NEWS

Now I’m not normally one to moan, but this month I’ve had it up to my eyes and ears thanks to a Screamer by the name of Igor… A screamer, if you’ve never encountered one (and I very much doubt you haven’t if you work in the motor trade) is a customer who buys a perfectly good [...]

A few weeks ago I attended a Ford Dealer training day. I was genuinely interested at the level of training on offer because, like any customer, I hoped there was plenty. The car I was there to see was the all- new Ford Focus. I got to drive one of the first UK cars, too [...]

WE’VE finally managed to get our latest 911 for 2011 chariot up for sale – now the waiting game begins. Our Citroen C4 Grand Picasso has been shod with new tyres, thanks to Continental, and has had three stone chips and dings expertly repaired by Chips Away – all it needs now is a new [...]

HAS the Autoquake administration just made Tesco’s rumoured move into car retailing even easier? Quite possibly. The excellent online used car sales site is now up for sale. Lock, stock and click-to-add-to-basket barrel. The website – which received a staggering 5.5m visits last year – called in the administrators yesterday after another round of fundraising [...]

ISSUE 36′s redesign was no flash in the pan! This month Car Dealer Magazine is back looking better than ever. Subscribers will get their copies from Monday, March 14. Find out how to subscribe at the bottom of this page by joining Car Dealer Club. Or you can order a single issue and you’ll be [...]

I apologise if this month’s column sounds like it’s been written by that woman with the orange bob that ‘does the shops’ on the Beeb, but I have two important words to say: Customer service. For some retailers, it is just that: Too hard. Six weeks before Christmas I tried to order some delightful presents [...]

I know I promised not to mention the scrappage scheme again, but I’m a used car dealer of 30 years plus, and if I were to keep all of my promises I’d be doing our reputation a disservice… Besides which, this month’s column isn’t really about scrappage, but what comes after it. Because for those [...]

I’VE only gone and done it. It’s a decsion that has NOT gone down well with the wife, but it really had to be done – I’ve put a deposit on the Fiesta XR2. Those of you that read my blog last week will have known this is something I’ve been contemplating for a while. [...]

EVER been tempted to buy your first car again? I have. In fact it’s becoming a bit of an obsesion. It’s something I just can’t stop thinking about however hard I try. Back when I was 17, my brother ran a small independent car garage. Every Saturday I’d pop down there in my mum’s smoky [...]

THIS month’s issue of Car Dealer Magazine has a brand new look, new features and is packed with exclusives. Subscribers will get their copies from Monday, February 14. Find out how to subscribe at the bottom of this page by joining Car Dealer Club. Or you can order a single issue and you’ll be sent [...]

SHOULD car dealers be using social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to promote their business? It’s a question many dealers – both large and small – are asking themselves up and down the country. Already many have jumped in and set up social media pages, but they’re in the minority. We wanted to find [...]

This month, I’m going to get something off my chest. Sadly, it won’t be my man boobs – there are some things that even Big Mike can’t shift – but while it won’t necessarily give you any advice that helps you run your businesses more efficiently or maximise your profits (other columnists are, after all, [...]

I’ve decided that if we ever do make it to our goal of trading up from nothing to a Porsche 911 in our charity challenge I will keep driving it to a minimum. Why? Well it seems Porsche has become my bogey brand; my Friday 13th of car makers. Once again I’ve had to make [...]

BACK in 1999 I was a user/chooser company car driver, and I was ready for a new car. My choice was quite wide, and with prestige manufacturers. In today’s terms, I was spending just over £30k  of somebody else’s money. One particular dealer let me down very badly. After waiting close to an hour to [...]

SUZUKI has launched an online viral marketing campaign for its new Swift city car – aimed at youths. Following three ‘youths’, the video shows them making ‘Swift decisions’ on important life-changing things like whether to open a sandwich shop or a radio station and ‘which cheese is the best’. The video goes on to promote [...]

LAST year we launched our hunt for the best car manufacturer to represent in the UK. Called Car Dealer Power, the survey put you, the dealers, in charge and asked you to rate the maker you represent on a host of different criteria. Selling cars is a partnership between you and the car manufacturers, but [...]

CAR DEALER Issue 35 is out now – and it’s the end of an era… This issue is the last before we totally revamp the magazine. Next month, Car Dealer gets a fresh new look. It’ll be more an evolution than revolution, but there’ll be more of a focus on you, the dealers! We’ll be featuring [...]

Remember the old saying ‘every dog has its day? Well, this month, I’d like to introduce you to my best friend – Fluffy – and a story of how he, most definitely, had his day… Fluffy is my pet Rottweiler, so called because he isn’t cute, and he certainly isn’t fluffy. I think they call [...]

RUNNING a car dealership is not an easy job. I’m not for a minute pretending to know the amount of pressure, strain and stress that falls upon your shoulders on a weekly, if not daily, basis. But I can guess it’s pretty trying at times. Especially for the independent dealers among you. Not only will [...]

They say that dogs are like their owners. As the owner of both a rather angry looking German shepherd and a stupidly daft floppy-eared mongrel, I’m not sure what that tells you about me. But it is true that certain things appeal to certain people, be it in the form of a dog, a cat, [...]