market

April 8, 2009 By In51der 1 Comment

According to our sources dealers who use the auctions to dispose of their customer part-exchanges are making record profits from this stock. Some are only half joking when they say that maybe they should … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Car Dealers, Car Repairs, Consumer Tagged With: buyyourcar, Car Dealers, car sales, car values, downward spiral, motor trade recession, part exchange valuation, profit, trade-in, Used car, Used car buying, used cars

Service departments need to shape up

March 17, 2009 By In51der Leave a Comment

The chances are that these days more people than usual will keep their existing car a lot longer than the average 3 year change cycle. So it stands to reason that both franchised and independent garages … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Car Dealers, Car Repairs, Consumer Tagged With: bad service, Car Repairs, car sales, car service, car service plan, car service plans, car servicing plans, mfc motorcar service plans, service plans for cars, used cars, vat on car service plans

Sharp practice – don’t get caught on the sharp end

March 16, 2009 By In51der Leave a Comment

In these troubled economic times people are on a quest to save money and, no doubt on the hunt for bargains. This means businesses are under even greater pressure to keep the customers coming through the doors. Special offers … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Car Repairs, Consumer Tagged With: bad service, car service, motor trade recession, used cars

When will new cars make a comeback?

February 21, 2009 By In51der Leave a Comment

When will be the right time to get back to buying new cars? When will the fact that the lack of new car buyers and therefore a drying up of saleable stock filter down to the nearly new sector, push up prices and drive people … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Car Dealers, Consumer Tagged With: Car Dealers, car makers, car sales, economy, motor trade recession, new car buying, Used car buying, used cars

Top 10 inappropriate cars for very old people

February 15, 2009 By In51der 5 Comments

Last weekend I was sitting at the traffic lights, in my Honda Civic Hybrid minding my own business when I noticed out of the corner of my eye a gigantic Hummer H2 heave into view and pull up alongside me. Nothing too much out of the ordinary there I suppose, apart from the fact that you perhaps don’t see too many of them on the UK roads, except … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, Humour Tagged With: best car for old people, best cars for old people, best cars old people, cars for old men, cars for old people, good car for old people, motor trade insider, old people cars, old peoples cars, old person cars, Used car buying, used cars, used old man cars, very old cars, what cars do old people buy?, what is an old persons car, wordpress blogs

Saying goodbye to the company car

February 8, 2009 By In51der 2 Comments

These are tough times we are going through and lots of hard working people have lost their jobs. Unfortunately so will many more before we’re done with this recession business. It’s hard enough when you lose your job with … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Consumer Tagged With: budget, depreciation, economy, Used car buying, used cars

February continues where January left off – no stock!

February 6, 2009 By In51der Leave a Comment

As MTI has been saying since December, demand for used cars has reached unprecedented levels and indeed records have been smashed right across the board. All of us in the trade have speculated as to why this … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Auctions, Blog, Car Dealers, Manufacturers Tagged With: Car Dealers, depreciation, economy, motor trade recession, Used car, Used car buying, used cars

Depreciation, depreciation, depreciation

February 1, 2009 By In51der Leave a Comment

In November 2006 MTI went shopping. We spent a not inconsiderable £350,750 on 18 brand new cars ranging from the popular Mini Cooper to the not so popular Renault Laguna. We thought it might be interesting, after the sharp … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Consumer Tagged With: bmw 3 series depreciation, bmw mini depreciation, buyers market, corsa depreciation, depreciation, depreciation golf, depreciation honda civic, depreciation index for mini, golf depreciation, honda civic depreciation, honda civic residual value, honda depreciation civic, renault laguna average depreciation, residual values, toyota, Used car buying, used car trade in depreciation value, used cars, vw golf depreciation

Dealers keeping customers keen while running lean

January 26, 2009 By In51der Leave a Comment

A complex problem facing many dealers at present is the delicate balancing act of selling lots of used cars, keeping stock levels low to combat the falling values of cars and maintaining precious cash flow. Traditionally at this time of year dealers, re-energised by consumer activity and sales promotions, will go on a re-stocking mission. But with … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Car Dealers, Consumer Tagged With: Car Dealers, car manufacturers, customers, graph, Used car, Used car buying, used cars

Rise of the auctions – should dealers be concerned?

January 20, 2009 By In51der Leave a Comment

As auctions around the country report a strong start to 2009, we ask the question; are more people now buying from auctions rather than dealers? If so where does this leave the future of many independent and franchised … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Auctions, Blog, Car Dealers, Consumer Tagged With: car auctions, Car Dealers, economy, profit, Used car, Used car buying, used cars

Good news? Not from where I’m sitting!

January 16, 2009 By Mark Antony Leave a Comment

Something very strange is going on in the trade at the moment on the one hand we are hearing of nearly new car sales going through the roof and on the other, well there's tumbleweed blowing through … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Car Dealers Tagged With: Car Dealers, car sales, economy, motor trade recession, profit, Used car, Used car buying, used cars

Government u-turn on car tax

November 11, 2008 By cvh 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...]

Filed Under: Consumer, News, Tax & Insurance Tagged With: car tax, cars, government, graph, used cars

Dealers out of pocket from January

November 8, 2008 By In51der Leave a Comment

An important piece of new legislation regarding tax refunds is coming into effect in January 09. Only the registered keeper (the name on the log book) or last recorded keeper of a vehicle will be entitled to claim a Road Fund Licence (RFL) refund. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Car Dealers, Tax & Insurance Tagged With: can motor dealers reclaim unused road tax, Car Dealers, car tax, claim back road tax, claim back road tax motor trader, claim road tax back, dvla, legislation, legislation motor trade, motor trade legislation, part exchange car road tax refund, rfl refunds, road fund licence, tax, used cars

Used car buyers favouring private sales

October 14, 2008 By In51der Leave a Comment

Consumers are increasingly choosing to buy used cars privately rather than from a dealer. According to Exchange and Mart, car buyers are 11% more likely to bypass a dealer when buying a used car than three years ago. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Car Dealers, Consumer, News Tagged With: buyers market, buying, car buying, private car sales, Used car, Used car buying, used cars

Is that car a write-off?

October 6, 2008 By In51der 3 Comments

As used car values tumble and the credit crunch bites, buyers need to be aware of the term 'Insurance write-off' as recent reports suggest a significant rise in vehicle write-offs in the last 5-10 years which will only continue to grow in current conditions. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Car Repairs, Consumer, Tax & Insurance Tagged With: car insurance, car values, car write off values, is buying a used car a write off, Used car, used cars, vehicle write off, write-off