February 10, 2012
Car Buying Guide
The debate around main dealer servicing continues with many in the trade insistent that the value of a car is directly affected by its provenance and will de-value if the service schedule is not from the franchise which represents the brand in question. We have often put this topic out there for debate and as always there are differing opinions. … [Read more...]
With the end of January in sight many dealers are breathing a collective sigh of relief at the fact that there are indeed customers about with money to spend on cars. However it is clear that buyers are taking their time to choose a car and are being selective about where they are buying from. The price war is also hotting up with many … [Read more...]
As things have consistently become tougher for all of us this year, cutting costs is on everybody’s agenda and none more so than the car buyer. Car dealers are warning sales execs to be extra vigilant when appraising customer trade-ins because buyers are trying to save money by doing only the absolute minimum necessary to maintain their … [Read more...]
Winter driving preparations Welcome to the final part of the winter driving blog. We are giving you tips and advice during winter 2011, here we will look at the impact of snow and ice, hills and automatic cars… Snow & Ice Bringing your car to a stop in snow in ice takes considerably more stopping distance, as much as tem times more! … [Read more...]
Winter driving preparations Welcome to the next part of the winter driving blog. We are giving you tips and advice during winter 2011, here we will look at the vital preparation needed before a winter drive… There are a few ways to prepare your vehicle for the journey ahead on a winter’s day. By following these steps you will reduce … [Read more...]
There are enough costs associated with running a car – MOT, servicing, road tax, fuel car insurance – so it’s worth doing what you can to reduce the likelihood of having to shell out on general maintenance. Car tyres can be expensive to replace, especially if you have to do all four at the same time, so knowing how to properly maintain them … [Read more...]
Welcome to the next part of the winter driving blog. We are giving you tips and advice during winter 2011, here we will look at the tyres, visibility and issues with standing water… Tyres At least 3mm of tread is recommended by The AA for winter motoring so if you live in a rural area with steep hills or poor roads then this could be the … [Read more...]
Creative thinking and how you promote a business are obviously key elements to long term success. Many companies are constantly promoting and marketing themselves in order that they never fall out of the nation’s consciousness, like for example GoCompare or Compare the Market. Not only is their line of business highly competitive it is also … [Read more...]
Guest Post: Tips for making your car winter friendly This is going to be a four part blog post giving your tips for making your car ready for the winter brought to you by The Car People, specialist car dealers. Driving in winter can be daunting at the best of times, especially with ice, snow and floods to make things worse. There’s the lower … [Read more...]
As we are always pointing out at MTI compared to 15 years ago in relative terms there is no longer a really bad car made. Sure there are some pretty horrible ones in terms of aesthetics, but in terms of a car which will keep you fairly safe and trouble free I think that modern technology ensures that reliability is better than it’s ever … [Read more...]
It has long been a frustration for car buyers that they won’t get access to the best deals at their franchised local dealers without having first done the research and made the effort to compare deals with other dealers. Naturally, from a car dealer’s position, they feel the culture is changing. The manufacturers and their brand partners are … [Read more...]
A survey by WarrantyDirect has revealed that car owners are looking at above inflation increases in the cost of servicing their cars, with certain garages charging more than £200 an hour to do the work. Garages in general are now charging £80.44 an hour for a mechanic's time, in contrast to £74.82 this time a year ago. However taking a car … [Read more...]
Kia's Approved Used Car Scheme has been recognised as the best in the industry having been crowned Used Car Scheme of the Year in the Auto Express Used Car Awards 2011 which were announced today. Auto Express praised Kia for going above and beyond normal approved used programmes with a number of customer benefits including its industry-leading … [Read more...]
To attract more customers during the tough times dealers need to demonstrate not only that they can supply cars that best suit the needs of their buyers but also of how those buyers can afford to fund that purchase. Many potential car buyers are delaying the purchase of their next car and plodding on with their existing one, even though it may … [Read more...]
British motorists concerned about sky-high petrol prices are being advised by an insurance expert at moneysupermarket to car share, avoid harsh accelerating and braking and find an alternative mode of transport for short journeys in order to save money. Pete Harrison’s recommendations come after the leading price comparison website looked … [Read more...]
Never underestimate the power of the mind they say (whoever “they” are). My dad once told me how he got his best friend completely legless on cold tea mixed with ginger ale during a card game by convincing him it was whisky, and there will be many a doctor who has issued useless tablets to hypochondriacs who have found them to be a miracle cure … [Read more...]
Value for money is something that we are all searching for when times are hard and probably should even when they’re not, and finding ways of saving money is an absolute must in the car business. Unfortunately that often means that buyers, when looking to change, will wait until their existing car needs to be fully serviced and wants a great … [Read more...]
MarginCar dealers are constantly trying to establish alternative income streams, and during the last few years the industry has adapted well to the changing face of the market and the increased competition. It is widely accepted that there is not really a bad car made today, although that is still open to debate of course, but even the new kids on … [Read more...]
Car clocking seems to be on the rise again and not just from spurious car dealers. With the rise and rise of PCP’s and the fact that p[payments and GFV’s (guaranteed future values) are linked, to a certain extent, to the mileage the buyer sates they will do, the penalties for exceeding that total mileage can be a massive problem for some … [Read more...]
Now that Tesco’s have entered the aftersales arena the competition for customers is set to get even tougher and inevitably the likely losers will be franchised dealers. Scratch the surface however and we’re left wondering whether this really is best for the customer in the long run? At MTI we are all for companies providing value for money … [Read more...]
It’s a hot topic in the trade at the moment, how do car dealers retain their service department customers, especially after the car becomes 3 years old and the first MOT falls due. There is no doubt that this is an important profit centre for dealerships but it has suffered badly from negative press and a general feeling that the motorist does … [Read more...]
The modern car salesperson has much more profit making weaponry in his arsenal than just selling a car. The list of add-on’s for car buyers continues to grow and in many cases will be the deciding factor on whether a deal is done or not. In the past a car was marked up or published in a price list and apart from the funding options it was all … [Read more...]
According to an article on the Car Dealer Magazine website a source has been quoted as saying that Ford are planning to join the long warranty bandwagon and offer 5 year warranties on all their cars. According to Car Dealer Magazine the source said: ‘I’ve been told by someone in the Ford hierarchy that this is a move they plan to make. As … [Read more...]
Despite a recent decline there are still well over 31 million cars on the UK’s roads today despite the recession (depression, downturn, austerity measures etc) rising fuel prices and soaring maintenance costs. The Public transport system, despite massive investment and in fairness much improvement, citizens are still opting for owning and renting … [Read more...]
A fact of life when trying to save money in a recession is you really do have to think about every penny you spend. The main dealers are always looking at innovative ways of enticing you into their service departments and will bombard you with letters and e-mails about cheap service deals. However it is often the smaller one man band operations or … [Read more...]
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