Wheeler Dealers host reveals secret to success in selling used cars – here’s how he did it
A WHEELER Dealers star has revealed the secrets to his success in selling used vehicles.
Mike Brewer, 59, hosts the popular TV show with Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley and while Brewer found fame on the show he is still active in the car industry and runs his own dealership.
While Mike Brewer Motors, which launched in 2012, is a professionally-run ongoing business, many of his tips can be adapted by members of the public when it comes to selling used cars.
Talking to the Car Dealer Podcast, he explained at first just how he went about turning a storage unit for his car collection into a new used car dealership.
He and his wife, Michelle, along with a pal of his, initially set up One Automotive in Warwick.
The set up was a similar partnership to his Mike Brewer Motors dealership for used cars in Sheffield.
While setting up your own dealership might very well be a step too far for most people if they just want to sell their unwanted car, there are still tips and tricks that can be learned.
Brewer said that after Covid he found that many people were looking for new vehicles and wanted something not quite so run-of-the-mill.
So he and his team went about smartening vehicles up with body kits and exhaust trims which meant they stood out in online listings – and his customers loved it.
Brewer said: “We wanted to capture a slightly different area of the market – the sort of tradespeople who want to promote their businesses with a different sort of van.
“These people want a van to show off as well as enjoy it for their business. They want to promote their business through their vehicle.
“So we set about slightly modifying the vans to give them that sort of urban look. And from there, it’s just taken off, we’ve sort of found this niche in the market.”
Setting your vehicle away from the crowd can help attract attention and so, hopefully, buyers.
By providing something a little different from the ordinary, Brewer said he had customers travelling from all over the country to buy his vehicles.
He advised trying to find a niche although that isn’t always so easy.
Brewer said: “You have to know what works in your area and you won’t know what works until you try it.
“So you have to throw down an eclectic mix of vehicles and find out which ones are working. And if you’re selling five Fiestas a week, but one Corsa, then buy Fiestas as that’s where your market is.
“The new business has been phenomenal, I’m not gonna lie. We run a tight ship. We’ve got very good social media and it looks great online.”
Brewer also took the time to reflect on marking 20 years of the TV show which occurred last year.
He said: “We celebrated 20 years of Wheeler Dealers in 2023 – it’s a little show that I started to make in 2003 in October with its first airing.
“Now, 20 years later, we’re still going and we’re still making new series.
“Throughout the year, we’ve had many a celebration, no matter where I’ve been on the planet, whether it was in America or Germany or Poland or in the UK, we’ve had many celebrations.
“Just recognising what an achievement it is and what an impact it’s had on the motoring landscape.
“The show has sparked a whole new genre of car restoration programmes and now there are networks dedicated to just that. They can all work their way back to this little show called Wheeler Dealers.”
In November though, Mike revealed how his TV job “nearly cost him his marriage“.
Last month, he told what the five worst things you could say to a car dealer.
Mike also explained recently what all the car dealer jargon really means.