How I've Tried to Make MTSV is Different From The Rest
Even into my nineteenth year of doing this as my full time occupation, it still feels its like having a paid hobby on most days, although having said that I've had a few trials and tribulations since the pandemic, and have maybe thought I'd call it a day on a couple of occasions. However the people I meet, and the cars make it all worthwhile, plus after all these years what else would I do? Whether rightly or wrongly, I still continue to do things quite differently to traditional motor dealers, and I remain very, very keen to shake off that pre conceived image everybody seems to have of a motor dealer - there's NO high pressure selling, NO silly rate finance deals and NO worthless warranties and definitely no "Arthur Daley style" sheepskin overcoats or Trilby either, although as I get older a nice warm coat is becoming ever more appealing!; I try my utmost to get things right from the very beginning, and believe (and have been told) that I've been successful in doing this over the years. To find out more about the way I work, and my terms of sale, click here.
Most dealers these days seem to buy a car, have it valeted, and sell it. This "commodity type" approach to cars is somewhat understandably encouraged by the way VAT scheme for used vehicles works under what is called the margin scheme, and a scheme most VAT registered (bona-fida) dealers have to use. Basically the costs of any work carried out and/or replacement parts fitted, cannot be added to the initial cost of the vehicle, with the VAT element being payable on the perceived entire profit made between the original purchase price and the selling price. It, therefore doesn't take a mathematical genius to deduce you could actually in reality easily loose money on a vehicle once the VAT is paid. Obviously this encourages the profit obsessed dealers out there to do as little as possible, as cheaply as possible.....not a good recipe, you'll agree!
On the other hand, even though I'm faced with the same constraints, and it would be so much easier to follow the crowd and sell the cars "as is" with a "margin" plonked on the purchase price, I just can't do that as I like cars too much, and its very satisfying for me to know when a car leaves me, its as good as I can get it. As such, when I buy a car, I like to drive it as much as possible to for a while to get to know it better, and in the process sort out as many niggles and problems as I can myself. I don't use valeting companies either, as I don't agree with some of their methods they sometimes use. For the jobs I can't do, or for those that have safety implications I use either a trusted local garage, who have over 30 years experience, and a local paint and body shop who have many years experience working with older and classic cars. Finally, when the vehicle is as right as I can get it, I sell it. In some cases this can be up to a year (or more) later! I don't see my cars as merely "profit opportunities" or commodities, but as individual machines, which will ultimately represent what I do, and carry my reputation with them.
Me, Mark Taylor
Well I'm told I'm a straight forward, reasonably well educated and honest family man, and proud Yorkshire man too, who's loved cars since as long as I can remember. I have two sons (17 and 21 years) both of whom I hoped may become fellow "Petrol heads", and follow in my footsteps, however sadly this is looking unlikely. According to my parents, from about the age of two, I could name just about every car on the road, and some fifty odd years on, I count myself very lucky to have built a successful business around my interest, shortly after being made redundant, from almost twenty years in the bicycle industry; cycling is my other love by the way; and they said cars and bicycles don't mix! If I had a big win on the Lottery tomorrow, I admit I'd shut up shop, and have a massive heated "car house" built, and keep all the cars I've got at that point in time for myself!
Finally….
This website is unlike those used by many other motor dealers, who seem just to use standard issue templates. This is all my own work, and although its maybe a dated now, it works and has developed over several years, and has not been designed or maintained by any other person than me. It may not have been designed by some hot-shot web site design company, or by some long haired marketing guru type, but I've been told on many occasions it's very informative and functional, and has real content...which I suppose is the whole point of a website. Also just to mention, 99.99% of the decorative images used on this site are NOT library images, but are ALL my own photographic work, and are images of actual cars I've owned and supplied in the past.
Lastly just to reassure all potential customers, I'm a fully VAT registered, DVLA registered motor trader, and wholly committed to providing a high quality, honest & friendly service. I'll be here today, tomorrow and the day after that, and will continue to be as long as this remains financially viable, or I have a very big win on the lottery!
If you have any queries, or just want to chat about cars, please contact me. Either click here to e-mail me, or call me on 07976 280738. I love to talk about cars, am happy to share my experience with fellow enthusiasts and will be as helpful as I possibly can when asked for any additional information and/or images on any vehicles I have for sale.
Also, in these uncertain economic times of record low interest rates, buying a classic car can make good financial sense. Click here to find out why.