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Motor industry being left in the dark as local DVLA office closures loom Most individuals and business owners that work in the motor trade will have been watching out for updates on the imminent DVLA Regional and Local Office closures with baited breath. Since the official announcement was made last summer, much speculation has surrounded the … [Read more...]
There is likely to be a short term rise in the amount of personal plates being acquired as buyers keen to avoid an unlucky 13 plate, but still wanting a new car, turn to private registrations to avoid the perceived bad luck. This sort of behavior, fear of the number 13, even has its own specifically recognized phobia, Triskaidekaphobia. The … [Read more...]
MyCarCheck.com - the UK’s No.1 vehicle provenance website - has saved millions of people from making an expensive used car mistake. As part of its mission to protect UK consumers it works closely with the police, the Association of Chief Police Officers’ Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS) and the International Association of Auto Theft … [Read more...]
Administrators have been appointed at accident management company Drive Assist after they experienced considerable working capital management problems and subsequent cash flow difficulties. Alastair Beveridge, Ryan Grant and Simon Wilson, partners at Zolfo Cooper, were appointed joint administrators over Drive Assist (UK), Millennium Motor Group … [Read more...]
So the OFT has finally decided that there may be a wee bit of trouble with the insurance industry resulting in the investigation by the competition commission. For many of us who have felt the frustration of trying to get a decent quote and not be stung by continually higher premiums this will be welcome. It is estimated that insurance premiums … [Read more...]
Car dealers are being fairly optimistic about September as a whole as many we have spoken to have managed to get some good footfall and convert some business. It is reckoned that most dealers like to go into the “plate change” month hoping to have achieved 50% of the September target in order to have a chance of getting near to it by the end of … [Read more...]
Whether you are getting on the road for first time, or you find that you suddenly need car insurance, you’ll find that getting the car insurance that suits you best can be a real headache! Can you handle a high deductible, and are you ready for all of these costs? The truth of the matter is that it is far easier to purchase car insurance than you … [Read more...]
Insurance comparison site comparethemarket.com have today launched a complete revamp of their website and MTI decided we’d take a look and report back on the user experience their makeover provides. Comparethemarket.com wanted to overhaul their old site and bring it bang up to date and first impressions are good with a nice looking blue … [Read more...]
Pass Plus is an advanced driving qualification that requires the driver to be able to drive competently in a wide range of circumstances that are not routinely tested in a standard driving test or taught on a standard driving course. The idea behind the qualification is principally to give new drivers greater experience and the confidence to … [Read more...]
The continued push for dealers to sell more finance and insurance is ultimately replacing profitability from falling chassis margins. One dealer told us that he now makes more from finance per unit than he does from selling the car, an amazing course of events considering just how large the investment can be in buying cars. Being somewhat from … [Read more...]
DVLA Personalised Registrations’ Spring Auction will serve up a delight for philatelists with the inclusion of the rather apt registration, MR57 AMP. It is among the 1,500 which will go under the hammer at the De Vere Village Hotel in Tingley, Leeds, over three days commencing on Wednesday, March 21. Other registrations which have proven … [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...]
Will more drivers go electric as fuel sales fall? With the news of a massive drop in the amount of petrol and diesel sold in the UK in the first six months of 2011, it has seemingly increased the possibility of more disgruntled drivers switching more fuel efficient or electric cars in a bid to reducing the long-term costs associated with staying … [Read more...]
For most motor traders buying insurance is probably a chore and a bit of a bore. But making sure you go about choosing a policy correctly could be the difference between your business surviving a disaster and it going under. So it’s worth taking time out to make sure you get motor trade insurance right. With that in mind, here are five … [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...]
It seems that just lately the tone of most of our pieces seems to centre around doom and gloom, firstly because there is lots of it about and secondly because sadly we get far more visitors for negative or bad news stories than anything we produce that might have a pleasingly positive spin to it. Unfortunately despite the introductory … [Read more...]
As we have often said here on MTI the world of car sales has changed dramatically in recent years. Only the other day I was talking to an old colleague who is now in consultancy (where many ex-sales pros end up) and he was ruefully admitting that, apart from the car and a bit of warranty and hire purchase, there used to be no other way of earning … [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...]
It must be very unfortunate to be a first timer at anything in the middle of a recession (are we in a recession? Certainly feels like it). First time buyers cannot get credit to buy their first houses and even if they could they couldn’t afford it, first time jobseekers cannot get employed in the jobs they would like because the cutbacks have put … [Read more...]
As many as two out of three motorists are planning to change driving habits because of sky-high fuel and insurance prices, according to a survey. Nearly half (48.2%) say their next car will be a more fuel-efficient model, the poll by moneysupermarket.com found. Also, 11.4% plan to buy a new car that is cheaper to insure while 8% plan to ditch … [Read more...]
Time appears to be running out for the million or so uninsured drivers on UK roads today. Currently uninsured drivers can only be prosecuted if caught behind the wheel but under new legislation just owning an uninsured car could mean the car is impounded by police and it is hoped this deterrent will lead to lower car insurance premiums for the law … [Read more...]
Happy 2011. Yep, we're back with another series of Bargain of the Week. OK, so I've had January off, but this particular edition is a personal one and something many parents dread. Our soon to be seventeen year old is getting her very first car and my other half is already snapping with worry. This is also the year where I'm (celebrating?) eighteen … [Read more...]
2011 looks set to become the year of the “great deal”. With all the doom and gloom around - and most of us expected to get hit in the pocket one way or another - there might be some light at the end of the tunnel. Car retailers have still got budgets to achieve and staff to pay and in many cases shareholders to appease, so in an industry that … [Read more...]
New rules will make it illegal to keep an uninsured car in Britain whether it is being driven or not. Owners who have not declared their uninsured cars and vans off the road could have them seized and crushed. Transport Minister Mike Penning said uninsured cars were a "real road safety issue". The measure, introduced under Labour, will be … [Read more...]
Cherished number plate transfers are becoming a major issue in the motor trade, as more and more people switch on to the idea of a personal plate the situation looks set to become even harder. Buying a cherished plate for your new car is nowhere near as costly as once it was, you could get a plate now for as little as £200 and the idea appeals to … [Read more...]
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