Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for Part 1 of her conversation with James Harding from Chops Garage, a modern car dealer with a classic car soul. This episode is a must-listen for anyone who's ever dreamed of jacking in the corporate 9-to-5 to follow their passion. James tells the story of how, at 38, he walked away from a career as a national sales manager to start fixing and selling Fiat 500s from a rented garage bay.

James gives a brutally honest insight into the realities of being a modern car dealer, from the public's "Del Boy" perception to the nightmare of consumer law. He explains why he'd rather sell a simple £4,000 Hyundai i10 than a complex modern car with a razor-thin margin and huge potential repair bills. It's a fascinating look at the pressures and pitfalls of the modern motor trade.

Featured Stories

The Corporate Burnout - How zoning out in board meetings thinking about welding an MGB made him realise he had to quit his sales manager job.

The Leap of Faith - With a £12k payout and his wife's encouragement, he swapped his suit for a boiler suit and started his own car business.

The Fiat 500 Years - Started by buying crash-damaged Fiat 500s from Copart and doing them up himself.

The Silver Shadow Saga - Recounts the story of selling a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow to a buyer who spent an entire day inspecting it in a boiler suit, only to then demand an independent inspection.

What You'll Learn

How a childhood memory of a Citroën CX 25 GTI in France sparked a lifelong obsession with cars.

Why he believes the public's perception of car dealers is completely at odds with the reality of consumer law.

How the VAT margin scheme can leave dealers with a huge tax bill even if they make no real profit on a car.

Why he refuses to do distance sales after getting badly burned.

Why he thinks simpler, older-tech modern cars (like the Hyundai i10) are a safer bet for dealers than complex, feature-laden new models.

Key Questions

Is it possible to make a living selling cheap cars?James argues that while the margins are smaller, the risk is far lower. He focuses on simple cars that are built like older models (cable clutch, timing chain) which are cheap and easy to fix, avoiding the huge repair bills associated with modern complex cars.

How has consumer law affected the motor trade?James and Sam discuss how the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which applies the same rules to a 60-year-old classic as a new TV, puts immense pressure on dealers. The 30-day right to reject and the assumption of a fault being present at the point of sale for up to six months makes selling used cars, especially older ones, a minefield.

A Nod to

Chops Garage on YouTube - Where James documents his life as a car dealer.

Mad Mike from Wales - A classic car dealer who pre-filters customers by telling them his cars were "shit when they were new".

Get in touch

📧 grangebaileys@gmail.com

💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554

📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady

🎬 TikTok, Facebook & YouTube: The Old Car Lady

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Produced By Worth A Listen Productions