I have now been the owner of the Ligier and Experience Store Doesburg for 42 months.
42 months in which I have learned an incredible amount: about the microcar market, the used car market, running an automotive retail location – and about myself.

If we look purely at the microcar market, then honestly we can be quite satisfied. Since I started, the market has grown by tens of percent. Amsterdam has developed into the microcar capital of Europe. And the segments that I knew had potential – especially under the age of 18 – have outright exploded. This is mainly due to the entry of Opel, Citroën and, most recently, Fiat, with their attractive and above all affordable entry-level models. Not that the traditional brands such as Ligier and Aixam have not benefited from this: we have also sold more. But the segment has mainly grown because of these three brands.

Experience Store Doesburg

After 12 months, I started selling used cars when I got the opportunity to buy the entire building in Doesburg. Mainly Lynk & Co’s, Cupras and their trade-ins. The complexity of microcars – the segments, the lead turnaround times – is completely different from used cars. Where I needed more than six weeks to sell the first microcar, it only took 24 hours before we sold the first used car. A world of difference.

After that, I thought a workshop would be smart, but with one mechanic who does not speak the language, that is very difficult. All communication then ends up at the front desk, which means less focus on sales and more on the day-to-day hustle. I found that difficult. Back then, already as a SsangYong dealer, aftersales was not my thing, and now I have learned again that this truly is a profession — and that you can really get burned on it.

Now, after 42 months, we are doing what we are good at. With 1.2 salespeople, we sell more than 25 retail microcars and/or used cars per month, with a lead-to-sale conversion rate of over 22%. That is a very good figure, if I may say so.

Financial

Financially, however, it remains challenging. Without a workshop, you have to have cars prepared for delivery elsewhere. Even though we have fantastic partners, such as the local Volvo dealer, the neighbor around the corner and Autotrust: making money only in sales, at these volumes, is difficult. You need to achieve at least €2,000 net margin per car to make that work. One month that works out fine, another month it is difficult.

That is why I am now, on Boxing Day, looking ahead to 2026. To a year in which we finally have the right mix between revenues and costs. In which we can grow from +25 to +30 sales and further increase conversions. Because 22% is top, but that also means I lose 78.
78 opportunities that apparently buy elsewhere and not from us. That makes you think.

If I had known everything in advance, I probably would not have started. But once you have started, it becomes a matter of entrepreneurship until you find the right setup. Thanks to partners such as Ligier Group BeNeLux Bart Seelen, Volvo Nieuwenhuijse, DFM Remko van der Meer and Autotrust Arne Swart, that is possible — and of course together with my team, in whatever form: Daan Buiting, Thymen Poortinga and Niko.