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The mkiv Supra Owners Club

Any market for a new Supra dealer?


j_jza80

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You dont always have to import the best quality cars. You can import cars that are in need of tidying etc. Jurgen sources mainly the best quality cars so that there is as little prep work to do to get them to an even better condition. I think that there is plenty of margin to be buying and selling middle market vehicles to thos that want a car to thrash about rather than say, an immaculate show car for example.

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Yep,

If you have got the money go for it. Especially if you find a niche market AND get a good rep.

 

Jurgen has done it on reputation and hard work. Once you get a good name in the area you are supplying it becomes free advertising. I wish I had the balls but I don't. The hard work for myself does not scare me but the money required does:shock:.

 

You dont hear of these guys much on this forum but Mike does a steady job down here in the SW, Works bloody hard to do what he does, is very good to deal with and I know there are a few of his cars on this forumhttp://www.torque-gt.co.uk/japanese_performance_cars/?act=viewShow

 

So for the right person with a good attitude there must be an opening. As Jurgen said there will be dark days but is'nt there always in any Job? I'm not sure about the business model but there must be a fair wack of money spent on the Japanese sports car scene (I know how much i have spent in 10 years of Jap import owning:taped:)

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Kind of got an idea for the setup now, will be aiming for a showroom that can hold around 10 cars (ish), 2 ramp workshop plus an mot bay, a couple of extra bits I don't want to reveal yet and room to expand.

 

Trying to get my head round some initial costings for my proposal, tbh I could use some advice from someone who's setup a garage from scratch as I don't have the foggiest of which companies to use for equipment etc.

 

On the plus side I've got a Definate yes from one of the team I want, will try and confirm with the others during the week, and then it's a trip to the bank :)

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Your welcome , tough business to make it in , worked in car sales for bit myself with Toyota here . If you build a good reputation and have good stock and are reasonable with people there's no reason you can't make a success of it. Unfortunately a lot of car dealers have this smarmy image attached to them , distancing yourself from the stereotype can only help you in the long term .

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And now the fun begins.

 

I always found that the planning and developing of a project was the most exciting and rewarding time of the whole adventure.

 

Good luck and if I can be of any assistance (I have started several small businesses in the past) then let me know.

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Thanks CJ :)

 

While I was chatting to Tony earlier, he brought up the subject of government grants which I hadn't even considered. There's lots of little things like that I need to be aware of :)

I am not sure what the latest bodies are called but do a search for Enterprise Initiatives within your area and also speak to the bank about local grants available as their business advisor (if he / she is any good) should be in the know.

 

I will have a think on (with this current pain issue I am experiencing I have lots of "awake" time) and see what else I can think of.

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Go for it. Always room for more traders. The only people who would say otherwise are the people that don't want you in the market.

 

You just have to make sure your business model is sustainable. I suspect cashflow will be an issue in the sports car business.

 

Cash flow with new starter business is always problematic, but even more so given the economic climate. There's a few additions to my prospective showroom that should help out greatly though, and I'll only go ahead with it IF I can secure enough money to create a safety net.

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Good luck with it Jason. It sounds like a good idea, and it's a different segment in the market than Jurgen. You can do a wheeler dealer type service where you buy cars which need some attention, fix them up properly with genuine dealer parts and sell them on for a profit. being open and honest about everything with great service.

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Team member number 2 is on board. He'll be sorting the financial side of it so it's quite a relief. Next is the mechanic.

 

Considering this only really came together in my head a few days ago, there's some momentum now.

 

 

It's so exciting :D

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Have you put together a business plan, cashflow forecast and annual budget? I would certainly recommend these as an important method of keeping track of where you are and where you are aiming for.

 

A decent bank will also want to see these.

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Have you put together a business plan, cashflow forecast and annual budget? I would certainly recommend these as an important method of keeping track of where you are and where you are aiming for.

 

A decent bank will also want to see these.

 

This is the next step, just need to make sure my mechanic is in, then he can specify all the equipment etc then it's time to make an enormous number of phone calls :D

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I've always had the opinion that a business will be successful if you're servicing a need using excellent products, niche knowledge & skills, top level customer service, and professionalism with a sense of humour.

 

In my opinion, also, there is room for more reliable car dealers - especially ones dealing in mechanically solid, appropriately priced, mid-level sports cars (such as those you've mentioned from the late 80s and 90s). Good luck :)

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Wow, you dont hang about, will you quit your current job and go in full time

 

Until recently I've been at uni, but had to leave due to increasing living expenses due to being a home owner. So no current career to leave as such. Been fitting car audio and technology while at uni which gives me yet more services to offer.

 

While it seems to be progressing quickly now, it's going to be around a year until i can get fully set up. Hopefully the first part of the business will start in a few weeks time though.

 

It'll give me plenty of time to get my Trader application in :D

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Until recently I've been at uni, but had to leave due to increasing living expenses due to being a home owner. So no current career to leave as such. Been fitting car audio and technology while at uni which gives me yet more services to offer.

 

While it seems to be progressing quickly now, it's going to be around a year until i can get fully set up. Hopefully the first part of the business will start in a few weeks time though.

 

It'll give me plenty of time to get my Trader application in :D

 

I was fully behind you up until the point that I realised this branch would be up North...... Now if you relocate to the south you have my full support once again due to how fickle I am :D

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I was fully behind you up until the point that I realised this branch would be up North...... Now if you relocate to the south you have my full support once again due to how fickle I am :D

 

Bugger off you, the south has almost all the decent traders as it is :p He should relocate to the East as we have literally no-one closer than London :( Good luck with it though fella, i wish you the best of luck and all my support, more people fixing Supra's is a good thing :)

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