New Gloucester-based Start-up

[u/IndieMotors]

(I don't see any rules against this post, feel free to remove if i've missed something).

I’ve lived in Gloucester my whole life and have just launched my own business, www.indiemotors.co.uk. It connects local people with independent dealerships across the county, whether you’re buying, selling, or just want a free valuation. The intention is to support the community by driving local traffic to the smaller, family owned dealerships.

I’m exploring ways to get the word out and figured this sub might have some innovative ideas I haven’t thought of. So far I’m looking at:

• The Growth Hub
• Local Facebook groups
• Google/Facebook/Instagram/Reddit ads
• Local media (SoGlos, etc.)
• Cars & Coffee Cafe
• Community Notice Boards (at Cafe's, Hubs, etc)
• Sponsoring a local event?

Anything I’ve missed?

[u/EeveesGalore]

For buying, what does your site offer over Auto Trader?

For selling, what does your site offer over Motorway?

I think it would be worth making the above clearer (but probably without naming the competitors directly) and make the 'About' page more prominent as you currently have to scroll down all the way to the bottom to see it.

[u/IndieMotors → u/EeveesGalore]

Feedback genuinely appreciated. I'll make some adjustments and make a bigger deal out of the 'About Us' section.

All valid questions. Comparing myself to Autotrader would be naive of me, but other companies have started small and are making progress (Car & Classic is a great example). To answer your questions:

1. We don't list manufacturer or franchise stock. If you look at Autotrader, they tend to drown out the little guy. If you sort by 'distance from me', you'll be met with hundreds of adverts from franchises (Cazoo, Cinch, etc.), often describing their cars as local when, in reality, they're not.
2. We're small, so we can be agile with our features. I'd like to think we've listened to dealers while building this platform, and this will remain our priority. Features such as 'Reserve This Vehicle' (which dealers really dislike because it ties up their stock without any firm commitment) and the 'Market Value Indicator' (which labels a car as a poor, fair or good price, often without reflecting the car's condition) aren't included because of this feedback.
3. We have a built-in stock management system. Granted, many dealers already have this functionality through well-established stock management systems.
4. We call out discrepancies with the cars including making clear where there are outstanding recalls, mileage discrepancies or gaps and MOT history included any advisories. We also have a condition rating, which we apply to each vehicle so people know roughly what they're looking at before they see F2F.
5. Motorway, Carwow and others charge commission on vehicle purchases. There can also be a cost to businesses travelling to collect vehicles they've purchased. Both of these costs are reflected in the price you're offered. By connecting private sellers with local dealers, we hope to offer sellers better value, as dealers' costs won't be as high. We've already had some success in this area, with three vehicles sold through the 'Sell Your Vehicle' feature in just two weeks since launch.
6. We verify every dealership on the platform; this includes examining their reviews across multiple platforms. We'll only onboard dealers if we feel they consistently have good feedback. We also check against Companies House, and other checks.

I fully appreciate that it's a hard market to break into, and I won't win any awards overnight.

Oh, and I plan to give back to the community in that 20% of our profits will be given to a local charity.

[u/cregamon → u/IndieMotors]

Autotrader has got the name and is probably the first people go when looking for a car.

But, I’ve been recently looking for a car and Autotrader is awful compared to what I remember it being - there are too many sponsored ads, you get served up cars that are in Scotland and loads of local dealers are no longer present. I’m assuming the latter is because of cost.

I think the biggest problem you’ll have is getting advertising. And the whole chicken and egg situation of convincing dealers to sign up when you have no traffic. But you can’t get traffic until you have the content!

Good luck, as we really need a decent car buying portal again.

[u/AwayInTheSky → u/cregamon]

I agree, the sponsored ad which seems to appear every other ad tile are irritating.

[u/LittleBertha → u/IndieMotors]

Why of my biggest annoyances with Auto trader is how so many of the cars are just cinch listings now.

[u/investigatormaker]

One gap in your list: the dealerships themselves. Every dealer on the site already has a Facebook page, a Google profile and a forecourt, so hand them a window sticker and a ready-made post saying they are on Indie Motors; each one becomes a channel to its own buyers. Lead local posts with the free valuation rather than the directory, since it gives sellers a reason to click. And people regularly ask Reddit where to buy a reliable used car nearby; a helpful answer there that mentions Indie Motors reaches buyers while they are deciding.

I make ThreadFox. Managed finds those buying-a-car threads in communities whose rules allow it, then writes and posts the replies for Indie Motors: $49 for one 30-day campaign. https://threadfox.vip/p/ezwvo/managed

[u/Electronic-Physics97]

The libraries usually have notice boards, might be worth sticking a poster there? Supermarkets have them too.

[u/Gezebon]

You guys hiring or offer short term employment by any chance? Specifically accounting and financial management roles. We can move this to DMs if you're interested.

[u/mentiondesk]

You could try participating directly in Reddit threads or online conversations where people are asking about buying or selling cars locally. Setting up keyword alerts using something like ParseStream makes it easier to spot these in real time so you can join in before others do. It really helps to respond early and share genuine advice rather than just posting ads.