WHAT EVENING TELEGRAPH HAD TO SAY ABOUT US...

In 1995, Shamir Majid and his brother Latif were looking for an opportunity to start a business. Both in their early 20's, the brothers were unsure what direction to take, but when the going concern, Monifieth Cars became available, they grasped the opportunity.

Shamir and Latif had very strong beliefs on how a pre-owned car business should be developed. 

Shamir says, “Second-hand car dealers have a very poor reputation. We wanted to distance ourselves from that image by providing a first-rate service and top quality products.” “Our cars are quality vehicles. We look to buy in cars we would be happy to drive ourselves. We sell on quality, pre-owned vehicles and have been HPI checked.” With the support of the Royal Bank, which had been the family’s bank for some years. The brothers became established in Monifieth.

Working in a close-knit community has been a major advantage.Shamir says, “Our reputation has been built on recommendation. Word of mouth has brought us many customers and, once they come to us, we find they are very likely to come back again when they want a newer model.”

The brothers’ philosophy is not that closing a sale is the completion of business with a customer, but it is the start of a relationship.One older driver brought her car back six months after she had bought it.She had a problem with the wiper. The brothers replaced the blade. Valeted the car and returned it to the customer. She was so impressed with the promptness and quality of service that she returned to the showroom within an hour of collecting the car with home-baked bread for Shamir and Latif. “It’s days like that which make the effort worthwhile,” says Shamir. 

“We have always believed that running a business is not just about money. If the customer is happy then we are happy.” A recent development has been the launch of an import business, bringing in performance models for customers. This has seen the company’s name become known the length and breadth of the country.Amongst the cars they have sold-on have been new BMW’s and Mercedes which attracted customers from the north of Scotland to London.

For the future, Shamir and Latif see the Internet as a medium to develop the business, and they are planning a website for Monifieth Cars, which would show customers the range of cars available.

One member of the family, when meeting a customer during a visit to a supermarket was shocked when the man said he “wouldn’t buy a car from them again”. When enquiring what had led to such a shocking decision, it emerged that the man was so happy with his new cars that he didn’t want to part with it!

And he further endorsed the brothers’ sales policies by purchasing a car for his wife.