AutoTrader is a website where people browse cars and where car dealers advertise their stock. The hosts are talking about how it helps dealers get more leads and better information about which shoppers are more likely to buy.
This means the platform uses computer tools to look at inquiry behavior and guess how serious a buyer is. Dealers can then focus their time on the leads most likely to turn into a sale.
An online inquiry is when someone reaches out to a dealer after seeing a car listing online. More (and better) inquiries usually means more chances to sell.
Buying intent is basically “how ready is this person to buy a car.” If a dealer can tell which inquiries are more serious, they can spend more time on those customers.
They’re talking about whether betting on electric cars has worked out. That means: are people actually buying EVs, and is it making money for the dealer?
“Going all electric” usually means switching household energy use away from fossil fuels—often pairing an EV with home electrification. In this context, the couple’s home solar and heat pump make EV charging feel more self-sufficient and cost-predictable.
A timing belt is a belt inside some gas engines that keeps the engine parts moving in sync. Electric cars don’t have that kind of engine, so there’s no timing belt to worry about.
Spark plugs are used in gas engines to create the spark that starts combustion. Since an electric car doesn’t burn fuel the same way, it doesn’t use spark plugs.
On many electric cars, you can drive and slow down mostly with the accelerator pedal. When you lift off, the car slows itself and “charges” the battery a bit, which can feel sudden at first.
Concept
53 mile journey home
They sent the customer home on a 53-mile trip to see if the electric car would work for their normal driving. It’s basically a real-life test of whether the car’s range feels practical.
Your digital footprint is basically how you show up on the internet. For car dealers, people often look online first, so having the right presence can bring in more customers.
They’re talking about using YouTube as a way to market the dealership. Posting videos can help people learn about cars and the business before they ever visit.
They’re talking about how inconvenient it is when the cars you’re selling and the place you fix them aren’t in the same spot. If the workshop is far away, you have to drive cars between locations more often, which makes everything slower and harder to manage.
“Standing start” suggests the workshop began operations from zero (or near zero) at that time. In dealership terms, ramp-up period matters because early months often have lower throughput until processes, staffing, and customer flow stabilize.
“Cars in stock” is a dealer’s inventory level—the number of vehicles available to sell at any given time. Inventory size affects how quickly a dealer can respond to customer demand and how much capital is tied up in unsold cars.
This is describing monthly sales volume, which is a key metric for dealership performance. Higher turnover generally means the dealer is converting inventory into revenue faster, but it also increases pressure to keep stock levels replenished.
They’re talking about how hard it can be to find enough cars to sell. If cars are hard to source, the dealer has to work harder (and sometimes pay more) to keep their inventory full.
Trade-in value is how much your current car is worth when you swap it in. If you buy something and then regret it, you might not get back as much money as you expected.
When people talk about “EV launches,” they mean new electric cars coming out. For car dealers, that can change what customers want and what used electric cars are worth.
The Tesla Model S is an all-electric sedan made by Tesla. It’s a bigger, more upscale version of Tesla’s electric cars. It’s mentioned as part of the speaker’s overall experience with different Tesla models.
The Tesla Model Y is an all-electric SUV/crossover from Tesla. It’s popular because it offers a bit more room than the Model 3.
Company
Tesla factory prep center in Birmingham, Longbridge
A prep center is a place where cars are readied before they get delivered. It usually involves checks and getting the car ready so it’s not just shipped straight out.
Tesla cars are managed through a phone app. When a car changes hands, the new owner needs the app to work with the car, and that can be a hassle if access isn’t set up correctly.
Dealers “stock” inventory, and moving into older vehicles changes the risk profile because wear items, past repairs, and unknown maintenance history become more likely. That’s why older stock often requires tighter inspection and documentation to manage customer disputes and returns.
This is a UK law that protects buyers if something isn’t right with what they bought. For car dealers, it means they can’t just sell a car “as-is” without responsibility if problems show up.
The “sweet spot” of used-car age (here, roughly 5–10 years) is often where demand, pricing, and perceived reliability balance out. Dealers still face challenges because that age band can include a wide range of maintenance histories and common wear items.
A “race to the bottom” means companies keep cutting prices to attract buyers. That can make it tougher for sellers to make money, because everyone is competing on price.
Euro 5 is a set of rules for how much pollution a car is allowed to produce. If an area is still “in Euro 5,” it means older diesel cars are still common, which can make electric cars look more appealing to some buyers.
Early adopters are the first people to buy something new. With EVs, they tend to be more eager to try the technology, so dealers may sell those cars faster.
“Tesla service” means the places Tesla uses to fix and maintain their cars. If service is nearby, it’s easier for owners to get help when something needs attention.
A “Tesla swap” means someone trades or switches from one Tesla model to another. It’s a way to move to a car that fits their needs better without starting from scratch.
“Paint quality” is how good the car’s paint job looks and how well it holds up. If the paint is thin or inconsistent, you may notice marks or defects sooner.
They’re mentioned as an electric-car specialist group. The point is that their experts don’t want to work with some EVs because of problems they’ve seen.
They mention Elon Musk to talk about how people’s opinions can be influenced by the person behind the company. But the hosts are also saying you still have to judge the car based on how it performs for real buyers.
Term
LRW
LRW is referenced as a code to look for on the chassis number, tied to which factory the car was built in. The hosts use it as a practical identifier so a dealer can tell the car’s origin/configuration without guessing.
The discussion shifts to using YouTube as a dealer marketing channel, with staff filming day-to-day work. This is a content strategy aimed at building brand trust and differentiation rather than relying solely on paid listing platforms.
They’re talking about video series online where the dealer posts what they’re doing with cars. The idea is that people watch the videos and then come to the dealership ready to buy.
They’re describing how the dealership posts car videos on different social apps. The point is that posting in more places can bring in more potential buyers.
“Deal builder” sounds like a tool on the listing site that helps dealers package up a car offer in a certain format. The dealer here is saying they didn’t like how it changed things at first, but it’s better now.
Return on investment (ROI) means “did the money I spent actually pay off?” In this case, they’re looking at whether the advertising leads to enough real customer interest to be worth it.
Used car advertising platforms are channels or marketplaces that help dealers list and promote pre-owned vehicles. The key idea is that different platforms can produce different levels of buyer intent, lead quality, and ultimately sales conversion.
Company
IMDA
IMDA is an organization the speaker works with. They’re saying it helps the industry, and it takes up a lot of their time.
This is about making sure independent dealers have a say in decisions that affect them. If the association doesn’t hear enough from its members, it can’t accurately speak for them.
This is an association for independent car dealers. They’re saying it’s important because it gives independent dealers a group voice and helps them share issues with the wider industry.
A finance broker helps set up the money side of buying a car—basically finding the finance agreement. The hosts are talking about how brokers can charge fees and use strict contract terms that dealers (and sometimes customers) have to accept.
An invoice is the document that says, “Here’s what you owe and how much.” The hosts are describing how brokers may require an invoice as part of getting paid for arranging the finance/customer.
A personal guarantee means you personally promise to pay if the deal goes wrong. So even if your business is the one borrowing, your own money/assets could be on the line.
That’s a rule in the agreement saying the car has to stay in acceptable condition for a certain time or mileage. If it doesn’t, the broker/dealer may have to handle returns or costs.
Lenders are the companies that provide the money for the car purchase. Their rules can affect what paperwork and checks are needed before the deal can be approved.
Third-party vehicle inspection companies verify the condition of a car before sale or financing, helping reduce disputes and risk for buyers, dealers, and lenders. The hosts imply that inspections must be thorough and accurate because errors can ripple through the rest of the transaction chain.
They’re talking about the whole process, not just the dealer. If one step in the chain is wrong—like paperwork, checks, or inspection requirements—it can cause problems for the buyer.
When older vehicles can’t be sold profitably through normal retail channels, dealers may dispose of them as scrap, sell them for parts, or repair them for resale. This is a common end-of-life pathway in the used-car market, especially when legal and commercial risk makes retail sales difficult.
Margin is basically the dealer’s profit on each car. If profit is already small, even small extra problems or costs can wipe it out.
Concept
seat at the table
It means getting a chance to be involved in the decision-making. Instead of rules being made without dealer input, they want dealers to help shape what happens.
Concept
drive change for the consumer
They’re talking about making things better for the person buying the car. The idea is that the current system isn’t helping consumers the way it should.
Concept
not fit for it
They mean the current system doesn’t work well in practice. Something about the rules or setup doesn’t match what dealers and buyers are dealing with.
When a car is older, it’s harder for dealers to promise it will stay problem-free. That means the dealer may not be able to offer the same warranty or guarantees as they would on a newer car. Because of that, the dealer’s risk is higher.
Finance penetration means how many buyers are using the dealer’s financing instead of paying outright. If more people finance, the dealer can make more money from the deal. Dealers track it like a performance score.
Add-ons are extra extras you can buy when you purchase a car. They might include extra coverage or protection beyond the standard deal. Dealers like them because they can make the overall sale more profitable.
A warranty is a promise that if the car breaks in certain ways within a set time, the cost of repairs may be covered. Dealers consider warranties carefully because they can be expensive for them if lots of problems happen. That’s why it affects how they price and sell cars.
Reconditioning is what a dealer does to get a used car ready to sell—fixing small issues, cleaning it up, and making it look and drive better. It costs money, so dealers try to manage it carefully. Doing it well helps the car sell and can prevent problems later.
Alloy wheels are the nicer-looking wheels made from metal like aluminum instead of cheaper steel. Dealers sometimes fix or upgrade them only if it helps the car sell for more than it costs.
Fixing a dent is part of vehicle reconditioning—repairing bodywork so the car looks better and sells more easily. Dealers weigh the cost of repairs against the expected increase in sale price and profit margins.
“Margins are squeezed” means the dealer isn’t making as much profit on each car as they used to. So every repair has to be justified because spending money on the wrong things can wipe out the profit.
The bonnet is the front hood panel on a car (UK terminology). Bodywork on the bonnet is often expensive to repair or replace, so it becomes a key area dealers consider when margins are tight.
“Older stock” refers to cars that have been sitting in inventory for longer than ideal. Dealers often target these cars with reconditioning, pricing adjustments, or marketing to turn them into cash before carrying costs and depreciation eat the profit.
“Electric opportunity” here means the chance to profit from selling or stocking EVs (electric vehicles). The dealer is weighing how to position inventory and reconditioning decisions around EV demand, even when EV availability is limited.
If a dealer doesn’t have any electric cars to show, people can’t buy them—so it looks like there’s no demand. But the “demand” might actually be hidden because the cars aren’t there.
When fuel gets more expensive, people may drive less or think harder before buying a car. Sometimes that slows sales, but other times demand stays steady depending on what people are shopping for.
A drop-off in demand means fewer people want to buy right now. That can make it harder to sell cars quickly and may push dealers to adjust pricing or promotions.
They’re saying the best way to sell cars is to do the simple stuff perfectly. If your listings, prices, and car availability are accurate, sales are more predictable.
They’re talking about making sure the advert matches the actual car. If the description is wrong, buyers get upset and sales can fall apart.
Term
your foes are right
This sounds like they mean the car’s listing presentation (like photos) needs to be right. Good photos and accurate presentation help people trust the listing and want to view the car.
“Pricing’s right” refers to setting a competitive, margin-aware price for each vehicle based on market demand and condition. In dealer terms, pricing affects conversion rate—too high and leads dry up, too low and you lose profit or signal problems.
“Checking your stock” points to inventory control—knowing what’s on the lot, what’s been sold, and what needs re-listing or re-pricing. Dealers also use stock checks to prevent listing errors and to keep the sales pipeline moving.
Concept
go back to the basics
They’re saying that when a car isn’t selling, you should start with the simple stuff first. Check what’s wrong with the listing and presentation before making bigger changes.
Re-photographing is part of the listing-refresh strategy. Better photos can improve buyer trust, reduce questions, and increase click-through from online listings.
They mention Land Rover as a brand they avoid buying. That suggests they’ve had bad experiences or the cars don’t sell well for them.
Concept
band list
A “band list” is basically a dealer’s internal shortlist for how risky or costly different cars are to deal with. They’re using it to separate cars that tend to be trouble-free from cars that tend to break sooner.
They’re talking about BMW X1s and saying the automatic gearbox seems to have problems after relatively low mileage. For a buyer, that’s a reason to check service history and consider warranty coverage.
An automatic gearbox is the car’s gear system that changes gears by itself. They’re saying it seems to fail after low mileage, so it’s something you’d want to verify with maintenance records and possibly warranty.
They bring up a Range Rover to illustrate timing and money flow. Dealers buy cars before they arrive, so it can be hard to manage cash if delivery dates slip.
They’re explaining that the car couldn’t be loaded into the shipping container. That means the shipping plan has to change, which can affect cost and delivery timing.
Concept
cars in very good condition
They’re saying the cars they’re getting are in really good shape. That usually means fewer problems to fix and less risk for the buyer, so dealers are more confident selling them.
They’re referencing an event where people in the used-car business get recognized. It’s basically where they met the contact they’re recommending.
LIVE
The Cardiola podcast is sponsored by AutoTrader.
John, have I mentioned that we sell more cars from adverts on AutoTrader than anywhere else?
Yes, I think I read that somewhere.
Well, with over 84 million consumer visits per month, they connect retailers like us
with more potential buyers than any other platform.
But it's not just about the numbers, is it?
Is that what you say to your accountant?
Because the support and the value we get from AutoTrader is, well, invaluable.
We now get AI-powered insight on every online inquiry about the level of buying intent from
each customer, incredible amounts of data about the cars that we'll sell in our local area,
and around-the-clock service support from our account manager.
It sounds like AutoTrader is basically doing all the work for you, James.
No, John, I still do some things, like take out the bins.
Anyway, to find out more about how AutoTrader can help you, visit autotrader.co.uk
slash partners slash retailer.
Welcome back to the Cardiola podcast, where we pick our favorite stories of the week
and ask an industry guest to choose which were the best.
I'm John Ray, and would you believe it?
Joining me today is James Packett.
James, how are you?
You look a bit more cheerful than last week.
Well, firstly, terrible intro, John.
Well, I forgot to write something funny.
I can tell.
Secondly, yes, I am more cheerful.
Thank you.
I've had a very good week.
Very good week.
Like, a very, very positive one.
We've sold a car pretty much every day.
Some day.
It's two cars, which I can imagine.
I mean, we are rivaling on a car this time.
I mean, yeah, you know, stand down, big motor in world.
I'm coming for you.
No, it's been very good.
It's been very good.
It's been very positive and just made me feel a lot better,
because I was a little bit negative last week, wasn't I?
But I just think it's amazing this industry, how it just swings from one thing to the next
from the massive highs to big lows.
It's hard.
It gives you a heart attack.
Gives you a heart attack.
But yes, very positive.
You've been around this week as well, haven't you?
You've seen some of those cars come and go.
I have, yeah.
What I want to know, and obviously what the listeners want to know,
is how is your gamble on electric cars paying off in this day and age?
Actually, very good.
So one of those cars we sold yesterday was a Nissan Leaf,
the newest shaped one, 68 plate.
It was to an older couple.
They must have been, I think, in their late 70s.
They drove down from Northwood Brighton, first electric car.
They've just had solar panels installed at home.
They've got, they've just downsized.
So I think they moved into a house.
It's got solar panels and a heat pump.
They were going all electric, decided to find an electric car.
And they found us because they did a search for 50 miles.
It's amazing how many people who still search within a 50 mile radius.
And then he said he extended it and found us at 53 miles.
So, yes, saw this car.
I spoke to him yesterday morning and he came down
and Joe sold it to him yesterday afternoon.
They drove it home.
So yeah, very positive.
I'm actually on the hump for some more electric cars.
They're very, very popular at the moment.
Yeah, I did.
I walked past when Joe was doing the sort of post test drive,
I don't know, walk around of that car.
And it was very like, so open the bonnet.
Yeah, I mean, this is your motor.
This is what it is.
And no, no, there's no timing belt.
No, no, no, there's no spark plugs in this one.
No, it's all just in there.
It was trying to explain to this lady
how the sort of one pedal thing works on a leaf
because it is very unique to drive.
They've done quite a lot of reading up to be fair,
which led them to the leaf.
And she'd read that it was a bit abrupt.
So they didn't even want to do the test drive.
Joe had to drive them around.
And then, yeah, then we sent them off on their way
for a 53 mile journey home in their new Nissan Leaf.
Well, having not driven it.
Yeah, yeah, I know.
It's amazing how many people do that.
How many people turn up and just want you
to drive them around the car park?
I always find it baffling still.
Anyway, yeah, anyway, enough about me.
Shall we introduce our lovely guest?
Yes, let's do that.
So our guest this week joins us from North of the Border.
It's used car, from used car dealer club and cars,
is Craig Walker.
Craig, thanks for joining us.
How you doing, James, John?
How you doing?
You OK?
Nice to see you.
North of the Border, that's quite an introduction, isn't it?
Sounds like North Korea.
Could well be, actually.
Not really.
Good thing today is, like I've said to John in the pre-introduction,
is the sun is shining, which is super rare.
Wow, what's happened five times a year?
Yeah, very much.
For me, I get the sunstroke of a fridge, like, anyway.
So I'm not venturing out, so he does, for sure.
OK.
I've had a little laugh, James, about your customer there
that is a way down the road in their new Nissan Leaf.
Have they made it back?
Are they OK?
Have they driven it?
No, I'm sorry.
Well, we haven't heard from them.
We haven't had a warranty claim yet, which...
Won't be long.
Won't be long.
Oh, dear.
I think you've been on the podcast before, Craig.
I remember chatting to you quite a way back.
Tell us now about how the business has developed.
I mean, you've had quite the growth, haven't you,
over the last few years?
A bit of a story, James.
Yeah, so when I was last on, it would have been,
through my other business, Topcaramores.
So I started this business, well,
so I started my journey in the middle of COVID,
or at the start of COVID, when we took on Topcaramores.
We only had six cars.
And grew that business to around about 30,
where I then got the opportunity to buy the business
that I'm in just now.
It was giving me a little bit of a conundrum.
You're running two businesses,
because Topcaramores was thriving.
It was great.
And after running Topcaramores for a year,
you soon realize that it's so difficult to do two businesses,
and one, so I had to close that business.
Not for any reason, but I was cannibalizing my own sales,
really, to be fair.
So we closed that, moved all the staff and stock up to here,
where we own the land and whatnot.
And I've owned this since 2022,
where we've just did the same thing again.
So it was such a difficult time,
where I had to sacrifice my own child, basically.
Because talking about this has been really well.
And then start completely again,
from scratch and build up the business.
But to be fair, Clodden's been going since 2001.
It's had a really good reputation.
But we just had to do a bit of digital footprint and things like that.
Because that's where the market's going.
Hence why we started our own YouTube channel.
Same as yourself, dealership Diaries.
And it's all going really swimmingly, to be fair.
So yeah, long may it continue.
I'll come onto the YouTube thing,
because I'm fascinated to see how you found that.
But tell us a little bit about the stock then.
I mean, and the business makeup.
I mean, it's not just the dealership,
is it? You do some other things as well.
Yeah, so we've got our own workshop as well.
But that, when my workshop's a bit of a nightmare,
not meaning that in the bad way,
it's the fact that it's away from this business.
It's about three miles away.
But it's right across the road from my old dealership.
Because in my eyes, I thought that was me against the world for forever.
But because we closed that place and moved up to here,
I've kept on my workshop.
It's, like I say, three miles apart.
So the communication is so difficult.
We're moving cars back and forth.
Well, in any scenario, you'd want everything all in one go,
in one place.
But it's not to be.
But it's a busy little workshop too.
It turns over just over a million pounds.
And that was from a standing start in August 22.
So it's thriving as well.
So we have around about 40 cars in stock.
We sell between 50 and 60 a month.
So I'm consistently buying.
It's a real challenge in that world
where you're struggling to get stock as it is.
And you'll appreciate this.
It's so difficult to get there.
So sometimes you're buying stuff just to replace the space
and you're like, I wish I never bought that.
And you've still got it 90 days later or whatever.
It's a challenge.
It's painful, isn't it?
Give us an idea of the sort of stuff that you sell them.
Anything from 50, 5 grand to 50 grand.
I'll look at anything really to be fair.
Could you have to now?
You're looking for the opportunities though
with this new electric kind of thing that's coming into us.
We have to.
We have no choice.
We've got to look at these kind of scenarios.
I'm actually doing okay with electric, mainly Tesla Model 3s.
I started dipping my toe into Model Ys.
They're doing really well.
I don't think I'm ready for a full four-court yet.
But again, we were just at the Tesla factory,
not factories, the prep center in Birmingham,
Longbridge, where we met the people there
and we're now on their platform,
which gives you access to the app.
Because as you know, when you take a Tesla in,
it's so difficult to switch over the customer onto the app.
Organize, repair.
Well, they're putting us onto their system now,
so we're able to kind of do that.
So yeah, electric is doing really well.
We're starting to stock some older vehicles,
which comes with its own risk, as you know.
So Consumer Rights Act kind of bites us
in a few bits and pieces if we don't get it right.
But that product between five and 10 years old,
the sweet spot, is difficult to get.
And everybody's squawing over the same stuff.
Yeah, no, absolutely.
I think we spoke about the Tesla that I bought in last week.
So I've been driving around in that for a couple of weeks now.
Tesla Model 3, Long Range.
I have fallen in love with it.
I've actually done a video for the YouTube channel
that's probably going to come out over the weekend at some stage.
And I've watched it back a couple of times
and I'm like, I've been a bit positive with this.
I'm like, it's not the most balanced piece, was it, John?
He was like...
No, I had to go through and remove bits
where you were just gushing about it.
It's hard, and I say this, coming from a position
where I'm not a big electric car fan.
Actually, I don't really like them, if I'm brutally honest.
I don't find them exciting enough.
And it's a car where I'm not really a massive fan
of the Tesla brand.
They're everywhere.
I've always bought one before, found it incredibly hard to sell
because there's so many of them
and you're competing in a difficult market.
And I'm not a big fan of Elon Musk.
So all of these things kind of meant, well,
why do I like it so much?
But they're actually very, very good
and coming in at a cheap price.
So how do you find selling them then?
Because is it a bit of...
I mean, my guess is, is it a bit of a race to the bottom?
Not with me, because...
Well, I suppose your location is probably a bit of an advantage.
Yeah, so it is very much still a diesel world up here.
We're still in Euro 5.
So for the early adopters, when I have a Tesla,
it usually just flies out the door.
So we've had to just get up to the product knowledge.
I took my service director down to Tesla
to get him involved.
And so we do have a Tesla service in two.
We've had two, not for any reason, but it's an opportunity.
I'm the same as you.
I'm not an EB fan, but they are what they are.
And I'm actually going to put my mum into a Tesla three
because I did my first Tesla for a Tesla swap,
Model Y, from customer to Model 3 into a Model Y.
I'm going to take that Model 3 and give it to my mum.
My mum hates it, my dad loves it.
So this weekend is going to be fun.
We're going to plunk it on their drive and go right, get used to it.
Because it's going to be perfect for them and what they do.
Because it's such a good product.
I can't really fault it, the paint quality is rubbish, but technically,
you know, I've not had any issues with the Teslas that I've had.
Yes. I've heard a lot of that.
And I saw that on LinkedIn that you were down at that Tesla location.
I think AutoTrader took you along to it, didn't they?
Tell me about what you learned there then.
I mean, what was, because I'm fascinated to see what they had to say.
Because I spoke to some dealers off the back of this video.
David Gott from the lovely car company thinks they're amazing.
You know, he's selling them hand over fist.
And then I spoke to Estelle Miller from EV Experts.
She won't touch them.
And she's an electric car specialist.
They will not buy them or touch them.
Because they say they're an absolute nightmare.
So what did you learn?
I mean, how can we change people's minds?
Yeah, I think it is changing the hearts of minds of those people that have an affiliation with it.
I don't know, a non-affiliation with the product and obviously Elon Musk.
There's two sides to that, isn't there?
Yeah.
But the product on its own works.
If it works for the customer, I knew as a dealer, I have to figure out
if that customer fits that product.
And with Tesla, when we went down there, there was a difference between
the Model 3 and where it was built, either in Shanghai,
or if it was built in Berlin for the newer shaped ones.
And what comes with the heat pump?
What chassis number to look out for?
Just the nuances that by looking at Tesla, you wouldn't know.
So for instance, the chrome around the windows.
Generally, that's the one that was built in Shanghai.
It comes our 5Y chassis number.
You're looking for the one with LRW.
That's the better one with the new technology that's built inside it.
So little things like that.
If you're looking at auction, they all look the same, but they're not really.
Simple little things that comes with the heated steering wheel,
or the heated seats, or the white wireless charging port.
That's all these little things make a difference for the customers.
You can be looking for it and looking for that specific model.
And it will have a difference in price.
The only thing that the book doesn't say it for you,
designability-wise, the customers will look at that rather than that one.
It doesn't mean saying that that one's a bad car.
Just that's the one you really want to be looking at.
What did you say the chassis number I needed?
LRW.
Yeah, LRW.
Yeah, that's fine.
Excellent.
Winner.
Winner.
So tell us then about the YouTube channel, Craig,
because it takes well for us, obviously, we've got the advantage
of having a media outlet and a reason to do it.
For other dealers, investing their time and effort in putting themselves out there on YouTube,
it takes up a lot of time, doesn't it?
Tell me about the ideas behind why you did it.
It was simply on the back of auto trader price rise.
I completely spat the dummy, the eight and a half percent.
I was like, right, that's it.
We need another way to slowly build our brand up without the need for the expensive
need for auto trader.
How else can I do that without Google ads and things like that?
Well, how can we be different?
And how can we just get ahead of the market with what nobody else is doing?
And I didn't just want it to be me speaking on camera.
I had to get the team involved in it to become like an episode of EastEnders,
a Coronation Street or something like that.
And how can we be different?
And I can still remember the conversation when I sat them all in this office and said,
right, guys, we're doing something different.
We're all going to be on YouTube.
We're all going to be having a camera each and we'll have to have your camera in front and
tell the world what you're doing on a day to day basis.
You can see the looks on our faces.
They're almost like, what are you talking about, Craig?
There's no way I'm going on camera.
I've never been on camera before.
Why am I going to do this?
And it took a bit of convincing, but it's worked.
And I'm not sure how it's managed to work because I suppose it's because we're all
different personalities, but they've all run with it.
I mean, kudos to the guys.
They've all picked it up and they've all got their own little personal brand now
that the people are coming back and looking for.
Like, we're not YouTube stars by any sense of the imagination.
We've only got about 1,800 subscribers.
But subscribers doesn't mean the people that are watching it and taking it in.
We're seeing our average view count around about the 20 minutes.
That's huge considering our videos are about 25 minutes.
So the people that are watching it are watching right to the very end.
And that's a bit that I'm quite keen on because I'm quite keen to see what we're up to,
which is just the truth.
You know, we're just picking up a camera at each.
My editing guy comes in at the end of the week, grabs our memory cards
and stitches it all together for us.
We watch it sit down as a group on a Saturday.
Make sure we're happy with it.
It goes out at six o'clock every single Sunday.
It's a big effort, though, isn't it?
And you really do have to have to commit to it.
Has it resulted?
I mean, how has it benefited the business in any way?
Have you resulted in car sales at all?
Yeah, everything.
You know, it's car sales, reputation, buying cars as well.
That's quite a good one.
And I didn't think it would going to work for that, but it certainly has.
Because I always, every week, I've got a police in by your car.
Because, as you know, it's difficult to get stock.
But when I do that, people are coming direct to the door from it
and showing us their vehicle.
Now, you've got to kiss a few frogs to get the right car.
But it's working.
There's no doubt about that.
And it's just the reputation of it where people come in and say,
I've seen you on diaries where a customer yesterday
that came in specifically looking for MJ,
who MJ didn't know who the person was.
They've never met each other, but they've seen YouTube diaries
and they want to deal with him direct.
I thought that was quite a different way
that our customers come in to your dealership to buy a car.
And it's all from YouTube.
And what about social media?
Do you push the stuff out on social media too?
We've started now to distill it into shorts
and move that onto TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, things like that.
And that has an effect too.
I mean, the video I put yesterday of me walking through a customer
on an M2 cost basis when I bought it, when I sold it.
That's right now, it's only been on a day and it's 10,000 views on Facebook.
So, you know, that's perfect.
Now, whether they'll buy a car for me or what,
that's not really the point.
It's reputation and over a period of time I'll eventually.
And I want to dominate my local area.
That's the main thing.
It's not to go national or anything like that.
It is specifically to work in my local area
so people come direct to me.
And you mentioned there that you started it as a result
of not being happy with Auto Trader.
You still use an Auto Trader for advertising?
Yes, yes, I am.
Yeah, I'm on their customer advisory group as well.
It was quite critical of them at the start
when this whole deal builder thing came out
and how they changed certain things,
which is good that they've now relinquished a little bit
and they've begun to listen.
I'm happy with that.
Would I say that I'm getting the return on investment?
Well, it's a strange one where I've monitored the leads of the past.
You mean April alone, for instance,
I've had about eight or nine leads?
That's all I've had, but the return I've had for them
was six cars off the back of it.
So that's where you're seeing the difference.
I'm not getting as many is this still available sort of scenarios.
It is coming in with high intent.
And that's what they were looking for.
So we just need to monitor the fact of their return on investment.
And that was one of the things I said in the advisory group
that you guys need to get better at letting dealers know
how what their return on investment is,
how you can make that stand out.
And it was not working.
What do we do to change that?
Yeah, we'll save some of that for the stories
because I've written quite a bit about
used car advertising platforms this week on the website.
Tell me a little bit then about the other work that you do.
I know you're involved in the IMDA.
I mean, how enough do you get the time for all this?
Oh, yeah, I can't not mention the IMDA yet.
We do a lot of work for that.
My main aim from starting all this is
and part of my brand book was to help the industry.
I always want to get the industry in a better place.
And the IMDA certainly does that.
And if you're an independent dealer
and you're not on the IMDA, you're doing yourself a disservice.
We've got now about over 2,000 members
where we then specifically help the independent dealer
where you don't have a voice.
If you are on the IMDA, what I would say is that
from a dealer's point of view,
that we need more engagement from independent dealers
because we are the voice of the IMDA, the independent dealer.
But if we don't hear enough from the independent dealer,
we can't represent in the way that you want to be represented.
So ways to communicate is via Gareth from the IMDA
onto the website or the Facebook group
where there's lots of debate about that.
But the Independent Dealers Motors Association for us
is a growing community where I think that the voice
of the independent dealer needs to be heard a little bit more.
What are they saying to you?
What do people want to have heard?
I think the auto trader thing was a big one.
There's no doubt about that.
And kudos to Umesh when he presented that folder.
And I think there was about 56 pages
of independent dealers' concerns on the auto trader.
And again, kudos to Nathan because he picked it up
and read them all.
So little things like that.
So auto trader is a big one.
The brokers and the fees that they're charging
and I think that's got a lot to do with it.
And they're not...
Finance brokers, you mean?
Yes, finance brokers.
Yeah, and the terms and conditions
that's set above the Consumer Rights Act,
you know, they're...
I'm not going to mention any detail.
No, but I suppose you mean the ones that come to you saying,
we've got a customer for your car and it's on X.
Can you send us an invoice?
And then you have to sign your life way.
And we return most of them away, to be honest with you.
A lot of them want personal guarantees, don't they?
I mean...
Some of them do, yeah.
Some of them...
One of the terms and conditions I read was
the car has to be fought free for 12 months
or 12,000 miles, you know?
And that's actually...
Look, I spent some time with a couple of the brokers
and really good guys.
And I understand their side of it,
the reasons why they do it as well.
But I still think they need to find a common ground
between the brokers and the dealers and the lenders
and maybe some of the third-party companies
who go in and inspect the vehicles
where everything needs to be in a chain.
It needs to be right.
I understand the broker's concern
and I understand why they charge the fees
and the price that they have to get
to get that expensive customer.
They do a lot on Google Ads.
But at the end of the day,
that shouldn't be at the detriment of the dealer.
But the dealer has a lot to do with that as well
where they need to step up
and look at their part of the terms and conditions.
The main thing for me is the consumer rights act is the law
and that's the blanket that we should all look at.
What do you think about the consumer rights act?
I mean, what would you do if you were to change it?
I mean, I'm a long sort of supporter of the thinking
that it should be tapered.
You know, it should be tapered.
You shouldn't have the same rights on a 10-year-old
or, you know, 15-year-old used car
that you do on a three-year-old one.
It's so, I think, you know, personally,
it makes it very difficult to sell older vehicles
because you can't, and at that point in time,
it's uneconomical to do it.
So they go out with scrap or spares or repairs
and it seems a shame to me
because there's definitely a market for them.
But as an industry, it's very hard to sell them, isn't it?
What would you do?
Yeah, it's impossible.
I would love for reform on the consumer rights act
because it is not fit for purpose.
It's just not.
You can see that it's been an afterthought
with some of the terms and conditions are bolted in there.
And it makes it really difficult for,
I think, everybody to really look at it in a fair way
because the lenders are, their hands are tied
in some of the things that we're looking at
because, well, that's the law.
We are also tied because we're spectrified
of looking at these older vehicles for fear of it
coming back and biting us
when we've already got as little margin
being squeezed as it is.
So, and I get this quite a bit, Craig,
is there any chance that IMDA could look for reform
or go to government or anything like that?
We would love to.
One is the time.
We're all running our own businesses anyway.
I would love to do that.
I would love to get involved in it anyway.
How do we then begin to get a seat at the table
to start discussions with it?
That's definitely some of it.
And we might need industry help for us to do that.
It's not a people now.
I would love to get involved in something like that
to really drive change for the consumer right side
because, as I say, it's just not fit for it.
It just doesn't work.
No, it really doesn't.
And I do think it just needs to be presented
to the powers that be that what the realities are.
You know, if you're selling a two and a half thousand pound
15 year old used car, you can't send it out
with the same guarantees as you can with a three row one.
The margins are not there
and the actual risk is far higher.
And it's just, I think that everybody's losing.
And actually, there's a lot of consumers out there
who if you explain to them that it is an old car
and if they're buying it because it is an old car
and it matches their budget,
I think it's a very difficult part of the industry.
But yeah, me too.
I would love to see how that could be developed
and how those conversations could be taken forward.
Where do you think the opportunities are in Craig this year?
I mean, and how have you found business so far?
Business for me has been really good.
When I look at my numbers, I'm slightly back
on where I wanted to be,
but I'm ahead of where I was last year.
For me, the focus has been on profit.
You know, I don't want to be a busy fool.
So I've been completely focusing on the add-ons,
looking at our finance penetration,
looking at warranty, selling any add-ons.
I can't, but definitely squeezing my reconditioning.
Am I looking to do alloy wheels in that car
when it doesn't need it?
Does it need to have that dent fixed?
I'm having to, because if your margins are squeezed
on the bonnet, you've got no choice
but to look at every single area of that.
And because of that, we're actually miles ahead
of profitability where I actually expected this to be.
So I'm right now up to the first quarter.
I'm having an incredible year, 2026, more of the same.
My challenge is like everybody else is getting the stock,
getting the right stuff.
I've just had a few big bills in just now
that's going to hinder that profitability.
So I'll probably need to pipe down a little bit.
But the opportunities for me is definitely
looking at that older stock,
making sure that it's right,
and having a little look at this electric opportunity
and can I squeeze something out of it?
Look, I was at that consumer panel with AutoTrader
and one of the things that came out of that
is how can you know what the demand is on EV
if you don't have any EVs?
And it's a fair point.
You've got to be tactical in what you're looking at,
doing a little bit of research.
You can't really dabble.
You've got to not completely all in,
but you've got to be committed to what you're doing with that
and trying it.
And that's what we're going to try and do.
Have you found any drop-off in demand
with fuel prices the way they are
and what's happening in the world?
Not really, no.
For me, it's been pretty much the same.
Last week was about a poor week,
up until the Saturday when we sold seven,
and I was going for my worst week ever,
and then we sold seven in the Saturday.
So it actually turned out okay.
I wouldn't say we're breaking records,
but we're consistent.
We sell about 13 a week,
so I'm more of the same in that.
We're delighted.
And you heard me at the start
talking about how we have the highs and lows,
and you go from feast to famine.
With someone with more experience
in this trade than I've got,
how do you deal with that?
I mean, how do you...
You know, when it's paying the bills,
how on earth do you just kind of...
How do you sleep at night though
when you never know when the next sale's going to come?
I don't think anybody deals with it,
because you do, you freak out.
What am I doing?
You're straight away, you're looking at your cars,
you're blaming the sales guys,
everybody's lazy, what's going on?
Yeah, I still struggle to keep it together,
because you're competitive like that, aren't you?
You always blame something.
It's the weather, it's Donald Trump,
it's Easter, there'll be an excuse.
But usually it comes down to doing the basics really well.
Make sure your foes are right,
your descriptions are right,
your pricing's right,
make sure you're checking your stock.
I think that's got to be the key,
and those dealers that are doing the basics well,
will always come out better
than the ones that are not videos,
descriptions, all that things, you know?
And that's what we do,
we go back to the basics and go right,
what's our foes like,
why is that car not moving?
And I always seem to find that
if you have a vehicle that's not moving,
take it off,
re-clean it, photograph it,
re-describe it again,
and it usually always works.
Yeah, it's definitely worth looking at the detail a little bit,
isn't it?
Yeah.
Tell me about the cars you don't buy,
what's on the band list?
I'll always find this fascinating.
This band list is getting bigger and bigger.
It's coming in.
So, two-layered ingeniums,
Land Rover's,
we just do not touch them at all.
The petrol ones are keeping into the band list,
actually, if I'm honest with you,
they've been quite good.
Minis, X1s,
with that automatic gearbox,
with the gearbox,
it seems to fail at 10,000, 20,000 miles,
I don't know why that seems to happen,
so they're on my band list.
Apart from that, pretty much,
pretty much everything else will need to be fair.
Fair play to you, by the way,
you're going into this Japanese market and whatnot,
and how are you finding that?
Very good.
If I'm honest, we've done lots of them,
because the quality of the cars is very high.
It's hard to manage on a cash flow basis,
because you buy them and then you don't know
when they're going to turn up.
When did I buy that Range Rover, John?
I mean, it must have been kind of January time,
or whatever it was.
It was when you went skiing.
Yeah, so beginning of the year,
it's actually still sat on the dock side,
and it's somewhere in Japan,
because they can't fit it in the container.
So that's the hard thing to challenge,
but when it comes to customers,
they like the cars,
because they're in very good condition.
So they're definitely worth looking at,
and I do highly recommend them to everybody I speak to.
And the dealers, I do know,
who've dipped into them like we have,
have got positive things to say as well.
So it might be worth looking at.
I've got a good contact for you, Craig,
I can put you in touch.
I know who it is,
because I spoke to them at the used car awards.
So, yeah, do you know the man?
You know the man?
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Brilliant.
They're good, but we don't do all of them,
because they are a little bit slower
to sell than the UK stuff.
So we are still very much focused on retail ratings,
and the sort of cars that are in demand.
So lastly, last question,
tell me about the first car you ever sold.
Oh, God, it was a Rover.
Rover 214.
Wow.
Yeah, Red.
You know, I had that kind of half bit,
about the black plastic trim at the bottom.
Rover 214, that K-series engine.
I had some great times at Rover.
Not all great, to be fair, obviously,
because of the demise of Rover.
But I can remember one time I was doing a handover,
and I left the car running.
It was cold.
I left the car running,
and the head gasket went on the...
Slime.
What?
Pouring out the bottom, you know.
I mean, what, just as you were handing the car out.
As the customer was waiting to come in to collect the car,
you know, so that's tails of Rover.
I had the other ones where the tail,
the Rover, the bubble sheet,
my company was calling it, 216 or whatever.
I had an MG tail light on one side,
and a Rover tail light on the other.
From the factory.
Factory, yeah.
Six CD changers in the back,
where it was ordered from factory,
that was there, but it's not pumped in.
So, but I think the great times were over.
It was fun, right that way.
The great British car industry, that is best.
Oh, there.
Well, nice to see you.
Thank you for joining us,
and thanks for sticking around for some stories.
But, John, we should probably do some.
Now, a quick word from one of our sponsors.
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Now, back to the podcast.
So, James and I are going to run through our favorite stories
of the week.
And at the end, Craig gets to decide
which one of us chose the best ones
and who is the winner.
I am on something of a winning streak.
Am I not, James?
It's 7-6 to you, John.
Oh, okay. Not much of a winning streak.
Well, I won last week, so I'm going to start this week
with, I think the biggest news probably this week
is car giants.
So, enormous car sales market in West London.
Car giant has, well, shocked everyone,
I think, well, maybe not you, James,
in announcing that they're closing
on April 24th,
which is what next Friday must be.
Slightly out of the blue.
I mean, we had some rumors that this was coming.
We've run a couple of stories about it.
I think you've had some intel.
Have you not, James, of that?
Yes, we like intel.
I mean, to quote the Daily Express,
which copied our story
and positioned you as some sort of expert,
I'm a used car dealer
and I predicted the demise of car giant weeks ago.
That is the weirdest headline
I've ever seen in the Daily Express.
Very strange.
Anyway, so what's been going on at car giant?
Well, they say they've reached the point where,
and I quote,
they've concluded that the business
is no longer commercially sustainable
in its current form.
This reflects a combination of factors,
including continued reduction
in the supply of used vehicles.
Yep, fine.
Primarily driven by the EV mandate
to get a stab in there, I notice.
Alongside rising operating costs
and increasing complexity,
within the used car market.
I don't think anyone would disagree with those things.
Curiously, of course, car giant wasn't doing terribly.
I mean, we can only go off their last financial results.
They, I mean, they had an enormous profit figure,
but a lot of that was to do with property,
which I will come on to shortly.
Stripping out any property related profits,
they made 22.4 million before tax profit in 2024,
which is a little bit less than the year before,
28.2 the year before.
But still, that's not bad.
I mean, the overall figure for record was
three, or is that turnover I'm looking at?
And there was a, they're doing all right.
They were doing okay.
But I think we have to view this
through the lens of where car giant is
and the land that they sit on.
So enormous sites, right next to conveniently,
a little known place in London called Old Oak Common,
which until maybe five, 10 years ago,
nobody knew about unless you lived in,
I don't know, Wembley or Ealing or something.
But it happens to be where the new terminus for HS2
is going to be until they bother to connect it up to Houston
or wherever HS2 is going to go.
So that whole area in London is
an enormous amount of regeneration,
and it will continue to do so.
And all these very expensive flats are popping up
around the slightly more industrial looking
site that is car giant.
So I would imagine, if I were Jeffrey Warren,
I would be thinking, hmm, my retirement.
Like I'm sitting on quite a lot of land,
it's worth quite a lot of money.
What are we going to do about that?
And I'm just, I would suggest maybe that's
what's going on here,
but I don't know what you think, James.
Yeah, I'm, you've absolutely hit the nail on the head,
I think, John.
Yeah, I've been covering this one for a couple of weeks
and staff inside it, inside the business
have been leaking me the emails
and the consultation stuff as it's been going on.
And I heard the news on Friday, excuse me,
from one of the contacts there,
that the decision had been made to close the business.
They were told in an email on Friday,
wrote about this in my sub-stack this week
that went out this morning.
And those staff members were told that the
collective consultation process had obviously
looked at a range of proposals for the business,
which included reducing its operational footprint,
restructuring departments or adjusting staff levels,
and even revising operational and buying strategies.
So a little bit more detail there was revealed in this email.
So they obviously looked at lots of different things,
but the company told their staff that after reviewing them,
reviewing them all, it decided it was not possible
to operate a viable and sustainable business model
going forward.
So I think reading to that what you will,
because there's obviously a process that has happened here,
but the business ultimately makes the decision
whether they think they are going to be a going concern.
They've decided they're not.
We know it's been difficult for car supermarkets,
like Cardgiion operating, buying the stock,
as Craig's pointed out, is very difficult.
And if you're doing that at scale,
I mean, I was reminded that at one point
they had 5,000 cars in stock a few years back.
5,000 cars is incredible, isn't it?
And you can only do that when manufacturers are pumping them out
into a pre-reg situation and loads of people are buying.
It's not...
We're in a fallow period for used car stock.
And I think these car supermarkets are struggling as a result.
Geoffrey Warren, a billionaire.
He's in the rich list.
He's clearly seen, well, actually,
100 million pounds is enough to turn anybody's eyes,
even a billionaire.
So I think he's probably just decided enough warranty claims.
I think I head to the beach.
And to be honest, do you know what?
I don't blame him.
I don't blame him.
I think I would probably do the same.
It is sad, and it's the end of an era.
It's sad for all the staff, and I think it's...
It is.
It's sad for a big name like this is going as well,
and I think it does, as you say.
It's indicative, aside from property values and whatever,
I think it's indicative of the time we're going through,
as you say.
We've seen a few of these closures, though, haven't we?
We've seen a few of these car supermarkets.
I mean, actually, north of the border, as you put it,
in Craig's neck of the woods.
Peter Vardy shut all of his, didn't he?
So what's your take on it, Craig?
Yeah, it's difficult to get stock, isn't it?
So how do you manage to facilitate that amount of vehicles?
It's scale.
I took my hat to anybody doing that,
and tried to make decent profit out of that.
They're about buyers you might have to need.
And yeah, fair play.
And the model now, it is definitely reducing your rooftop footprint.
You can see Arnold Clark, they've done that in around Scotland very well.
You know, they're taking their rooftops down
and making them smaller.
BYD, for instance, can be an example of that.
They're in a little shed in Inverness.
But by all accounts, doing really well.
So yeah, I can understand.
And there are easier ways to make money than selling cars,
clearly, isn't it?
Property seems to be the way to go.
Yeah, definitely.
It's certainly if you've got some in London.
Interesting story that, John.
One we've covered extensively on the podcast and on the website.
But yeah, very sad to see that business close.
I still think the car giant name will pop up somewhere.
I think it's probably got a lot of brand equity
and probably SEO value that someone,
I think Becca mentioned it on the podcast in a while,
but she thinks it will probably be snapped up by someone.
And I think I probably agree with her.
Well, you could always put in an offer.
Car miniature?
I mean, leave me alone.
Car over six cars available in our show.
No, you can fit four in, can't you?
Tiny car giant.
Oh, dear.
Right, let's move us on.
Let's move us on.
I would like to talk about the feature that I published this week,
our test of use car ad platforms.
Because this has been something I've been working on over the last year.
I've been very closely looking at our data
of all the cars we sold at the Clever Car Collection.
Excuse me.
Over the last year, we sold 187 cars,
not bad for us in a little old gospel.
And off the back of that, I have noted down
every time we sold a car,
who that customer first saw the vehicle on,
where it was first seen.
And it's not a case of just asking people,
well, was it all to trade it?
You know, it's the first one on the list.
We really drilled down into the data with these customers.
We actually asked them, look,
and actually, if they still had it on their phones,
they'd show us the advert.
And when it came to things like Google and Google ads,
it was, was it definitely a little picture at the top of Google,
or was it a link like this?
We would ask them carefully,
because this was an important test for us.
You know, we put a lot of money into advertising,
and it's very important to understand
where these leads are coming from.
But it wasn't just about the leads.
It was actually about the sales.
I mean, that's what we all want at the end of the day.
We want the sale, not the lead.
We can have as many leads as you want.
But if they don't convert, we don't really care.
Top of the list for us was, was auto trader.
Their percentage of our sales that they accounted for last year
was just over 55%, nearly 56% of all of our sales
were attributable to auto trader,
which is a massive amount.
We have a seven car package.
We've just increased our package on auto trader
for this financial year.
But we had a seven car package last year,
and on average, we were turning that package twice a month.
So we were selling 14 cars from auto trader directly
from a seven car package,
which effectively halves our advertising cost.
You know, that really, that makes it about 70 to 80 pound
per sale from auto trader,
which I would say is actually very good value.
So that auto trader by far and away the winners.
Second place I was really impressed with was Cargurus.
We've got joint second place on this.
So in terms of our platforms, it was Cargurus
and equal second place with our website,
which is produced by the lovely people at 67 degrees.
They do a very good job for us.
But Cargurus has been very impressive.
A steady stream of leads over the last year.
And also, thankfully off the back of that,
a steady stream of sales too.
That sort of second place part of the use car ad world
is hard force, isn't it?
And often most dealers I speak to, like Craig,
will spend their money with auto trader.
But it's after that,
where do you spend your money in second and third place?
So Cargurus was very good for us last year.
As I say, our website accounted
for exactly the same number of sales last year,
so 13.6% of our sales.
After that, it was Google vehicle ads.
We invested a lot in that, really tried to make it work.
I don't think we had enough cars for sale
for the Google ad platform to work.
Talking to a lot of experts who run these campaigns,
they say you need 10 or more cars to really get it performing.
And last year we struggled to have
any more than seven advertised, really.
So we were a little bit too small, I think, for Google.
Out of interest, James.
What were the cars that did well on?
I see you've got a screenshot of the Jimny.
Yeah, we sold a few Jimny's off the back of it.
So it was higher value cars that we sold.
But one of the things I did find
is we ended up competing with ourselves
because Cargurus seems to acquire traffic quite well
via their own Google vehicle ads
promoting your cars to their platform.
So I would find if I searched Suzuki Jimny,
there would be my Google vehicle ad against Cargurus one,
which is exactly the same car,
just pointing to a different platform, which was a little...
I like that.
How many different platforms can you sign up to,
so just the entire top row would just have a car collection and Jimny's?
It would be quite expensive.
But yeah, Google vehicle ads,
it was an interesting experiment for us.
We did sell cars, but in terms of percentage of ourselves,
last year just 5.7%.
After that, it was Carwow, 5% of our sales.
I've actually been impressed with their platform.
The thing that frustrates me about all of them,
apart from auto traders, is they don't display our videos.
I find that very annoying.
We put a lot of time and effort into videos.
And the first thing I end up doing to all of the leads
from other platforms is sending them an email,
Have you seen our video?
Which is annoying.
It really shouldn't be like that in 2026.
Carwow say they're going to try and sort that out.
And I hopefully see it.
But interestingly, we get a lot of calls from
Craig's neck of the woods from Carwow customers.
And then when they realized we're actually based 400 miles away,
I had a customer from Edinburgh the other day,
who wanted a Volkswagen up.
And she said, oh, where are you?
Gosport.
Oh, where's that?
It's near Portsmouth.
She went, oh, bye.
So that's a little bit frustrating.
And then after that, in sixth place was Motors, 4.3% of sales.
Not a great result for them.
I spoke to them off the back of it.
They said there were some problems with the package
that we're on.
They've tweaked that off the back of this.
And now we're in a different package with them.
And actually, we've sold two cars this week from Motors alone.
So clearly they've done something right.
But it will be interesting to see what happens next year
with this result.
But yeah, just you know, John,
I've been marking these down very carefully
and looking at this data carefully.
And I found the results very interesting.
What I find interesting as well is,
particularly with the top three or so,
similar number of leads.
OK, so WaterTrader is the winner on leads,
two, two, seven leads.
And then Cargerus has 184.
So there's a little bit less from,
you know, a bit of air between those two.
But the difference in percentage of sales is quite strong.
So that would suggest the stuff coming from
WaterTrader is a much more,
would I say, qualified lead?
I mean, Craig said it, didn't he, at the start?
Yeah, exactly.
So it just, it tallies.
And I wonder, part of that is,
I think it's just AutoTrader's,
not to use the deal bill, the word,
but you know, it's the way that AutoTrader
is set up at the minute.
And also, maybe some of that is your video.
Because if nobody else is displaying that video,
as you've said before,
you find the video reduces the number of inquiries you get
because they've looked at the video and decided,
oh, there's a big scratch on the side, whatever.
Fine, you know, the people that have watched it
and actually decided that's okay,
are then getting in contact
and not pulling out halfway through the sales process
because they've discovered something that they're not aware of.
So it frustrates me that not many of these have video facilities.
And, you know, I think...
None of them do, John, actually.
None of them.
Half of WaterTrader, none of them do.
Yeah, that's frustrating.
And I think that is not great in 2026
when we're trying to tell people to do videos.
Yeah, I do find it frustrating.
Craig, how does my results compare to yours?
I mean, what do you think?
Well, I don't...
I only advertise with AutoTrader and Motors.
And the only reason I advertise with Motors
is the deal that we had with them through the IMDA.
So, and I wouldn't say that their product
is quite that great, to be honest with you.
I don't get a lot through Motors.
Back to what I said with AutoTrader,
I thought, yeah, they're pretty good.
I can't argue with the results from them.
I always want more.
And back to what you said,
the video that really frustrates me.
I ask all customers, have you seen our video on AutoTrader?
And a lot of them say no.
And I'm like, how can you miss that?
Well, I think they should put it first.
I think if you've gone to the time and effort
of putting a video of that car,
a dedicated one of that vehicle,
AutoTrader should display it before anything else.
Yeah, completely, completely.
Well, that's what came up on the advisory group,
to be honest with you.
And also how we customers can make contact
and it's simple things like WhatsApp.
I think WhatsApp is a big thing in today's world
and that these providers should have that available
for customers to make contact.
It's easy to track.
They've got all the kind of APIs
to be able to figure out
where that car is coming from, what car it's on.
And that, for me, would be a massive increase too.
But no, the lead's coming through from AutoTrader.
I can mirror that from my side.
I think I said that at the start.
But the other ones,
I don't really advertise with anybody else.
A lot of my work is social media.
We do a bit of Google, to be fair,
but it's becoming so competitive
you need to spend some decent money
to get a real proper return now.
And that's where the independence
kind of get priced out in the market a little bit.
I'll issue it on these kind of platforms
like CarGurus and whatnot,
where they can use their big ad spend to compete.
Yeah, so it's a difficult one
for an independent dealer to Google.
Yeah, it's the thing that I think about the most,
because obviously it's the most...
I mean, especially for us,
because we don't have a forecourt.
You know, we're based in a small unit
in a business centre.
So actually our online footprint is our showroom.
So it's really important for us,
especially to know where these leads are coming from.
But yeah, I'm going to do this every year
and note these down every year
because I think it's very important.
And I think next year we'll try and do
a percentage of sales to leads
because then we'll be able to actually see
which ones are most likely to convert.
Yeah, yeah, I would just like the...
I want the amount of leads
and the quality to come through as well.
I just feel that...
I know I'm selling cars off it,
but I feel like I'm selling less from AutoTrader.
I would like that quality,
that number of volume to come through.
And I want to know why that's dropped.
It's come from the back of...
St. Deal, Wilbur came in,
and I know they've changed the sign-in process,
and we're being told that that's not having an effect on it.
But there's no doubt about it.
And everybody in the room, all 25 retailers,
we're all saying the same thing.
And that has to come true a little bit.
So that's part of our job
as advisory to look at that and go,
like, well, this is what we're feeling.
Well, you think if 25, Craig,
25 of you are saying that this is having an effect,
they would have to listen to that.
I would like to think so.
And to be fair, all of them are.
There's no doubt about it.
They're taking this pretty seriously.
But Umesh said it at the very start.
There's no point in having this advisory group
if there's not going to be action
because it's just a complete waste of time.
And well done, Umesh for saying it.
Yeah, it'd be interesting to see what happens.
You have to keep us posted on what they do do
off the back of the things that you suggest.
I think that was my story, John.
So it might be your go.
Yeah, I'm going to squeeze in some car news, I think.
There's a few bits of car news.
I mean, one is that Volkswagen has put some buttons in its ID.3,
which I'm very excited about,
but nobody else will be excited about it.
Wow, wow.
Oh, yeah.
I mean, how are they competing with the Chinese?
Those sorts of innovations.
It's taken them about eight years
to actually get around to doing it.
But anyway, I'm going to talk about the Chinese
because of course I am.
And I'm going to talk about something that's in your sub-stack,
which was that an event that James Batchelor of this parish
went to this week, I think actually not for us,
but for his other non-Caravan related freelance work,
I suspect.
But it was the launch of Denzer,
which is BYD's luxury car brand arm.
And they held this in Paris
and you can see where I'm going with this.
It was...
Where are you going with it?
Well, where I'm going with this,
much like every other car launch that I've...
Sorry, brand launch that I've been on for a Chinese brand.
It was an enormous affair.
So, I mean, I've been to ones at the O2 or next to the O2
where they've launched one model
and they've invited about 500 people
and done a full, almost like Oscar level presentation for it.
For this one, Denzer took over the Palais Garnier,
I think it's called, which is the Paris Opera House,
which is...
If you've been to Paris and walked past it,
you'll know it's an incredibly elaborate building,
very prestigious, very historic.
Just took it over just for the event.
They invited hundreds and hundreds of people.
There was a strict dress code of all black.
So, if you see photos of it,
there is just a crowd all dressed in entirely black.
What, bats wearing all in black?
No, James, because for some reason there was a mix-up
and the UK delegation were not told this.
So, they just took it up in their normal yellow tree.
Yellow trousers.
Yes, exactly.
So, bats was probably there in his, as you say,
yellow trousers, black wheels.
Harrying his thermos, I would imagine,
waiting to see the reveal of the new Denzer.
But it was a very strange event,
as far as I can work out from his correspondence,
which he's provided for you, for your sub-stack.
He's produced a couple of videos for it,
as well as produced a couple of videos.
He's filmed a couple of bits of what was going on.
There was a sort of performance, should we say,
with lots of ballet dancers and opera singers,
as you might expect in the opera,
after which Stella Lee, the sort of very senior person at BYD
and Denzer...
Floated down the street.
In effect, in effect, yeah.
And then spent a long time talking about the brand and so on.
So, it's just another...
Oh, and the other thing is a lot of Daniel Craig.
So, Daniel Craig is their brand ambassador, or one of them,
and they had put him absolutely everywhere,
except, as far as I understand,
I don't think he was there in person.
Except at the launch.
He was everywhere, apart from at the launch of the car
he's supposed to be launching.
Maybe he might have reached the point of,
no, that's too much.
I can't do this.
I mean, I would sort of...
Like, he was in of the test drives that they had of the cars.
They put him on all the screens.
So, you've got him in the car, and there's Daniel Craig
looking at you.
All the adverts.
There's Daniel Craig.
It's very...
What it reminded me of is how we say,
the rise of Chinese cars is like the Japanese cars
coming over in the 70s or whatever.
It reminds me of in Japan,
but when, before the internet was a thing,
all the Hollywood movie stars and singers and whatever
would go over there to do adverts
and be paid huge amounts of money
when it was a bit embarrassing to do that,
because the idea was,
nobody else would see it in the world.
So, you'd have, like, Rod Stewart
or whatever advertising for a Subaru Legacy,
or, like, all this sort of stuff.
It's like that is happening again, but in China.
How much have they paid him, John?
I mean, it's got to be multi-millions
to pay for Daniel Craig,
for him to associate himself with a brand
that nobody has ever heard of.
I mean, it's...
Well, I do.
You know, BYD doesn't have much money, James,
so I would imagine it's...
Apparently, it was €300,000
to hire this Sydney Opera House
or whatever they've hosted it in Paris.
€300,000.
That seems to be quite good value to me, in a way, but...
It's a lot of money, isn't it?
Yeah.
I've never flown in lots of other people.
Aside from all the launch and the pomp and circumstance,
it's very performative nonsense
that every Chinese car maker goes through
with launching anything now.
I want to talk about the car,
because, as I say, this is the luxury brand,
so it's going to be above BYD in terms of price.
Around the world, much like other Chinese cars,
it's priced very differently.
So in China, this Denzer Z9, I think it's called,
is a sort of like...
It's a bit like a Taycan cross-terismo,
that sort of thing.
Looks a bit estate, hatchbacky.
It's about £45,000 to £50,000 in China.
It's a little bit more in Australia.
Here, it's going to be £100,000, which is...
I'll say it again.
£100,000.
£100,000.
Just let that sink in for a Chinese electric car.
Yeah.
It's a big ask.
And, well, I mean...
You get four jacos for that, couldn't you?
Maybe five, actually.
How good a mood they're in.
I don't think it's as good as five jacos,
all tied together, to be honest.
From what I can see from some very early reviews,
I mean, AutoCar called it,
better than fine, but not great.
That sounds like Asda.
I should say, so, look, all right.
They're not going to compete at the moment
on nice materials and nice design,
because I don't think it's very attractive.
It's not a very memorable looking car.
It looks a little bit like a Kia EV6 or something.
I don't know. It doesn't look great.
What they're competing on is technology.
So this is possibly the first BYD model
that's going to get this insane...
What is it? 1500 kilowatt charging
or something daft like that.
Meanwhile, you're plugging in your Nissan Leaf every day,
James, at 50 kilowatts.
Like, it recharges from 10% to 90% in nine minutes,
something like that.
And it's obviously not got a small battery,
because it weighs three tonne.
So all the technology stuff is really good.
It crab walks, so you can get it into a parking space,
all the wheels turn in the same direction,
all that kind of stuff.
If you look at the interior, though, not great,
I don't think it's going to be...
No one's going to get out of a Porsche
and get into that and go,
yes, this is the same.
I think it's...
It reminded me a little bit,
and this is Damien at the Faint Praise as well,
a little bit of a DS,
you know, where everything's a little bit chintzy.
And they've just gone, oh, yeah, put some chrome on that
and make this look like a diamond for no reason.
It, yeah, I'm not convinced.
Do you want my opinion?
Yeah.
I will be amazed if it works.
I'll be amazed.
I mean, I don't want to bet against BOD
because they've done some incredible things,
but in their wheelhouse,
which is that sort of kind of high-volume SUV market,
I will be amazed if luxury car buyers,
I mean, who's buying a Porsche taken for a start at the moment?
You know, they've got nobody,
and the people who do are losing their share on them.
So who in Earth is going to want to rival to one?
I mean, if I was going to rival any car,
it would not be a Porsche taken.
So I wish them well, but I can't see it working.
Let's ask a real-life Cardinal what he thinks.
I can't believe that he even had it.
It's like, it's Climberworld we're living in,
surely not, but they'll probably still do it for 349, 349
or something like that, you know.
Yeah, they will.
They will, yeah.
Still be advertised for that.
No, not for me.
I've had work to do.
I just can't see anybody with sensibility
even pressing the button.
No, I in kind to agree with you.
John, I'm going to wed you in one more.
I mean, I think that was a brilliant story
and very well described.
So it's going to be very hard to compete with that.
I especially consider I'm picking one
that's a little bit negative, but this is a business.
You mean, are you saying what I just said was positive?
I found it positive in the fact it made me laugh quite a lot.
Okay, fair enough.
Just don't tell BYD.
Yeah, I know.
I'll send some people around.
Yeah.
I want to talk about the losses more than doubling
at the candidacy group, Norton Way to 5.7 million pounds
in their latest accounts up to March the 31st, 2025.
Very, very worrying results these.
It's a dealership group that has struggled.
Their turnover fell 13.7 million to 353 million pounds
during the year.
They saw a decline in new and used car volumes
and ongoing site closures, which has cost them quite a lot.
They shut a site in Lechworth and that disposal alone
resulting in a 4.1 million pound loss.
So very painful.
You know, when you stack that up against the 5.7 million
they lost during the year.
That's a large part of it.
Despite those challenges, the parent company Marabeni
have said they continue to back the business
and they've added a 74 million pound funding facility
through to March next year.
But yeah, the reason I picked this one, John,
is it's just it's very worrying to see, isn't it?
I mean, losses the year before was 114,000 pounds.
So two years of losses, some very, very large ones.
And just shows you that in some of the dealer world,
new car new car sales are difficult.
So yeah, what's going on then?
Like what?
Okay, well, so some of those brands honda
not doing brilliantly at the minute, I would imagine.
No, but they've closed an MG dealer as well in Chiswick.
I would I mean, maybe there's maybe that's very expensive
to run in London though, aren't they?
You know, of course the high dealership sites are very expensive.
So everybody seems to struggle making stuff work in London.
But yeah, I don't I don't know.
But I mean, disastrous results really on the face of it.
It doesn't look good at all.
So I'm glad we've ended the podcast.
But yeah, I won't make anybody comment on it.
John, bring us to a close.
Okay, lovely.
Craig, before I ask your verdict,
so are there any stories you think we should have talked about this week?
But we definitely let's go to the FCF.
It loves a bit of FC, don't they?
Oh, yeah. What have they done this week?
Well, you've obviously got the FC Bands, that Martin Lewis Motor Finance Ads,
where it looks like Ambulance Chasers are going out and trying to
coerce customers into using their services and using the FC logo.
And it's all written on the media, things like that.
So the FCF stepped up and went,
oh, no, you shouldn't be doing that.
You know, so and just on the back of I just think it's cool.
If you're a customer, right, looking into our world right now,
what are you thinking?
It's just like, what is going on?
Is anybody there?
Do they know what they're doing?
I just feel, obviously got the Motonovo being up for sale now,
and it just puts more unrest in an already difficult market for everybody.
Yeah, not great times just now.
No, I'd say I like to dabble in the motor world, don't they?
It's a different thing every week.
But yeah, I did see that one.
It was these unauthorized clips of Martin Lewis that these companies
have been using to try and get their message across.
And I think if anybody wants to see a stop to anything,
it's those annoying adverts on social media.
I had a text the other day saying I'd taken out,
yeah, I was owed money on a Master 2 that I'd apparently taken out of finance on.
You did have a Master 2 though, didn't you?
No, I didn't.
It's the sort of car you would drive.
Never even had a car finance, I mean Jesus.
Anyway, right, so apart from that, which we haven't covered apart from the website,
I'm going to have to ask you, what was your favorite story or who chose the best stories?
I have to say, I'm sorry, James, but that conversation about the 100,000 pound Chinese
vehicle has to go at the top of the tree for me.
To be honest with you, I completely agree with you.
And I would have given the win to John T because it was a very good story.
Why don't you?
Oh, thank you.
Really, it's a win for James Batchelor.
You had to get up at four in the morning and get on a Euro star and go to Paris and then stand there.
With yellow trousers.
All right, brilliant.
Well, I will take that win.
Thank you, Craig.
That's wonderful.
Well, as we've run out of time, all that's left for me to say is thank you to Craig for coming on
today. It's been great to have you on and chat about your business or businesses, etc, etc.
And thanks for commenting on our stories as we went through.
No problems, guys.
Thanks very much.
Nice to see you both.
Yeah, enjoy your weekend.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Nice to see you.
Thanks for joining us.
Thank you very much.
Hope the sun stays out in sunny Scotland for you.
No, it's gone now.
It's taken 45 minutes.
Oh, dear.
Thank you as well to James for giving up his busy time to come on here and talk about nonsense with us.
And thank you for listening.
We'll be back next week with another episode.
So make sure you're subscribed, taken notified when that goes live.
If you want to check out the stories mentioned today, take a look in the notes below or head to
Cardiomagazine.co.uk.
Thanks for listening and goodbye.
About this episode
Dealership life swings between feast and famine as James Packett and guest Craig Walker (used car dealer club and cars) compare what’s working now. Craig shares how electric demand—especially Tesla Model 3s—has boosted sales, plus the practical details dealers need (build nuances, chassis codes, heat pump variants). He also explains why his team’s YouTube channel drives reputation and direct enquiries. The discussion then tackles industry pressure: Car Giant closing, Norton Way’s widening losses, and a debate over used-car ad platforms where AutoTrader leads conversions. Chinese luxury EVs get mocked for £100k pricing and tech-first appeal.
