10:07 am, November 7, 2025
The used car market is currently going through a difficult period as customers wait to see how their tax bills will be impacted by this month’s Budget.
That is the verdict of industry veteran Scott Sibley, who has been sharing his thoughts on the challenges currently facing the industry.
Appearing on the latest episode of the Car Dealer Podcast, Sibley said that the recent downturn has been like ‘climbing a mountain’.
However, he insisted that with fresh ideas and cutting edge technology, there are still more than a few reasons for dealers to be cheerful.
‘It’s been a tough few months,’ Sibley admitted. ‘October’s been slow — we finished about 20 cars behind where we’d like to be. It’s been like climbing a mountain.’
He added: ‘The only thing I can put my finger on, I think people are hanging on for this budget.
‘I don’t really get into politics and things like that but this Labour Party – they don’t seem to be doing a very good job.
‘I think it’s a bit doom and gloom out there. Normal consumers might be concerned that their taxes are going to go up, maybe.
‘I think people are maybe just holding off a little bit.’
Despite the tricky period, Sibley’s Redgate Lodge remains in a strong position thanks in a large part to its diverse portfolio.
The business runs a main dealership, a mid-range ‘Select’ site, and a prep and body-shop centre employing more than 50 staff.
Sibley says that the aim is to sell up to 200 cars a month, although that figure has proved to be a challenge in recent times.
‘We just battle on,’ Sibley said. ‘It hasn’t been a great year, but you’ve got to keep pushing.’
From the driveway to Dealerway
Sibley’s career in the motor trade began by selling Renault Clios from his driveway, but he was soon able to scale up his business.
Now 15 years into his journey, Redgate Lodge has won countless prizes, including several gongs at the Car Dealer Used Car Awards.
He also now runs Dealerway – a trade-to-trade marketplace which allows car dealers to list unwanted part exchange vehicles online and sell them to other retailers at just the click of a button.
Having initially kicked off as a small Facebook group called ‘Part-ex Gold’, the firm has now grown into a market-leading service with more than 2,500 dealer partners.
The app connects sellers directly with buyers, charging just £99 per transaction — a fraction of traditional auction fees.
Elsewhere, Sibley has also began is own YouTube channel, which takes viewers behind the scenes of life in his dealership.
With fingers in so many pies, the retailer could be forgiven for looking forward to a quiet Christmas, but rest is the last thing on his mind for now.
‘December’s used to be quiet, but lately they’ve been OK — people do their Christmas shopping earlier, so we still get some traffic,’ he said.
‘January usually takes off, and hopefully this year it will again. You’ve just got to keep evolving — that’s the only way to survive in this trade.’
The Car Dealer Podcast, sponsored by Auto Trader, sees an industry guest join our hosts to discuss the motor trade’s biggest headlines of every week.
A full list of the stories discussed can be found here.
You can listen to all episodes of the Car Dealer Podcast on Spotify, or watch them in full on our YouTube channel.
