Point of sale finance now funds 49 per cent of all new private car sales, compared to 47 per cent in 2007, according to the Finance and Leasing Association. FLA head of motor finance Paul Harrison said: “FLA statistics show point-of-sale motor finance has remained attractive to customers during current tight credit conditions. … [Read more...]
Win a pre-loaded Ipod Shuffle!
June 28, 2008 By
Want to win a brand new iPod Shuffle in the colour of your choice pre-loaded with 30 of your favourite tunes? Enter our new competition and it could be yours! … [Read more...]
Inchcape reports sales rise despite UK slowdown
June 27, 2008 By
Dealer group makes solid progess over year-to-date Inchcape has reported solid progress in the first five months of the year despite a slowdown in the UK market in May and a downturn in its European operations, which also cover Belgium and Greece, in the year-to-date. … [Read more...]
Diesel now £6 a gallon
June 26, 2008 By
The average price of diesel is now 131.9p a litre – over £6 per gallon – and with unleaded petrol now costing an average118.6p a litre, motorists are spending £14.3 million more each day at the pump than a year ago. A survey for The Times has revealed that the rise in pump prices over the past year is changing people’s behaviour. … [Read more...]
Save money on your car insurance
June 25, 2008 By
We motorists are getting squeezed ever tighter on a daily basis so the more ways we can find to ease the pain the better. When you come to renew your car insurance, guess what? It's going to have gone up! With that in mind follow these tips and you could save a lot of money! … [Read more...]
Dealer jailed for “rip-offs”
June 24, 2008 By
A south of England car dealer was jailed last week for ripping off customers in a string of bogus deals. After Strouds Motor Specialists in Fordingbridge went bust in 2006 with debts of £650,000, an investigation by receivers and the police discovered that owner Colin Stroud had defrauded customers who never received their cars. … [Read more...]
Audi warns of car price rises
June 24, 2008 By
Rupert Stadler, chief executive of Audi, has warned that it may need to increase its vehicle prices above inflation in response to soaring material and technological costs. Stadler told the Financial Times Audi "would be prepared" to raise its prices next year if current cost trends continued, and depending on what its competitors … [Read more...]
Top 10 New Registrations for May 2008
June 22, 2008 By
Falling new car registrations are starting to make headlines in the national newspapers. This is a clear indication that June, July and August are going to be difficult months for new car dealers. In fact last months total was the smallest for May since 1999 … [Read more...]
Tough times but the basics remain the same
June 20, 2008 By
The motor industry is having a tough time at present along with the rest of the country, of that there can be no argument; however the rules remain the same. A dealership which has good systems and sound processes and are prepared to make customer care their number one priority target will succeed. … [Read more...]
Japanese cars Honda, Toyota, Daihatsu are most reliable, survey says
June 20, 2008 By
Japanese car manufacturers have enhanced their already formidable reputation for first class engineering by leading a reliability league table drawn up in one of the UK's most detailed motoring surveys. Cars made by Japanese companies comfortably outperformed British models when it came to dependability, according to the survey carried out by … [Read more...]
New road tax wipes thousands off cars
June 20, 2008 By
Alan Cole has been selling used cars in Wigan for 26 years. He has seen plenty of ups and downs in the industry over that time, from tax increases through to recessions. But he admits he has never been in a situation quite as bad as the one he's facing. He tries to stay positive. 'Let's just say we're in a bit of a lull at the moment,' he … [Read more...]
Buying a car? Get the most from your test drive
June 19, 2008 By
Test drives are vitally important, can be fun and will, if carried out correctly prevent you making a costly mistake when buying a car. To start with make sure that the car you will drive has all your “must haves” (especially if they will affect the performance or your enjoyment of the car) such as air conditioning\climate control, correct … [Read more...]
Dirty tricks and their modern equivalent
June 18, 2008 By
Where do we start with “tricks of the trade”? The motor trade over the years, especially the used or second-hand (or as it likes to be known today the 'previously enjoyed') car sector has suffered, quite deservedly in some cases, with a tagline of suspicion, mistrust, and resentment. … [Read more...]
Used car market still doing well
June 18, 2008 By
Used car transactions only saw a marginal year-on-year fall during the first quarter of the year as the sector adjusted to the impact of economic pressures on buyers. … [Read more...]
Dealers see no effect from credit crunch on finance sales
June 17, 2008 By
Over half over UK dealers believe they have seen no effect on point of sale finance from the credit crunch. The findings come from Sewells’ New Car Finance House Survey 2008 which focuses on franchised dealer satisfaction with the finance companies servicing the market for new car POS finance. … [Read more...]
Car “matchmakers” are on the prowl, beware!
June 16, 2008 By
In the current downturn in the used car market we are hearing regularly about so called “car matchmakers” and the dubious service they offer. These scams have, however, been going on for quite a while. … [Read more...]
Insider Guide To Car Finance
June 15, 2008 By
Everything you need to know about buying, funding or leasing a new or used car – the cheapest way! • Exciting & New Ways To Fund Your Next Car • STOP Losing £000′s Every Time You Buy Or Finance A New Or Used Car • Prepare To Be Shocked By The Car You Could Be Driving • Know Your Legal Rights – STOP BEING CONNED BY … [Read more...]
It’s not all doom and gloom in the used car market
June 15, 2008 By
According to one expert... Driving showroom traffic in a tough market: “Used car sales were only down marginally when comparing Q1 2007 to Q1 2008 – just 1.1 per cent in fact. This represents a highly respectable performance. We should not ignore the pressures of rapidly rising fuel costs or the increases in road fund licence costs, but to … [Read more...]
How much oil is left exactly?
June 14, 2008 By
The figures are somewhat vague because it is generally agreed that we haven’t found all of the available oil. We will find more, but it is going to be harder to find and more expensive to get at it. Regardless, the current argument is tailored around when we will start to see oil reserves start to decrease. … [Read more...]
A cautionary tale from the front line
June 14, 2008 By
I want to pass on to you some valuable insight from the motor trade front line. I was at one of my branches on Friday and following is a flavour of what I came across as a direct result of the fuel situation and the government’s decision to crucify the already battered car driver still further with a more punitive system of road taxation. … [Read more...]
Bridges Group goes under, blaming tough trading conditions
June 13, 2008 By
Renault and Nissan dealer group Bridges has ceased trading, with the loss of 116 jobs. Administrators from KPMG have closed its four dealerships in Newbury, Cirencester and Reading. The remainder of its original 139 staff are helping administrators tie up loose ends. KPMG's Richard Hill blamed “tough trading conditions” for the … [Read more...]
Customer still awaiting payment from Somerset dealer after court case
June 12, 2008 By
A disabled customer who successfully sued a dealer who sold her an unfit used car is still waiting for her compensation. John Holland, owner of Ashill Car Sales in Weston-Super-Mare, was ordered by the small claims court to pay Lucinda Dockrell £1,164. Dockrill bought a car from Ashill Car Sales in January. But a few weeks later she … [Read more...]
Analysts claim buyers are turning away from Diesels
June 12, 2008 By
Rising pump prices are starting to hit the demand for diesel cars, according to market analysts. With diesel costing £1.30 a litre compared to petrol at £1.17 and the price gap widening, the escalation in oil burner sales, which began in 2000, could be drawing to an end. … [Read more...]
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