Used LAND ROVER
Used MERCEDES-BENZMichael James was founded in 2025 by Mike; with decades of expertise and experience in the automotive industry, Mike became frustrated with his own experiences when searching for, and buying, his own cars. He realised that if the experience didn't meet his own expectations, and took the excitement out of getting a new car for him, then how must it feel for the general consumer, without all of his experience, ability to inspect a vehicle's condition and his intricate understanding of the industry.
With all of his experience, and having run his own successful businesses in the past, Mike founded Michael James with the aim of offering a bespoke, boutique service to discerning customers, where they can go to gain trust, to develop understanding, and to feel like the weight is shifted toward them, the customer, rather than the expert motor trade. He had spent years helping friends, family and colleagues source and inspect cars, and so founding Michael James simply built upon this foundation, allowing him to deliver the experience that he would want for his own family.
Despite holding technical know how, as a business we do not conduct testing (for example MOT), servicing or repair ourselves. We have instead partnered with a number of local and national companies to allow us to focus our attention on selecting and inspecting the right vehicles to bring into stock, and to afford you, the customer, a low pressure, high trust, buying experience. We believe that this allows us to deliver a premium service, with an independently verified vehicle. We are selective about the companies that we partner with, from dedicated detailing companies, through to manufacturer-specific specialists. We focus on quality and we only use businesses that Mike trusts for his own family's cars.
All vehicles are stored and presented in a highly specified indoor showroom and we operate on an appointment basis to ensure that you receive our undivided attention when making your big purchase. We know that the majority of a buying journey is conducted online before you come to view a car, so we are more than happy to take time with you on the phone, swap multiple emails, images, documents and share videos before you arrive - transparency is key. You will be warmly greeted and given time to inspect your prospective new car within our comfortable indoor showroom. Some of our best family memories were excitedly collecting new cars, and we aim to deliver the same for you.
Below is a brief extract of some of Mike's experience:
Motorcycles: Mike was fortunate to first learn to ride motorcycles in the late 1980s, and would go on to volunteer in the family motorcycle shop before working in a Harley-Davidson dealership, for a 4x Grand Prix Champion, as his first full-time job. Later in his career, he would go on to help Harley-Davidson develop the robotic systems in one of their North American manufacturing facilities. Having given up riding to focus on providing for his young family, Mike returned to motorcycles many years later, becoming a DVSA Accredited Advanced Rider and completing various advanced training from Dragon Rider to the Police BikeSafe program. As an advanced motorcyclist, engineer and road safety specialist, he's an advocate for responsible road riding, enjoys off road riding and trials, and is a huge supporter of all the good that motorcyclists do through toy runs, volunteering and general charity efforts.
Motorsport: Upon leaving school and having initially considered an apprenticeship with several major car manufacturers to train as a vehicle technician, Mike had already been trained to diagnose and repair motorcycles, which at the time were using lightweight materials and powertrain technologies far in advance of those used on most road cars; so, wanting to continue his education and work with cutting edge technology, Mike went on to qualify as a Motorsport Engineer. Mike learned to weld and fabricate and specialised in chassis dynamics, building custom roll cages and re-designing chassis geometries and dynamics to improve vehicle performance. Always chasing the very latest technologies and technological advances, he eventually moved into high tech software, where his technical background enabled him to operate as a trusted liaison to the world's leading supercar manufacturers and the Formula 1 paddock: Mike's motorsport career has afforded him tremendous experiences, from making technical proposals to certain Formula 1 teams that helped them regain championship success, through to having his children babysat by Ferrari team members, offering Italian Pizza and Ice Cream, while he was on circuit at Silverstone.
Research and Technology: In a series of unplanned moves, Mike found himself working at the Transport Research Laboratory, where he taught himself to operate road design software. His understanding of vehicle dynamics proved a valuable asset, and he soon found himself translating his experience to train government bodies on how to design and build safer roads, even lecturing at universities, travelling internationally and accepting invitations to represent the UK in technical committees with the likes of the US Transportation Research Board and the Transportation Association of Canada. He has since worked for many more tech companies, has instructed several US states on how to design roundabouts, has built computer simulation models of massive, specialist oversize and overweight trucks travelling through critical routes, has worked with leading global car manufacturers to improve quality, design state-of-the-art driver display and interfaces, improve aerodynamics, save weight, create digital twins of their pre-development models, increase occupant safety, market their vehicles and improve long term customer relationships with their customers. From 9-person companies to global public corporations, Mike has worked across all facets of the automotive industry.
With all of his experience, and having run his own successful businesses in the past, Mike founded Michael James with the aim of offering a bespoke, boutique service to discerning customers, where they can go to gain trust, to develop understanding, and to feel like the weight is shifted toward them, the customer, rather than the expert motor trade. He had spent years helping friends, family and colleagues source and inspect cars, and so founding Michael James simply built upon this foundation, allowing him to deliver the experience that he would want for his own family.
Despite holding technical know how, as a business we do not conduct testing (for example MOT), servicing or repair ourselves. We have instead partnered with a number of local and national companies to allow us to focus our attention on selecting and inspecting the right vehicles to bring into stock, and to afford you, the customer, a low pressure, high trust, buying experience. We believe that this allows us to deliver a premium service, with an independently verified vehicle. We are selective about the companies that we partner with, from dedicated detailing companies, through to manufacturer-specific specialists. We focus on quality and we only use businesses that Mike trusts for his own family's cars.
All vehicles are stored and presented in a highly specified indoor showroom and we operate on an appointment basis to ensure that you receive our undivided attention when making your big purchase. We know that the majority of a buying journey is conducted online before you come to view a car, so we are more than happy to take time with you on the phone, swap multiple emails, images, documents and share videos before you arrive - transparency is key. You will be warmly greeted and given time to inspect your prospective new car within our comfortable indoor showroom. Some of our best family memories were excitedly collecting new cars, and we aim to deliver the same for you.
Below is a brief extract of some of Mike's experience:
Motorcycles: Mike was fortunate to first learn to ride motorcycles in the late 1980s, and would go on to volunteer in the family motorcycle shop before working in a Harley-Davidson dealership, for a 4x Grand Prix Champion, as his first full-time job. Later in his career, he would go on to help Harley-Davidson develop the robotic systems in one of their North American manufacturing facilities. Having given up riding to focus on providing for his young family, Mike returned to motorcycles many years later, becoming a DVSA Accredited Advanced Rider and completing various advanced training from Dragon Rider to the Police BikeSafe program. As an advanced motorcyclist, engineer and road safety specialist, he's an advocate for responsible road riding, enjoys off road riding and trials, and is a huge supporter of all the good that motorcyclists do through toy runs, volunteering and general charity efforts.
Motorsport: Upon leaving school and having initially considered an apprenticeship with several major car manufacturers to train as a vehicle technician, Mike had already been trained to diagnose and repair motorcycles, which at the time were using lightweight materials and powertrain technologies far in advance of those used on most road cars; so, wanting to continue his education and work with cutting edge technology, Mike went on to qualify as a Motorsport Engineer. Mike learned to weld and fabricate and specialised in chassis dynamics, building custom roll cages and re-designing chassis geometries and dynamics to improve vehicle performance. Always chasing the very latest technologies and technological advances, he eventually moved into high tech software, where his technical background enabled him to operate as a trusted liaison to the world's leading supercar manufacturers and the Formula 1 paddock: Mike's motorsport career has afforded him tremendous experiences, from making technical proposals to certain Formula 1 teams that helped them regain championship success, through to having his children babysat by Ferrari team members, offering Italian Pizza and Ice Cream, while he was on circuit at Silverstone.
Research and Technology: In a series of unplanned moves, Mike found himself working at the Transport Research Laboratory, where he taught himself to operate road design software. His understanding of vehicle dynamics proved a valuable asset, and he soon found himself translating his experience to train government bodies on how to design and build safer roads, even lecturing at universities, travelling internationally and accepting invitations to represent the UK in technical committees with the likes of the US Transportation Research Board and the Transportation Association of Canada. He has since worked for many more tech companies, has instructed several US states on how to design roundabouts, has built computer simulation models of massive, specialist oversize and overweight trucks travelling through critical routes, has worked with leading global car manufacturers to improve quality, design state-of-the-art driver display and interfaces, improve aerodynamics, save weight, create digital twins of their pre-development models, increase occupant safety, market their vehicles and improve long term customer relationships with their customers. From 9-person companies to global public corporations, Mike has worked across all facets of the automotive industry.