The Auto Blog

Sales of new cars have fallen at their sharpest rate in almost 18 years, new figures from the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers) show. Not only is this terrible news for our badly hit manufacturing industry but it’s bad for engineering and British industry as a whole. Cars are, in a way, a very good indicator of overall financial health.

Registrations in the UK were at just 128,352 in October 2008, down 23.5% on October 2007. Rather a large drop, in that we’re talking almost 25%. It goes without saying that the industry can’t really sustain this amount of loss for successive months.

This is the worst figure since June 1991 when sales slumped by more than 31%. It is the third month in a row that new car sales in the UK have nosedived. SMMT figures for September revealed a 21% dip despite the attraction of the new 58-registration number plates. Sales also fell sharply - by 18.6% - in August. Sales for 2008 now total 1.92 million - an 8.7% drop on the January-October 2007 figure.

As is always the case with these scenarios however, every cloud has a silver lining. In this case, it’s the fact that you might be one of the lucky ones with enough cash to buy new. If so, you’ll find there are wealth of car offers out there. These offers take the form of 5 years 0% APR, meaning you can have a real bargain on your hands in no time.

Perhaps more importantly, with fewer registrations, you’ll be able to get significant discounts on both pre-and not-yet-registered vehicles, so whatever you want, there’ll be a dealer out there quite happy to negotiate with you. This of course applies even if you have a vehicle to trade in – just be aware that said vehicle will also sadly be worth less!

Original post by Mr Butterscotch

Years ago, things were much simpler than they were now when it came to buying a new car. You’d simply go to the local dealer, select a model from the range in the showroom and then buy. Now though, when it comes to buying new, there is a much wider range to choose from – not least in terms of where to buy. So let’s take a look at this first.

Where To Buy
Franchised dealers of the brand that you’re looking to buy are now more competitive than they used to be – not least due to the rise in competition. Franchised dealers also tend to be very well represented, meaning you shouldn’t have to travel very far to find one. They’ll tend to offer a part-exchange service though you won’t get best price. Warranties of 3 years are typical, though some will offer more.

My experience of franchised dealers: Most expensive, but in this day and age they are far more willing to negotiate than previously. If you’re looking for nearly-new they’ll offer extremely low mileage cars. The easiest way to access brand new vehicles.

UK brokers source cars from franchised dealers but then bulk-buy in order to get big discounts. The best should offer these discounts to the customer, giving a deal on a new (or almost new, i.e. last of model line) that you’re unlikely to find anywhere else. Brokers should also be able to match services such as low-interest finance or free insurance if offered by the franchise they purchase from.

My experience of UK brokers: Good service, many cars of the same type so you might find it easy to get ‘that particular colour’. You may not be able to spec up a car and then have it due to the way that UK brokers operate.

Car supermarkets are independent (or at least they should be, though some may feature special deals from certain manufacturers) traders with a wide range of models. They will often offer cheaper cars as they have lower overheads, whilst pre-registered imports can be great for those hunting a bargain. Under the same roof, there’ll be a range of almost-new and used cars too.

My experience of car supermarkets: A good range of cars at varying prices, many of which are low mileage. If you want to see a range of models across a range of manufacturers, then this is your place. Even at a supermarket prices can be high, though the lowest of the three here. Least likely to offer an absolutely brand new vehicle.

As a word of caution, don’t automatically assume you’ll get better service levels from any one of these places. Talk to someone who’s already shopped where you’re thinking of buying, if at all possible. Remember, as soon as dealers hand over the keys it’s then that you’re dealing with a different animal. Try to rebuild a rapport with the Sales Manager, be polite and friendly and you should do fine.

Look out for Part 2, where I’ll look at importing vehicles.

Original post by Mr Butterscotch

Apparently, according to an investigation, about 9.4 million people will be punished by the government in the form of punitive new taxes based on the emissions of cars – yet curiously many are still claiming this is a target of gas guzzlers.  Realistically, it has nothing to do with the amount of fuel that your car needs, but the amount of cO2 that your car produces.  It could be doing 20mpg but have less than 100g/km coming out of the pipe at the back and you’d be okay.

Apparently, the increases will negatively impact 43% of UK motorists – meaning that slightly less than half of us will be paying more for our little tax discs every year (or every six months).  Naturally, this is ‘offset’ to a fashion by the 18% who will be paying less.  Do the math and tell me what this means.  No wait, I’ll save you the bother.  What this means is, yet again, the government is using us drivers as a wonderful tax mule.  In that they keep sticking more tax on our backs, curious perhaps to see when either it breaks or we simply give up.

Environmental groups (as per usual, the bloody greenie lot were out in force) told the government to stick to targets.  I’m guessing they all power their cars with cat urine or something then and achieve a wonderful 60mpg for their efforts?  No wait, they probably drive in big Jags, or at least their company directors will.

How much exactly will the government get that goes to their coffers (and presumably goes toward funding MP’s John Lewis lists?), well that’s quite a princely sum of £1 billion – by 2011 anyway, unless a) there are further hikes or b) the price of petrol keeps going up in which case the government gets even more money.

Unfortunately, in what I’d guess is a completely transparent issue to get this extra cash, the top five cars in the UK have fallen into the ‘they will pay more’ bracket.  This includes the 2.2 diesel Land Rover, 1.6 Toyota Auris, 2.2 diesel Honda CR-V, 1.8 litre Vauxhall Vectra and the 1.6 litre unleaded Vauxhall Zafira.  So if your car is on the list, I’m sorry.  For the record, I have paid more this year in road tax – something I completely begrudge, especially in light of petrol prices.

If the average person drives one of the above five cars, then ministers are hopelessly out of touch with the average person.  If I’m ‘Joe Bloggs’ and I’m struggling due to the cost of living rising and the fact that we are almost hitting a recession, I really don’t think that I deserve to have a government slapping more taxes in my face.  In fact, I know I don’t.  As usual, this is a case of Labour ignoring the people they should be trying to court – the average working class person.  Maybe it’s time for a change of government – though I’m not sure who to vote in, in order to avoid stealth taxes.

Original post by Mr Butterscotch

Due to depreciation (the money you lose as soon as a car is driven off a forecourt) I’d almost never buy a new car.  However, some relatives have done just this and I can certainly see the appeal.  Not least the fact that there’s something special about all of it, from speccing up your vehicle, to choosing the colour – all the way through to sitting in for the first time and taking in that ‘new car smell’ (that’ll be the chemicals in the plastic then).

A new car should arrive with you in absolutely pristine condition – it should be free from scratches, rust, odd dents and of course foreign bodies.  It should look, in short, perfect.  Naturally, for a new car, it should also have very few miles on the clock.  That’s a given.  You’ll get the treat of either wearing the engine in nice and soft, or ragging it around depending on where you get your advice from.  Most people, luckily I think, still wisely go for the former.  Check your manual for further info on this.

I’ve got an interesting little anecdote before I begin my advice on what to look for with your new car, and it goes something like this.  I’m in the market for a new used car, something a little bit special.  I was lucky enough to meet a very honest dealer who said, “Please bear in mind, all of these cars are used”.

He then promptly showed me a car that had stone chips (they had been filled in but they were there) on the bonnet.  He said “I don’t want t mislead you – what I’ll sell you will be mechanically 100%.  However, it may have some cosmetic niggles.  It is a quality used car though”.  I wasn’t shocked – I am after all in the market for a used car.  I rightfully responded with the fact that if I was looking for a Resprayed, overpriced car I would have went to a main dealer.

There, they would have probably made the car look cosmetically perfect but would have added a few grand to the price tag – pushing said vehicle out of my budget.  This brings me nicely on to what get your beady eyes on when going for your brand new motor.

* Don’t get caught up in the excitement and rush through anything – it could be costly not only in terms of your wallet but also for what you end up getting.
* However you’ve settled and whatever you’ve signed beforehand, never just get out your pen.  Take the time to have a nice long inspection for the car.  At the end of the day, this is something that is no doubt costing you significant amounts of money.
* A new car should look exactly that – it should be clean, tidy and polished inside and out.  Don’t settle for picking it up in the dark or wet.  If you’re taking delivery at home, mark on the invoice (if you accept it in these conditions) that you haven’t been able to inspect but you will do so as soon as you can and will inform them of the outcome.
* Take the time to look at all panels, windows and tyres.  Is everything looking as it should do?
* Any extras that you have specified should come with delivery of the vehicle, almost without exception.  Have your copy of the invoice ready and go through it all.  Does it have the 30 GB hard drive that you wanted?  How about the optional 18 inch alloys?  Did you choose the red or the orange stitching?  Each of these options could well have added to the price tag, so make sure they’re in place when you pick up.
* When a new car is dropped off, it should be treated to a very special PDI.  This is a pre-delivery inspection – basically a piece of paperwork saying the car is everything it is meant to be, the VIN info is correct and it’s all working.  Your service book should have a stamp for this.
* Generally speaking, most cars come with two keys.  You don’t want the dealer to have a spare or indeed your log book.  Take receipt of all of this when you sign, along with all information related to warranty, servicing and any special dealer benefits.  Naturally, you’ll want a contact name and number in case of problems.

The bottom line really comes down to this – whether it’s mechanical or you feel that your brand new car has been test driven before you’ve had a chance to get in it and make your driver’s seat your own, you really shouldn’t sign anything off.  You have an extremely strong case if you keep your invoice and purchase records to show that the new car you want isn’t what is sitting waiting for you.

A word of warning – whatever sort of car you’re in the market for, you may well find it difficult to buy the very most basic option with no specced extras.  I can’t remember where I saw the report but naturally enough, dealers are trying to up sell.  Not only that, but it’s worth less to the manufacturer themselves (whoever they happen to be) if all they are producing is a tiny-model variant with no alloys and a single CD player.

For the time and the effort, I’d always recommend going that little bit further, even if it means saving up an extra month or whatever.  For starters, unless you’re planning on keeping the car for life (these days that could well be in excess of 15 years based on engine life and average mileage of 12k) it’ll help resale values if you have some of what many people consider ‘the basics’.  What are those and what colour should your new car be?  Well there’s another article in itself.

In the meantime, if you’re lucky enough to have a brand new car, really do enjoy it.  They are a marvel of the road and it’s the buying of those vehicles that allows the rest of us to see the decent stuff trickle down until we can afford it.  New cars, I salute you (but only if you meet your purchasers’ options)!

Original post by Mr Butterscotch

Due to depreciation (the money you lose as soon as a car is driven off a forecourt) I’d almost never buy a new car.  However, some relatives have done just this and I can certainly see the appeal.  Not least the fact that there’s something special about all of it, from speccing up your vehicle, to choosing the colour – all the way through to sitting in for the first time and taking in that ‘new car smell’ (that’ll be the chemicals in the plastic then).

A new car should arrive with you in absolutely pristine condition – it should be free from scratches, rust, odd dents and of course foreign bodies.  It should look, in short, perfect.  Naturally, for a new car, it should also have very few miles on the clock.  That’s a given.  You’ll get the treat of either wearing the engine in nice and soft, or ragging it around depending on where you get your advice from.  Most people, luckily I think, still wisely go for the former.  Check your manual for further info on this.

I’ve got an interesting little anecdote before I begin my advice on what to look for with your new car, and it goes something like this.  I’m in the market for a new used car, something a little bit special.  I was lucky enough to meet a very honest dealer who said, “Please bear in mind, all of these cars are used”.

He then promptly showed me a car that had stone chips (they had been filled in but they were there) on the bonnet.  He said “I don’t want t mislead you – what I’ll sell you will be mechanically 100%.  However, it may have some cosmetic niggles.  It is a quality used car though”.  I wasn’t shocked – I am after all in the market for a used car.  I rightfully responded with the fact that if I was looking for a Resprayed, overpriced car I would have went to a main dealer.

There, they would have probably made the car look cosmetically perfect but would have added a few grand to the price tag – pushing said vehicle out of my budget.  This brings me nicely on to what get your beady eyes on when going for your brand new motor.

* Don’t get caught up in the excitement and rush through anything – it could be costly not only in terms of your wallet but also for what you end up getting.
* However you’ve settled and whatever you’ve signed beforehand, never just get out your pen.  Take the time to have a nice long inspection for the car.  At the end of the day, this is something that is no doubt costing you significant amounts of money.
* A new car should look exactly that – it should be clean, tidy and polished inside and out.  Don’t settle for picking it up in the dark or wet.  If you’re taking delivery at home, mark on the invoice (if you accept it in these conditions) that you haven’t been able to inspect but you will do so as soon as you can and will inform them of the outcome.
* Take the time to look at all panels, windows and tyres.  Is everything looking as it should do?
* Any extras that you have specified should come with delivery of the vehicle, almost without exception.  Have your copy of the invoice ready and go through it all.  Does it have the 30 GB hard drive that you wanted?  How about the optional 18 inch alloys?  Did you choose the red or the orange stitching?  Each of these options could well have added to the price tag, so make sure they’re in place when you pick up.
* When a new car is dropped off, it should be treated to a very special PDI.  This is a pre-delivery inspection – basically a piece of paperwork saying the car is everything it is meant to be, the VIN info is correct and it’s all working.  Your service book should have a stamp for this.
* Generally speaking, most cars come with two keys.  You don’t want the dealer to have a spare or indeed your log book.  Take receipt of all of this when you sign, along with all information related to warranty, servicing and any special dealer benefits.  Naturally, you’ll want a contact name and number in case of problems.

The bottom line really comes down to this – whether it’s mechanical or you feel that your brand new car has been test driven before you’ve had a chance to get in it and make your driver’s seat your own, you really shouldn’t sign anything off.  You have an extremely strong case if you keep your invoice and purchase records to show that the new car you want isn’t what is sitting waiting for you.

A word of warning – whatever sort of car you’re in the market for, you may well find it difficult to buy the very most basic option with no specced extras.  I can’t remember where I saw the report but naturally enough, dealers are trying to up sell.  Not only that, but it’s worth less to the manufacturer themselves (whoever they happen to be) if all they are producing is a tiny-model variant with no alloys and a single CD player.

For the time and the effort, I’d always recommend going that little bit further, even if it means saving up an extra month or whatever.  For starters, unless you’re planning on keeping the car for life (these days that could well be in excess of 15 years based on engine life and average mileage of 12k) it’ll help resale values if you have some of what many people consider ‘the basics’.  What are those and what colour should your new car be?  Well there’s another article in itself.

In the meantime, if you’re lucky enough to have a brand new car, really do enjoy it.  They are a marvel of the road and it’s the buying of those vehicles that allows the rest of us to see the decent stuff trickle down until we can afford it.  New cars, I salute you (but only if you meet your purchasers’ options)!

Original post by Mr Butterscotch

I’ve made no bones about my passion - and that tends to be fast cars.  You may have even gotten a little sick of hearing Lamborghini this or Aston Martin that.  You’ll no doubt be shouting at the screen - much as many do with Top Gear - and saying ‘where are the normal car reviews?’

Well, I’m not about to review the new Kia Picanto for you (even if it is a good car).  Well, I will if I get an invite to test-drive it.  In the meantime though, what I’d like to do is recommend five cars that you’ll love.  You’ll love them because not only are they on the whole very decent at what they do, but also they’ll save you a fortune in insurance.

Whether you’re a new driver or an older person looking to save money, any of these cars will be suitable for you.  Even if you’re the motorist looking to save a few bob, then you won’t go wrong with these.  This is not least because not only are these cars cheap to insure, but they all have relatively small (and economical) engines.  So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the five.

Skoda Fabia
Don’t listen to those who are still telling the same old badge jokes.  In fact, poke them in the eye and tell them they are about ten years behind the times.  Since VW took over Skoda way back in 1991, things have got better and better.  The Fabia is based on the V Polo and is extremely reliable, hardwearing and very safe.  The 1.2 litre Classic is insurance group one - that fact will certainly make your wallet fatter.

Renault Clio
The third generation of the supermini is a modern classic in many ways and the quality certainly goes some way to explaining why you see them just about everywhere.  The way in which the internal space is handled is very clever, meaning that there’s actually quite a bit of room inside.  Going for the 1.2 litre will see you getting almost 50mpg, something that you won’t see from many other engines.

Nissan Micra
Granted, this car will probably be the least popular in this review.  Why is that?  Well, the perky little car is what a huge number of people learn to drive in every year.  Given this fact, I know that I for sure was desperate to distance myself from the Micra - even if my ideal car is a Nissan (a 350Z for the record).  However, the modern Micra is actually a damn good car.  You’ll get keyless entry, parking sensors, air con and many other perks you wouldn’t necessarily expect.  Overall, it’s a really good car and it won’t cost the Earth to run.

Fiat Punto
There is a large number of this particular Italian supermini on the road and for good reason.  It enjoys being revved.  It really is that simple.  Much like James May said in his review of the Fiat 500, these Italian cars are made to be lit up by pushing the revometer until the valves have “jumped up and are dancing on the bonnet”.  I couldn’t agree more - and it is one of the more involving cars here.  Not only that, but even the 1.3 litre sporting will see you managing to get very reasonable insurance quotes.

Ford Fiesta
This is a car that has been around for about 30 years now - which must tell you something.  Granted, there are so many superminis out there now that the Fiesta can look a bit of an oldie (not least because the design has never really been altered that much) but it is a testament to the quality that so many are still going.  The newer and younger models however are really geared for the modern generation and feature such additions as Bluetooth and new-design alloys.  Why get it?  Well the 1.25 litre version is a group two and will give you about 45mpg.  You can chuck it in corners and it’ll give you a smile.  With that in mind, what’s not to love?

Conclusion
You’ll have seen that there’s a trend in these ‘cheap to insure’ cars - and that is the fact that they are pretty much exclusively superminis with small engines.  There’s nothing wrong with that, in fact they can offer a great drive along with frugal performance.  So, for a change, let’s all hail these little metal marvels of money saving.  Make mine a Fabia (VRS edition diesel mind you).

Original post by Mr Butterscotch

There is an increasing trend for people selling their car on eBay motors, rather than going the traditional route of putting an ad in Auto Trader. Unlike an Auto Trader advert you have much more control over how your advert is displayed on eBay as as been able to display detailed information about your vehicle.

To achieve the best price when selling your car on eBay here’s some profitable tips:

Pictures - lots of ‘em!: Buyers like to see plenty of pictures so they can get an idea of what your car is like. Before you start taking pictures make sure you give the car a good clean, inside and out, so it is looking it’s best. Then take around 20 exterior and interior shots. Cars always look best in the sunshine so look out for the good weather and seize the snapping opportunity! Once you have your pictures choose the best 10-12 and use them in your auction.

Protect your Data: To avoid car cloning, blank your number plate out on the images you display on the auction. Most image manipulation software will have a blur or pixelate feature which is useful for this purpose.

Be honest: There is no gain to be made from describing your car as something it is not. If the auction winner comes to collect the vehicle and discovers they have been mislead, they will simply walk away. If you car has known problems, detail them in the description. A lot of buyers on eBay are in the motor trade and take any problems into account when biding - it won’t make them lose interest.

Low bid price attracts interest: eBay is such a busy site these days that you can take the risk of starting bidding at 1p safe in the knowledge that your car will usually achieve its market price. Sure, for piece of mind you can set a reserve, but a 1p no reserve auction always attracts more interest from bidders.

Answer questions: Once the auction is live you’ll start getting questions from existing and potential bidders. Be sure to answer these questions promptly or bidders interest might switch to another vehicle.

Prepare your documentation: Any service history is a bonus but the most important document to have is the V5 logbook. Without this, you cannot sell your vehicle legally and no purchase will pay for a vehicle that does not have a logbook.

Guest Post from The Van Man who is an expert on Van Hire

Original post by The Van Man

In my last article, I took a look at ‘green’ cars that you could buy - stuff that if you drove it every day it wouldn’t try too hard to stuff up the environment on your way to work.  What I’m going to do in this article is exactly the opposite.  Why, I’m sure you’re wondering?

The simple answer is that apparently we’re all ignoring the government’s advice (read massive taxing) and going for larger cars.  This is proven in the figures that show that:

‘Car buyers opting for larger vehicles made up 11.5% of all sales in the first ten months of 2007, compared to 9.5% in 2006.  This is the first time that larger cars have represented more than one in ten used cars sold in the UK.’

So, in that case, what should you buy?  What I’d like to offer here are not just large cars, but rather performance cars that the government (and some of the rest of the world) seem to hate.  The reason being, I quite like them.  I like the roar of a big V6, the throb of a V8.  Not only that, but right now it’s a great idea to get one.

Yes, I know.  I’ve already written about the barmy-as-hell huge road tax costs that you’ll pay for a more polluting vehicle.  I’m also aware that in some places petrol has gone well above 105p per litre.  However, the savings you make on buying a bigger engined or sports-performance vehicle (and the fun they will provide) should certainly make up for it.  So, without further ado, here’s what I’d recommend.

COUPE
Audi TT
What a great, now classic car this is.  Granted, there’s a new model, but come on, the old one still looks really interesting.  These days, you can get a 2001 model 1.8T 225 Quattro (that means 4 wheel drive) for around £8,000.  This, by anyone’s imagination is a great bargain.  All you need to look out for really is that it has been regularly serviced, as it is difficult to get at the oily bits.  Imports also may be an issue, as they might not put up with UK weather too well.
Mazda RX-8
This is one of the few cars on the road that comes with a Wankel rotary engine.  What does that mean?  Well how about revving beyond 9,000rpm with super-smooth power delivery?  Yeah, that’s sure a great benefit.  The RX-8 is an interesting looking beast, and it sounds great.  The bad points?  Well, the (ahem) running costs might scare you.  The engine is only 1.3, delivers 2.5 performance and drinks like a 3 litre.  Drive one though, I found a 192 on a 2004 for only £7,500.

SALOON
Alfa Romeo 156 GTA
If you’re looking for something with Italian flair, four-wheel drive and a monstrous amount of power then look no further.  This is a car that is serious.  Bite your head off serious.  How about a 3.2 litre engine.  Why not try 250bhp.  Not sure about the torque delivery?  This car will pull away smoothly from fourth gear.  The interior looks classy without being over the top and you can get lovely leather heated seats.  As usual, in Alfa style, you get cowelled instruments that only the driver can see.  This stops your passenger from screaming when they see you’re doing 140mph.  The bad points are pretty much summed up by also saying (much like the good points) that it’s an Alfa.  You should be reassured that the 156 was the turning point - with the release of this car the UK dealerships and service centres were proved to be much better.  However, check the head gaskets, the 60,000 service intervals and just about everything else.  I’d certainly recommend a full main dealer service history.  I found a 156 GTA for slightly over £8,000.
BMW M3
This motor is an absolute legend.  If you ask anybody, they’ll tell you that one of the most revered BMWs ever made is the M3.  This thing is fast.  Seriously fast.  It is one of the few cars in the world that you won’t mind pulling up at Tesco’s in, before roaring off to hit the Channel Tunnel and then heading on to the Nurburgring.  It is a serious driving machine.  Faults?  Not many.  One thing to certainly bear in mind however is the running costs.  This is a supercar.  If it hasn’t been treated as such, it might be a bit of a grumpy motor.  Alongside that, imagine getting less than 18mpg.  But what can you do?  I found an M3 Evolution with tonnes of kit for only £5,995.

I’ll certainly be following this with some other ‘types’ of motor that you might well be interested in, but in the meantime, explore the options I’ve offered here.  You might well find a hidden gem that you didn’t realise was out there, or even that it was available in your budget.

Original post by Mr Butterscotch

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Original post by David Allen

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Original post by Mr Butterscotch