At the time I was working as a part time journalist, but chance had it that a close family friend had been working in the car business for years. It was his proposition to come in to the company and pass a day or two on the job at the incisive end. In my opinion the best way to research is by being chucked into the deep end.

I had never before been to the garage where my friend worked, but knew I was close by when I saw a sign at the entrance to the mews saying Raffety’s used cars for sale. The showroom was deceptively spacious, and appeared to go back far towards the centre of the railway arch. There were many different makes and models on show.

When I arrived, a little later than promised, I saw a young chap on the forecourt applying some tender care to a old BMW. “Are you looking to Buy a Honda“, he asked with a hopeful look on his face. I straight off thought he must be on some sort of commission agreement, as he seemed to waste no time in speaking to me.

“No thanks” I replied, “I am hear to see how the business works, and to write an article for the local newspaper.”

Having made my introductions, I was positioned near a telephone and told to be the ‘voice’ of the company. I did enjoy this as I had built quite a good rappor with the public. Perhaps the most common question that I was asked was ‘do you know where I can Buy a Renault.’