When I talk to the network, I am conscious that confidence is certainly the dominant sentiment for the majority of used car specialists right now. What has helped has been the sourcing of stock becoming a little easier, although nowhere near as easy as they would like. However, it is still better to face the problem of sourcing good stock than trying to find non-existent buyers.

Nor should we underestimate the challenge around the sourcing of quality stock. When every dealer is chasing a limited quantity of perfect cars, margins inevitably come under pressure as trade values are forced up. The other issue will clearly be remaining attractive as a high-quality alternative to ever more affordable new cars.

Not for nothing has the SMMT revised its forecast for this year upward from 2.3m to 2.4m new car registrations and I am seeing some previously unexpected players coming in with serious financial support to help dealers shift as many new cars as possible.

But the other side of the coin is an air of positivity around car sales in general. Good used car dealers are capitalising on this by ensuring that their offering is sufficiently attractive and differentiated from the new car proposition. Coupled with the continued improvement in the economic outlook, this year is again set for success in the used car sector.