Do you miss a vehicle dismantler like Fern Tree Gully as a site sponsr??

[GTENVY]

Hi Guys,

Just giving a heads up to people on here that I am in the process off finally getting our (my wife and I) second business off the ground as a vehicle dismantler/wrecker.

Back in the day when FTG used to be a site sponsor (prior to the original owners selling) I used to buy a fair bit from them and scroll through the pages and pages of cars they had available.

I am yet to discuss with the admin on here about being a sponsor as I wished to gauge interest from members.
first.

Are people aware of many Ford wreckers these days which are specializing in either FPV or Tickford vehicles??

I've nearly completed my business plan and countless other pieces of paperwork that is required and I'm certainly not going to limit myself to any models but rather carry most stuff with being a specialist for specific models on the sideline.

The main issue I can see being in Perth is freight but I have found it is much cheaper sending freight from Perth to over East rather than the other way around.

Thoughts would be great guys.

Rich

[EFFalcon]

There are a couple of FPV Specialized wreckers in Melb.

I certainly don't 'miss' them as a sponsor, i know they exist and if i'm asking for a price on a forum, i'm obviously just browsing, if i was really keen, i'd just ring to get an answer straight away.

[nuthin' fancy]

I'd spend my money with a site sponsor first, all things being equal.

[gassed250]

delete

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Can't say I 'miss' any site sponsors, I have used the services of site sponsors in the past and probably will again, however this depends on my needs, not the fact that they are site sponsors.

[shazaam]

FTG were great, I bought some good stuff from them. Much better stuff then what you find here.

[Grippy]

FTG were fantastic as a site sponsor. All the best with the new business Rich, I'll be future customer for sure.

[Franco Cozzo]

Make sure you become a Capricorn Supplier:

http://www.capricorn.coop/

Most of us in the auto game are part of the group, myself I'm just a member but it allows me to buy things from dealerships and all sorts of suppliers from wreckers to safety shops, or even book holidays by just quoting my capricorn number.

There is no need for multiple trade accounts with heaps of business who are suppliers, everything is consolidated to one bill as well, I can call up a number of Ford dealerships, quote my capricorn number and bam next day new parts are at my workshop with an invoice, which Capricorn covers, then I pay Capricorn on 30 day account.

The debt is guaranteed, so you get your money and I get my product.

And you also get listed in the purple pages, its like a directory of all Capricorn suppliers.

FTG are still good to deal with, they came out to Gisborne (1 1/2 hour drive) with a Territory steering rack for us once, and it was the first time we ever used them.

Sponsorship of the forum is on the cards for me too, I too need to work out freight as I've only got Vic covered at the moment.

[ratter]

Second the Capricorn bit, we try to use Capricorn suppliers first
Capricorn actually started in Perth and that's were they are located

[Ross 1]

Originally Posted by GTENVY

Hi Guys,

Are people aware of many Ford wreckers these days which are specializing in either FPV or Tickford vehicles??

Rich

This is only one I know of in Sydney.
http://www.fordprowreckers.com.au/

[Mechan1k]

The only other one in Sydney I'd use is Narellan Parts plus ... ithink they are still on here as as sponser as well.

I used to get a fair bit from FTG when Darren was running it .... his customer service was excellent.

I think you will do well if you become a sponsor on here ... as the FTG section was always busy when it was up and running here.

[GTENVY]

Thanks for the feedback guys, very appreciated.

Using Capricorn is a great idea, didn't think of it to be honest. I started looking into it right away. Don't you just love Forums

Rich

[Phildo]

Any info yet on when and where you'll be setting up?

Focussing on posting/freighting things is a good start. The Perth market is absolutely stuffed at the moment.

Could even be worth holding back a year or so (ie see if the local economy stabilises). People aren't spending money on their cars in Perth at the moment.

However, plenty of people are crashing their cars (ie all the immigrants in Perth who can't drive). If you can regularly supply parts to smash repair places then you might be able to establish a reliable source of revenue there.

I talk to a lot of people in my taxi each night. I ask everyone what job they do, how it's going, how secure it is, etc, etc.

The only jobs that stand out as secure right are in housing construction and health. For some reason, everyone's still building houses right now, despite their jobs not being secure. Health - people getting older, increase in Perth population, etc.

We've had a few economic hiccups in recent years, but have bounced back each time within months. However, this time, it appears that the mining boom (and massive cash injection that it provided) is definitely over.

Sorry to throw a negative angle in. I want you to succeed. I miss the mining boom. Damn, I miss it now.

If you want to see what's really going on then go have a look around the nightlife areas on a Friday night around midnight. Bugger all people in Northbridge (ie the main area). Gridlocked with vacant taxis, Tokyo style. No-one in Leederville or Subiaco. Bugger all people at the casino at the supposedly busiest time of the night, and lines of vacant taxis everywhere.

If you know Steve at Walliston Wreckers then have a chat with him. He does a lot of Falcon and Commodore stuff, including FPV stuff. I bought a 6 piston Brembo front brake setup from him for $1650 a few months ago. He would have gotten $2500 for that within a couple of days a year ago.

On the positive side, you'll get staff easily enough if you need to. However, almost every other business in Perth right now is shedding staff every few months.

[GTENVY]

Originally Posted by Phildo

Any info yet on when and where you'll be setting up?

Focussing on posting/freighting things is a good start. The Perth market is absolutely stuffed at the moment.

Could even be worth holding back a year or so (ie see if the local economy stabilises). People aren't spending money on their cars in Perth at the moment.

However, plenty of people are crashing their cars (ie all the immigrants in Perth who can't drive). If you can regularly supply parts to smash repair places then you might be able to establish a reliable source of revenue there.

I talk to a lot of people in my taxi each night. I ask everyone what job they do, how it's going, how secure it is, etc, etc.

The only jobs that stand out as secure right are in housing construction and health. For some reason, everyone's still building houses right now, despite their jobs not being secure. Health - people getting older, increase in Perth population, etc.

We've had a few economic hiccups in recent years, but have bounced back each time within months. However, this time, it appears that the mining boom (and massive cash injection that it provided) is definitely over.

Sorry to throw a negative angle in. I want you to succeed. I miss the mining boom. Damn, I miss it now.

If you want to see what's really going on then go have a look around the nightlife areas on a Friday night around midnight. Bugger all people in Northbridge (ie the main area). Gridlocked with vacant taxis, Tokyo style. No-one in Leederville or Subiaco. Bugger all people at the casino at the supposedly busiest time of the night, and lines of vacant taxis everywhere.

If you know Steve at Walliston Wreckers then have a chat with him. He does a lot of Falcon and Commodore stuff, including FPV stuff. I bought a 6 piston Brembo front brake setup from him for $1650 a few months ago. He would have gotten $2500 for that within a couple of days a year ago.

On the positive side, you'll get staff easily enough if you need to. However, almost every other business in Perth right now is shedding staff every few months.

Thanks for your views, experience and opinion. This exactly the type of stuff I need. I have certainly considered how badly things are here in Perth currently and that's why the business would definitely need to operate nationally. Agree with being a supplier to smash repair places would be a great option, could be on to something there.

I mate who runs his own paint shop and only does show quality type work is struggling as are a few performance places over here.

I think finding some and keeping stock of the hard to get stuff will be a big part of the key as anyone can get Tickford badges etc.

Thanks again for your post

Rich

[Phildo]

Originally Posted by GTENVY

Thanks for your views, experience and opinion. This exactly the type of stuff I need. I have certainly considered how badly things are here in Perth currently and that's why the business would definitely need to operate nationally.

Last year I bought a bunch of parts from an FPV Super Pursuit wreck.

Until then, I had never sold anything on eBay. Bought plenty, but hadn't tried selling.

I got stupidly high money for the stuff that I sold. $300 for the speedo cluster. $300 for the dashboard guages. $300 for a fairly worn steering wheel. $400 for the gear lever and surround (6sp manual). I wouldn't have gotten that much money, and so easily, if I sold on Gumtree here in Perth.

Point: It's extremely easy to sell certain parts, but the problem is getting the parts to sell. You could sell FPV stuff all day, every day... if you could get the parts.

But that's the nature of selling any physical item these days. If it's scarce then you make a good profit margin, but can't get enough items to sell. If it's easy enough to get then there's no profit margin because everyone else is doing it.

Hence my speculation about supplying smash repair places. I don't know how they go about buying secondhand parts - whether they waste a bunch of time making phone calls, etc.

Obviously, the ideal option is to have everything photographed and listed on a web site. Very time consuming though.
-------------------------
Something else regarding supply vs demand: I look at buying habits these days - the market has abandoned local cars (eg Falcon/Commodore) and has largely moved toward European cars (eg Volkswagen).

However, there won't be a supply of secondhand parts for these cars (eg panels). I wonder if it's viable to specialise in certain car brands and import containers of parts from overseas?

Toyota parts are expensive. Sounds like there might be some profit margin there. I was talking to a taxi guy this week who was telling me about replacing a Prius mirror for $550. Couldn't get a secondhand one, so had to buy new. The same thing for a Falcon would cost $25 and be available from dozens of places. Likewise for a Camry tail light - also $550. Blimey.

The business will require turnover. Finding a gap in the Perth market will be extremely difficult. You might have a lot of Falcon knowledge, but Falcon sales these days are almost non-existent, meaning that you'll need to learn another car brand/range or become obsolete. I'm in the same boat - I know a lot about fixing Falcons, but last night I resigned myself to buying a Camry hybrid because taxi drivers won't drive Falcons anymore.