9:52 am, March 31, 2025
Every used car dealer needs a USP – a little something that helps them to stand out from the crowd.
For some it can be quirky videos, while others benefit from an interesting backdrop for photos. However, we’re not sure that too many have anything quite as unique as the team down at SVM Automotive.
The Bournemouth-based dealership operates out of an enormous ‘polytunnel’ – more traditionally used for growing tomatoes than flipping cars.
The huge structure has space for up to 16 cars to be safely stocked inside, with SVM benefitting from significantly lower overheads than the costs usually associated with a more traditional showroom.
The only downside for boss Jonathan Chorley-Burdett is the extra heat – although even that has it’s benefits.
Appearing as a guest on the most recent episode of the Car Dealer Podcast, he joked: ‘I’m sweating as it is at the moment but I feel like by the end of this podcast, I might have grown an inch!
‘I started the business up selling from my driveway and then I needed more space as you can only sell a couple from the driveway at best.
‘It was doing quite well and I thought, “let’s move to somewhere else” so I moved into a small town called Charminster.
‘That started up as being an eight car pitch but I wasn’t really allowed to do car sales from there and I was in desperate need to find somewhere else because the council were on my case.
‘Fortunately, one of my best friends has got a motorcycle dealership on the same compound and he just said, “Well, what about the polytunnel that’s just come up, I’ve just been sent an email?”
‘This was on the day that it needed to be decided what was happening [with the business] so I came down, had a look and I could get 15, 16 cars inside the polytunnel depending on the size of the cars.
‘I thought I’d just take it so I took it on. That was in May last year and here we are now.
‘I’ve taken on the part that’s just behind the polytunnel as well, I’ve been able to build a nice big office and I can take on about 50 cars now on this pitch.
‘It’s turned in to be a bit of a godsend and I can’t complain at the overheads because it’s extremely reasonable.’
‘I loved being around cars’
Chorley-Burdett initially set up SVM Automotive in late 2023 having previously worked in the sales department of his local Mercedes franchise around a decade earlier.
After leaving that job, he enjoyed a season working in Marbella before heading back to the UK to sell kitchens.
A self-confessed petrolhead, he soon decided that the world of worktops and cupboards was not for him and made the call to set out on his own in the world of used cars.
Explaining his journey with podcast hosts Jon Reay and James Baggott, he said: ‘I’m just a heavy petrol head.
‘I’d worked for Mercedes-Benz, one of the franchises down my way, about 10 years ago. I left that and went and did a little season in Marbella – I just had to have my break from everything. That was great fun and I got lots of stories from there.
‘Then when I came back, I ended up going still in sales, but different products altogether, selling kitchens. Then it just got to the point where it wasn’t for me. I loved being around cars.
‘My friend was starting up the business that’s opposite me here so I took massive inspiration from him.
‘I saw a few other people doing it and thought, “if they can do it, why can’t I do it?”. My dad has always been a big inspiration in my life as well, in the side of that he’s always owned his own business – he was an antiques dealer.
‘It’s not same product but the same kind of concept – buying from auctions and selling on at a higher price that you bought. It kind of just led to me thinking, “I’m going to do it”.
‘I started with £1,000, went and bought a Volkswagen Eos with a massive dent down the side of the car and managed to flip that for a £700 profit.
‘Then just one to two to three and kept going and going and going.’
The Car Dealer Podcast, sponsored by Carwow, 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 on this week’s episode can be found here.
You can listen to all episodes of the Car Dealer Podcast on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
