Dealer’s Diary

What IS going on?

Have auction prices ever been as high as now? Forget CAP, forget Glasses, and definitely forget the sort of profit margin you’ve become used to. Cars are selling, and selling very well, but replacing sold stock with anything half-decent is costing almost as much if not more.

Here are a few examples from a couple of recent Anglia Car Auctions sales at King’s Lynn. Though now better- known nationally for their five-a-year classic car events, ACA also run twice- weekly modern car sales. They have contracts with several local main dealer groups as well as two West Norfolk car supermarkets. Many local forecourt traders and online sellers buy stock there and it’s a good sale - decent quality stock if you know what you’re doing, sensible buyer’s premiums and above all, totally straight and above board.

Anyway, the first through that I’d sort-of highlighted was a 2005/55 Freelander diesel. It was a three-door Hardback with a probably right - but unwarranted - 77,000 on the clock and not bad-looking for the age; not perfect but OK. However, the propshaft had been removed. £1550 hammer, so £1650ish home. I saw it as £2k maximum on a forecourt with the 4WD reinstated; a fix of £200ish if nothing else was broken, £400+ if it was. The buyer was in the hall, too - so either he didn’t notice the prop, or did notice it and wasn’t bothered.

Next on my watch list was a 2010 Toyota Prius which had carried a rather nice personalised plate, though this wasn’t being sold with it. I always reckon a half-decent personal plate - as opposed to a £99 Northern Ireland mark being used only to hide