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Call for Sunday trade as sales fall

A change to seven-day trading would bring Queensland into line with other states.

Used car dealers desperate to lift stagnant sales say they are losing out because of "backward'' state laws banning Sunday trading.

Several motor dealers have called for restrictions on trading hours to be lifted so shoppers would be free to wheel and deal on a Sunday. A change to seven-day trading would bring Queensland into line with other states, including Victoria and NSW.

It comes amid complaints of "abysmal'' second-hand vehicle sales as buyers enticed by interest-free finance deals flock to new, imported cars. One business owner reported a 60 per cent drop in pre-global financial crisis sales levels, with tens of thousands of dollars in losses a month.

Koala Cars owner Steve Bennett, who runs one of the state's biggest used car yards, said seven-day trading was inevitable for metro dealers. Kedron-based Great Deal Motors owner David Cooper said dealers were losing sales to "shonky backyard dealers pretending to be private sellers'' because car yards could not open on a Sunday.

"It has a definite negative impact on my business,'' Mr Cooper said. Calls for extended trading hours have been opposed by other dealers, who fear it would drive up staffing costs for a small number of extra sales.

Motor Trade Association of Queensland general manager Kellie Dewar said it had been approached by a motor dealer about Sunday trading, but said the majority of dealers did not want it because of the difficulty in staffing seven-day trading.

Vehicle inspections of used cars by the RACQ, meanwhile, have fallen 15 per cent compared with this time last year as second-hand car sales lag behind. RACQ safety policy manager Steve Spalding said strong demand for new cars and people holding out longer before buying a new car were factors.