Kimbers Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 Hey all, Well I did it! I resigned this morning for pastures new. You all know that I am passionate about both Honda and the Motor industry, Unfortunately the industry is changing and the Govt are pretty much attempting to stop everyone buying cars in future. As such I am moving to a senior position with a large Rental company. My initial position will be setting up purchase plans for vehicles with dealers throughout the UK, most brands (we don't deal with the mass market...Ford, Vauxhall) but concentrating on the more premium brands, Honda, VW, etc. In the future there will be a Business to Business short term lease company (6 monthly deals) and who knows what the future holds! I am sorry to be leaving Honda, but the route they are currently going down has forced my hand, many of the companies I deal with (and earn from) have been taken in House. Watch this space! Quote Possibly save your life. Check out this website.http://everyman-campaign.org/ Distributor for 'Every Male' grooming products. (Discounts for any TLF members hairier than I am!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matk Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 Congratulations! Have they counter offered you yet? Hope everything works out well for you, and be interesting to see what your next Company Car is? Quote Regards Mat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clark Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 My initial position will be setting up purchase plans for vehicles with dealers throughout the UK, most brands (we don't deal with the mass market...Ford, Vauxhall) but concentrating on the more premium brands, Honda, VW, etc. Hmmm, a certain premium brand of car does jump to mind... Congrats on the move, best of luck at your new job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John V6 Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 What discount then ? All the best in the new venture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esprit350 Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 best of luck to you Tony,,, by the way how long have Honda and VW been premium brands? Quote The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. Friedrich Nietzsche find me on Tripadvisor http://www.tripadvis...mbers/espritguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bibs Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 I'm sure Kimbers merely omitted his thanks for his recruitment consultant who has offered help, advice, guidance and support throughout the process however I'll happily accept those omitted thanks Well done mate, onwards and upwards. Oh, and the new company car... Quote 88 Esprit NA, 89 Esprit Turbo SE, Evora, Evora S, Evora IPS, Evora S IPS, Evora S IPS SR, Evora 400, Elise S1, Elise S1 111s, Evora GT410 Sport Evora NA For forum issues, please contact the Moderators. I will aim to respond to emails/PM's Mon-Fri 9-6 GMT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Steve L Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 Kimbers Best of luck in your new role. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iainskea Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 Well done Tony - good luck with the new position. Iain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_england99 Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 Tony, All the best in the new role. Regards, Peter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimbers Posted April 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 Bibs did help me make my mind up in his direct, no nonsense approach. We have just done a deal with Toyota as well. Howard, there are 3 main "areas" within the car industry. There's Mass produced, thats Ford, Vauxhall in the main, though several other slip into this banding due to their residual values (Kia, Fiat to name but 2) then there is the midfield challengers: Peugeot, Citreon, Skoda, Suzuki, Seat etc. Finally there is Premium, with Toyota at the bottom (almost slipping into the midfield), Honda VW then on to the top end of premium BMW, Audi. What you would call these is different but bandings tend to come from residual values at 3 years old. Ford etc are low 20 to 30 %. Midfield tend to be 30-40%. Top end 40% upwards. Honda's and VW's may not be considered premium brand by yourself but are much better news and not very far off BMW at all, in the residual stakes. The Honda CRV for example is upwards of 50% at present, much higher than the X3. The one brand that is not really placeable is Jaguar. Premium money from new, Ford values used, but still considered premium (by anyone not trying to sell one!) Quote Possibly save your life. Check out this website.http://everyman-campaign.org/ Distributor for 'Every Male' grooming products. (Discounts for any TLF members hairier than I am!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esprit350 Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 thanks for the explanation Tony , my perception of premium would be Rolls Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin ferrari etc not mass market goods like ford honda vw etc so where do the upper end cars fit in to the three catagories or dont they? Quote The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. Friedrich Nietzsche find me on Tripadvisor http://www.tripadvis...mbers/espritguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andydclements Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 I'm sure I wished you all th best at the time you mentioned the offer. I'm sure you'll enjoy the fresh challenge, and the commuting isn't too bad as it's not London every day. Well done mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmezza Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 All the best, Kimbers It's good to see people having the guts to take big and often scary steps. I'm sure the future will be very exciting! Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tentenths Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 Good lad! I take it the resignation letter still didn't elicit an improved counter-offer then? Tight wads! No matter... I've no doubt that you'll love every minute of your new role. A couple of ex-IFA colleagues started a leasing/rental company a couple of years ago and I know they've not looked back since, both from a job satisfaction perspective and financially too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimbers Posted April 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 Howard Normally the likes of Lotus, Ferrari, RR, bentley have their own grouping as "Life style" choice cars. Normally small production numbers and the specialist types of car mean they are not within the "normal" public domain when it comes to car decisions and therefore not in the the bandings. If you look at residuals though, many of them are quite good. A 3 year old Bentley may be worth 50-60% of it's original value, but lets not forget that the depreciation alone may equal 3 normal cars' purchase price! Thanks for all the kind comments. Quote Possibly save your life. Check out this website.http://everyman-campaign.org/ Distributor for 'Every Male' grooming products. (Discounts for any TLF members hairier than I am!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
punky Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 Good on you Kimbers. and good luck. If you don Quote http://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/topic/8126-30-v6-conversion/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esp88 Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 Good luck Tony ! (hope the best ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerch Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 As a relative newbie, I never knew you worked for Honda, though always facinated to know what fellow Lotus owners do for a living. I assume you will still be talking to us, so I have a question for you, I read the other day that Chapman ordered the black badge after the death of Jimmy Clark (still my idol after all these years) but I was always under the impression it was following Jochen Rindt's death, so who's right me or the book. Good luck with the new job hope it's everything you hope for. Roger Quote Life is like a sewer, what you get out of it, depends on what you put into it. (Tom Leahrer) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimbers Posted April 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 Officially both. Whenever a driver or important person died at Lotus they would commemorate it with a Black badge on the next production run. This answers why there are so many black badges out there. I think Jim Clark's black badge run was a year and was back as black again shortly after when Rindt died. The badge was Black for a long time after Colin died (before it changed to the oval badge) and Ronnie as well. But take into account Elio (though not in a Lotus) and Rindt and various factory employees and you have a lot of Black badges. Quote Possibly save your life. Check out this website.http://everyman-campaign.org/ Distributor for 'Every Male' grooming products. (Discounts for any TLF members hairier than I am!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 I may have already said it once but well done & good luck Tony! At last, no more constant Honda sales (Roger - for some previous discussions and 'theories' on the black badges have a look here) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talon Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 Well done tony! Best of luck in the new position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardN Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 Good luck in the new job Tony, I was rather intrigued by one of your reasons for leaving Honda, namely that the Government are doing all they can to stop us buying cars. Is this something we, the unwashed public don't know about or are you just referring to the usual petrol duty, road charging, congestion charges etc.? Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza 907 Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 Good luck with the new job. They say that a change is as good as a rest so enjoy the rest Bazza Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jukka Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 Good luck Tony Interesting opinions about premium cars. Difficult to accept that Toyota, Honda or VW are premiums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimbers Posted April 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 It does depend where you live. For example in America Honda is basic stuff because Acura is their premium Honda brand. Mercedes are seen as a Premium brand here and a Taxi in Spain and Germany. Toyota are Mass market in America, but people percieve them as a quality car here (they are much better built than Ford/Vauxhall). It's all relative to where you live I suppose. Wearing my Honda hat, in recent surveys Honda are considered a quality brand over here, with good residuals, good quality and high specs. I only quote from the market research. Quote Possibly save your life. Check out this website.http://everyman-campaign.org/ Distributor for 'Every Male' grooming products. (Discounts for any TLF members hairier than I am!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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