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15
Apr 2023
Motorhouse owner sad to be retiring from the car trade
The owner of the Motorhouse car dealership on the Ripon Road near Killinghall says he is sad to be selling the business and retiring.
Seventy-seven-year-old John Steele has been trading cars on the landmark site for a quarter of a century, and this week the Stray Ferret reported that the site is to be sold at auction.
Mr Steele said he has loved his work:
Mr Steele's love of cars began in his childhood. His favourite car is an E-Type Jaguar which as a young man he'd always dreamed of owning. He went on to own quite a few of them.
Over the past 25 years, the trade has changed. He began in 1967 by simply putting a van-for-sale advert in his local newspaper. Now the internet means he's had buyers from all over the world:
As his car dealing career comes to a close at the site, Mr Steele says he recently sold his most expensive car, a Rolls Royce Ghost for £90,000.
Predictably for a man who loves cars, Mr Steele owns a few and plans to enjoy taking them to car shows and doing the odd bit of trade with some friends.
The property is now up for auction with Myrings estate agents – with a guide price of £800,000. Called Harrogate View Grange, it includes Motorhouse’s showroom with garage and workshop, a 25-car forecourt, and a three-bedroom house with undercroft garaging.
Asked what he thinks will happen to the site, he said:
The auction is due to close at 2pm on Thursday, April 27.
Read more:
- Landmark Harrogate business put up for sale
- Driver fined for seriously injuring pedestrian in Killinghall
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