time
Part of things
Posts: 152
|
|
|
my eldest son works at a BMW main dealer in the West Midlands, apparently sales of new cars and secondhand cars is up just over 40% from the same period last year most of this increase is from people buying cars from them online. in the service department (where my son works) they are having to turn away a lot of work due to demand - which is something that has never happened before
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
my eldest son works at a BMW main dealer in the West Midlands, apparently sales of new cars and secondhand cars is up just over 40% from the same period last year most of this increase is from people buying cars from them online. in the service department (where my son works) they are having to turn away a lot of work due to demand - which is something that has never happened before I wonder if the sales increase might be people who normally commute on the train now looking to drive into work? Could the service work increase be due to lockdown where dealers were shut?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
That's an interesting dynamic, especially for hoovering up the cheap £500-1000 runabouts.
I expect here will be a real push to start using public transport again when/if things get back to some semblance of normality. High passenger loads on public transport is one of the few things other than legislating emissions and restricting usage that will drive down the environmental impact of transport. Without that, we'll see quite the rise in CO2 from increased car usage which can only be a bad thing from an enthusiast's perspective.
If we're lucky, people will flock back to trains at some point, leaving a glut of runabouts for us to purchase (or, more likely, for people to scrap...).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
That's an interesting dynamic, especially for hoovering up the cheap £500-1000 runabouts. I expect here will be a real push to start using public transport again when/if things get back to some semblance of normality. High passenger loads on public transport is one of the few things other than legislating emissions and restricting usage that will drive down the environmental impact of transport. Without that, we'll see quite the rise in CO2 from increased car usage which can only be a bad thing from an enthusiast's perspective. If we're lucky, people will flock back to trains at some point, leaving a glut of runabouts for us to purchase (or, more likely, for people to scrap...). I think you are going to see a whole shift change to how people / employers work - people that relied on public transport and did not retain a vehicle are purchasing vehicles - office staff have adapted to working remotely from home so successfully that companies are considering disposing of large established offices and will probably operate from smaller hubs in the future - car owners whom used their vehicles to travel into work no longer do - I have also heard the same from trade contacts that new cars / used car £10k + market is in high demand - their will obviously be some casualties but I don't see it being the car market - personally I'd be very worried if I had my money in high street retail or the commercial office lettings market
|
|
Last Edit: Aug 6, 2020 9:54:19 GMT by Deleted
|
|
|
|
|
Very astute. As one of the aforementioned office workers I have no plans to go back into an office full time. Working from home just has too many benefits.
|
|
|
|
duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member
Out of retro ownership
Posts: 1,320
Club RR Member Number: 70
|
|
|
<snip> their will obviously be some casualties but I don't see it being the the car market - personally I'd be very worried if I had my money in high street retail or the commercial office lettings market Clearly in the short term this is a complete disaster area to be in, but in the longer term, as with the car stuff, I think this is going to be nuanced. I suspect that if you let large offices to large organisations, you are going to have substancial spare capacity as many offices downsize or disappear. However, if you are in the "serviced office" space, where you can offer flexibility to accommodate many different companies as they rotate through who is WFH, I think that demand will grow. Lots of companies won't want to get rid of the office entirely, just downsize and pay for the space they need on a JIT basis. Much of high street retail has been falling apart for years - this will just be the nail in the coffin for many of those businesses. They may end up taking some of the previously successful businesses with them however - if you aren't going to the shops or the office, you aren't going to an overpriced sandwich/coffee shop. The "destination" ones will be fine, but if your typical customer is "passing trade" you have serious problems. On the car service side - I tried to book my car into Renault (most indys won't touch an EV) and the first appointment where they could do a service and an MOT was in a month! It would be interesting to see if the indies are equally busy - I wonder if people are more likely to go for dealer servicing at the moment because they perceive that they are more likely to have COVID precautions in place. Very astute. As one of the aforementioned office workers I have no plans to go back into an office full time. Working from home just has too many benefits. I hate WFH. Aside from my wife and child I see no other humans for days on end. Then again, my commute wasn't a big deal (I'm losing ground on podcasts now I don't commute!) and I like my colleagues. Those who have bigger commutes or more toxic offices probably differ.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'm currently WFH and have been since March. Not having done it before, it's a revelation, it's just better in every way. I usually had a very busy drive/commute to an office where I'd speak to people, in the main, via email or phone anyway. So WFH makes no difference in that regard, plus I get the benefits of spending more time with my family, reduced fuel costs (I'm using my car twice a week for local trips now, so saving the planet etc as well), more time at home, reduced mileage on my old BMW (which currently serves as my daily) and improved quality of life in general. It's also made me realise just how much, despite being a lifelong petrol head, I really detest driving in this country now. Overcrowded roads due to the country being grossly overpopulated, queues, potholes and a poorly maintained network in general, appalling driving standards, overly aggressive road users, everyone trying to get where they're going at 100mph, crazy fuel prices, parking issues and cameras every 100yds trying to scam you for money for some minor 'offence' ... and that's not even an exhaustive list. Like I say, I drive twice a week at the moment and I'm perfectly happy with that TBQFH. I get people might not like it, but I don't see why anyone should 'go back to the office' to save a few branches of Costa, as per Boris Johnson's missive. Frankly, any business that based their business model on over-saturating high streets with their c**p and over-priced product, killing off local businesses in the process, built their business on sand. I feel for the employees but this is rather like the mining industry in the 80s, it's grim for many but the high street was on life support anyway, in its present format at any rate. This has just accelerated the process and people (especially the government) should be actively looking at ways to adapt and thrive, rather than trying to go back to how things were because that wasn't working anyway. Anyway, here's a bus, penance etc ...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'm currently WFH and have been since March. Not having done it before, it's a revelation, it's just better in every way. I usually had a very busy drive/commute to an office where I'd speak to people, in the main, via email or phone anyway. So WFH makes no difference in that regard, plus I get the benefits of spending more time with my family, reduced fuel costs (I'm using my car twice a week for local trips now, so saving the planet etc as well), more time at home, reduced mileage on my old BMW (which currently serves as my daily) and improved quality of life in general. It's also made me realise just how much, despite being a lifelong petrol head, I really detest driving in this country now. Overcrowded roads due to the country being grossly overpopulated, queues, potholes and a poorly maintained network in general, appalling driving standards, overly aggressive road users, everyone trying to get where they're going at 100mph, crazy fuel prices, parking issues and cameras every 100yds trying to scam you for money for some minor 'offence' ... and that's not even an exhaustive list. Like I say, I drive twice a week at the moment and I'm perfectly happy with that TBQFH. I get people might not like it, but I don't see why anyone should 'go back to the office' to save a few branches of Costa, as per Boris Johnson's missive. Frankly, any business that based their business model on over-saturating high streets with their c**p and over-priced product, killing off local businesses in the process, built their business on sand. I feel for the employees but this is rather like the mining industry in the 80s, it's grim for many but the high street was on life support anyway, in its present format at any rate. This has just accelerated the process and people (especially the government) should be actively looking at ways to adapt and thrive, rather than trying to go back to how things were because that wasn't working anyway. Anyway, here's a bus, penance etc ... Could not disagree with anything that you state apart from the bus is not my scene but here's one that I had a hand in saving from the scrapman 40 years ago (since restored)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'm currently WFH and have been since March. Not having done it before, it's a revelation, it's just better in every way. I usually had a very busy drive/commute to an office where I'd speak to people, in the main, via email or phone anyway. So WFH makes no difference in that regard, plus I get the benefits of spending more time with my family, reduced fuel costs (I'm using my car twice a week for local trips now, so saving the planet etc as well), more time at home, reduced mileage on my old BMW (which currently serves as my daily) and improved quality of life in general. It's also made me realise just how much, despite being a lifelong petrol head, I really detest driving in this country now. Overcrowded roads due to the country being grossly overpopulated, queues, potholes and a poorly maintained network in general, appalling driving standards, overly aggressive road users, everyone trying to get where they're going at 100mph, crazy fuel prices, parking issues and cameras every 100yds trying to scam you for money for some minor 'offence' ... and that's not even an exhaustive list. Like I say, I drive twice a week at the moment and I'm perfectly happy with that TBQFH. I get people might not like it, but I don't see why anyone should 'go back to the office' to save a few branches of Costa, as per Boris Johnson's missive. Frankly, any business that based their business model on over-saturating high streets with their c**p and over-priced product, killing off local businesses in the process, built their business on sand. I feel for the employees but this is rather like the mining industry in the 80s, it's grim for many but the high street was on life support anyway, in its present format at any rate. This has just accelerated the process and people (especially the government) should be actively looking at ways to adapt and thrive, rather than trying to go back to how things were because that wasn't working anyway. Anyway, here's a bus, penance etc ... Wow, I couldnt have put it better myself! Completely in agreement with the WFH ethos. My productivity has increased, achieve more in a single day than I could in the office listening to small minded people playing dickless office politics! That said it has allowed for some surreptitious tinkering when perhaps could be doing something else...but only very occassionally mind! ;-)
|
|
|
|
time
Part of things
Posts: 152
|
|
|
my eldest son works at a BMW main dealer in the West Midlands, apparently sales of new cars and secondhand cars is up just over 40% from the same period last year most of this increase is from people buying cars from them online. in the service department (where my son works) they are having to turn away a lot of work due to demand - which is something that has never happened before I wonder if the sales increase might be people who normally commute on the train now looking to drive into work? Could the service work increase be due to lockdown where dealers were shut? That’s true, The clean air daily charge in Birmingham centre is happening soon, so new “greener” cars are in demand I also think there is also a lot of money about which would normally be spent on a family holiday, so Some lucky people may be thinking sod it Let’s spend the holiday money on the deposit for a new car
|
|
|
|
|
Paul Y
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,948
|
|
|
So here is a thought - sparked by a conversation I had last week with a very large tech company when looking for office space in London last week. Said large tech company are already in discussion with Her Majesty's Government on what the tax implications are of having 80-90% of their workforce WFH. Said large tech company are worried that the move from office to WFH will have a negative effect on HMRC income which will, in turn, mean that something will need to be done to fill the funding gap. Would that mean that a WFH tax would be applied? Who knows but it is disturbing to think that these scenarios are already being considered and the risk profile this raises... Remember it is not just rents, rates etc they are thinking about it is VAT from coffee shops sandwich bars, pubs in fact any walk in trade (if you have been to the City in recent weeks you will know that it is empty)the physical act of people going to work and the service industry that is built up around it all contributes. No punters means no staff which means no income tax, NI etc etc Good news is that the majority will have a better work life balance WFH. Bad news is that you won't have any money to buy car parts as your tax bill has increased. So back to the original question - huge car price crash? Who the hell knows. Nice buses by the way but if they made one of these I would be throwing cash through their window... P.
|
|
|
|
Darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,668
Club RR Member Number: 39
|
|
|
Tax is an interesting one as you can claim back against the tax you pay to offset the extra expenses involved in WFH - As I work from home it's what I do anyway P87. blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2020/04/martin-lewis--working-from-home-due-to-coronavirus--claim-p6-wk-/Keeping it cars: Lad works for a main dealer and they have been flat out sales and service since opening back up in June. Also noticed that the prices of low mileage 2-3 year old cars coming out of PCP's and the like appear far more expensive now than they were 2 years ago! Keeping it retro: No matter what prices do only a lottery win will get me one. Keeping on topic: Errrr Errmmmm Arrrrr Mmmmmmmm...... Well Hmmmmmm ......
|
|
Last Edit: Aug 6, 2020 16:27:03 GMT by Darkspeed
|
|
|
|
|
I work for a company introducing a lot of automation into our operations which will eventually mean robots replace human workers. This will be par for the course in the sector I work in so ultimately a huge number of people will be replaced. The government has been musing about a tax on the robots as it'll end us losing tax revenue from the replaced humans pay and VAT from the items those humans would have bought. Have a Capybara I spotted at Knowsely Safari Park whilst trying to entertain the smaller members of my family.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A capybara is basically a giant, curse word Guinea Pig, and as such reminds me of Frank The Amazing Guinea Pig. In my post-nightwaking shift, post pizza, post JD and Sprite state, that makes me happy!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I work for a company introducing a lot of automation into our operations which will eventually mean robots replace human workers. This will be par for the course in the sector I work in so ultimately a huge number of people will be replaced. The government has been musing about a tax on the robots as it'll end us losing tax revenue from the replaced humans pay and VAT from the items those humans would have bought. Have a Capybara I spotted at Knowsely Safari Park whilst trying to entertain the smaller members of my family. Look at him. He's not taking any s**t is he?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A capybara is basically a giant, curse word Guinea Pig, and as such reminds me of Frank The Amazing Guinea Pig. In my post-nightwaking shift, post pizza, post JD and Sprite state, that makes me happy! Cointreau and sprite is a beautiful thing, must count as at least 4 of your 5 a day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I work for a company introducing a lot of automation into our operations which will eventually mean robots replace human workers. This will be par for the course in the sector I work in so ultimately a huge number of people will be replaced. The government has been musing about a tax on the robots as it'll end us losing tax revenue from the replaced humans pay and VAT from the items those humans would have bought. Have a Capybara I spotted at Knowsely Safari Park whilst trying to entertain the smaller members of my family. Look at him. He's not taking any s**t is he? Like clint eastwood in a fistful of dollars.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sept 24, 2020 23:08:07 GMT
|
Currently looking for a cheap/small £30 a year road tax daily, something like an early C1/107/Aygo etc and there's definitely no huge price crash on the small/economical stuff. If anything they've tripled in price, with four figure sums being asked for 15 year old and fairly average cars that 6 months ago were well under £1k.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sept 24, 2020 23:17:28 GMT
|
Currently looking for a cheap/small £30 a year road tax daily, something like an early C1/107/Aygo etc and there's definitely no huge price crash on the small/economical stuff. If anything they've tripled in price, with four figure sums being asked for 15 year old and fairly average cars that 6 months ago were well under £1k. That may just be a 'started college' phenomenon, (as 2nd & 3rd year students they'll sell the cars for partying money).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sept 24, 2020 23:21:01 GMT
|
I wonder if the sales increase might be people who normally commute on the train now looking to drive into work? Social distancing not a problem in my neck of the woods, when the 5 mile travel restriction lifted I often found I could get a carriage to myself; Ghost Train by Chris, on Flickr
|
|
Last Edit: Sept 25, 2020 0:30:54 GMT by MkX
|
|
|