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You printed in your issue of October 1 0 a letter from a seemingly concerned psv dealer, blithering about used psv auctions.
One can but wonder why, as used car auctions have been around for years. There are still plenty of car dealers in business, and in the light of the gentleman's letter. perhaps I could noise a few points on some.
Firstly, it is not unknown for a PTE council not to accept the highest (or lowest) tender — clauses to this effect may be observed frequently in tender wording.
Secondly, it is the right of the vendors to sell whom they wish, regardless of price, just for the hell of it.
Thirdly, it is common knowledge among psv operators disposing of used psv that there are dealers and dealers, and our own image is not always that which others come to view us by, whether dealers or operators.
Fourthly, if a dealer buys a used psv for. say, £1 .000 and sells it for £2, 750, why in Heaven's name should not the PTE or whatever. sell the vehicle at an auction and pos
sibly "cop" E2,000, leaving only one discontented party out of three — namely the dealer!
I do agree with Mr Sykes — there are disadvantages associated with such auctions, but no reputable dealer need have many fears of some — and reputable dealers do exist.
The principal snag that I personally foresee is the Road Traffic Act — sale of unroadworthy vehicles, etc.
How would a PTE or National Bus stand on this score when selling at an auction? Surely the auctioneer would put vehicle XYZ 123C under the hammer as salvage or scrap with or without .COF due to, for example, body mountings not easily seen, or vehicle ABC 1 238 would be sold as a runner roadworthy with COF, etc.
Perhaps CM's legal Mr Oldridge could cast an opinion on this matter? Of course there are some dealers to whom this law does not apply, or so they think. Indeed, one dealer I know of has lost three potential customers just like that (.3,000 plus) without really trying.
However, I digress; the final point I would like to make is that one cannot really envisage National Bus Co entering the used spares market on a grandiose scale, so reputable dealers should sleep soundly at nights and survive for some years yet, whereas others would do better to polish their images to counter possible harder things to come.
The final outcome of course will be that "runners"' will go where they are needed at sensible prices, whereas -scrappers" will go where they belong, for good used spares. Unfortunately, in the process we may not see quite so many "millionairedealers around.
P. MOND, Fowey Bus Services, Cornwall.