coolcarsblog.co.uk

That is the dilemma that I find myself in. I want a new car to go with my new job as a sales consultant in a car marketing company. However, I cannot decide whether or not to buy a used BMW or a used Mercedes?! The fact of the matter is that I do need a new vehicle as my new job involves a lot of client meetings and there will also be the possibility of me having to transport certain people outside of the company to functions and seminars. Therefore, I need a car that will not only deal with my requirements of speed, looks and venom but also for my clientele where it needs to appear professional and business-like. I have looked at both sets of cars; BMW and Mercedes. There were many different styles available but unfortunately I could not quite make a decision and make a purchase. My monthly car allowance does not allocate enough budgets to buy new and so instead the majority of my efforts have been in the used car section of both sets of dealers. The six series by BMW impressed me the most initially but then I saw the CLK by Mercedes and felt torn between the two sets of cars. Business-wise I am sure that Mercedes will be more suited but personally speaking I think that they are for the older generation of mature males – not the young and ready like myself! However, business comes first as they say and so the used Mercedes CLK looks as though it is going to get my reluctant vote. The other thing being that I was adamantly told to buy a car that had five doors as it is more professional and allows for easy access to passengers. I have never had a five door car in my life! On this topic though I do understand why this is required and I would have been more than happy to abide had I been able to purchase an Audi instead. So tomorrow I am off to pay a visit to the local Mercedes used car dealer to sign the agreement for my new motor. I can’t wait!

Just how convenient is it then to purchase a new car on the Internet. It is just so simple nowadays. You go online, choose a Website, select whether you require a used car or new cars, select your desired vehicle and trim, choose a maximum price range, click submit and then you are displayed with the results matching your search criteria. Of course there are a few other advanced options available to be used if you wish such as the colour or number of doors and mileage etc, but nonetheless it couldn’t be easier. There has been much improvement over the last few years also in term of the amount of cars being available for sale by Websites and the fact that people can advertise their own car online themselves also helps generate more interest from users. Now buying a car online is not like buying a CD where it can be delivered through the post the next day! Instead, the online car world offers users the opportunity to conduct their research into the cars available; both used and new, which allows them to shortlist those that meet their requirements. Once this is complete, the buyer can then either call the dealer / Website direct to arrange a viewing or get more information. Alternatively if they think that a particular vehicle is definitely the one for them then some Websites do offer the option of being able to reserve the car for a small deposit using a payment system such as World Pay. However, the majority of people tend to want to see any car before they purchase and so reserving online is a fairly new option for Internet enthusiasts. It is becoming more popular though and more and more car dealers are adding the technology to their sites in order to keep up with the competition.

So we have a potential buyer looking for a new car to buy before the Christmas and New Year festive season. What does he do then if he wishes to buy or reserve a car online? Firstly then the user will have to decide upon the type of car that he wishes to purchase. The relevant research will then need to be carried out in order to find the vehicle in question and to find a Website that he can trust. Upon finding the selected the chosen one, they will normally have a few options; telephone the dealer direct, contact the dealer via email or reserve the car online by paying a small deposit using a payment system such as World Pay. Most people will indeed contact the dealer via telephone as buying a car; whether it be used or new is a quite a big purchase. Therefore by hearing someone else’s voice on the other end of the telephone provides a comfort that can help smooth through the purchase. So what about the car finance then? Well, many Websites offer finance to customers via a separate section or page that requires them to fill out an online application form. However, the dealer selling the cars can also offer a package, which would provide both convenience and less hassle. More advanced systems can sometimes be found where the cars stock number is built into the car finance application form and so unbeknown to the user, they obtain finance from 2 totally separate sources. However, the process is so smooth that it doesn’t affect the purchase or finance application in any way. Once both processes are complete, the buyer will then be contacted by both the finance lender and the car dealership. The process is then completed. This is quite a common series of events within the used cars market as many of the dealerships provide their vehicle stock to various third parties in order to get optimum exposure online. In fact, what you will notice with many of the used car Websites online is that many of them in fact provide the same search results as one another. The reason for this is that a big company such as Bristol Street Motors will provide their stock of cars to these sites in the way of an automated process that issues the latest deals and prices on a daily basis. Therefore this ensures that the Internet user is kept up to date and has access to all of the latest cars being made available for sale by the industries main players.

In the past I have brought it to the attention of my blog readers about the number of promotions on offer for cars and vans alike. More recently though it seems that Vauxhall are offering some excellent rate on cars within their new range of vehicles. I heard that 0% finance was being given on many of the cars at my local dealership. Whether or not this applied throughout the UK and beyond I am not so sure? Check the Vauxhall Website for more details on this one guys. Previous to this promotion there were some dealerships and car manufacturers that were offering much more in the way of second hand cars and those used vehicles that were popular among car buyers. The reason for these promotions was no doubt due to the time of year and the fact that new business is an absolute priority for the car companies and organisations trying to avoid the credit crunch. As it happens though, it seems that all of the report that say people do not have any money to buy cars may seem a little inaccurate given the amount of prospect buyers I saw at my local Toyota garage yesterday. There were loads of people shopping around the showroom and outside at the second hand cars and used parts sections. In my opinion it is the media that promote all the doom and gloom and use a lot of it simply to sell newspapers and justify their existence on the news channels. Maybe those people that were looking around the car showroom were buyers for the future – maybe after the New Year or they may have even just innocently been passing by. However, the fact is that the cars market is in no way on the decline and with promotions like the ones being offered by the likes of Vauxhall etc – it is only a matter of time before things are back to the way they were before the “credit crunch”.

I have a slight dilemma. With me currently being in the market for a new car, I have found two that really tick all of the boxes; a used Vauxhall Vectra and a used Vauxhall Astra. The only problem is that the Vectra is way up in Scotland, which is like a 4 hour plus drive from where I live. Whereas the Astra dealership is only just over an hour’s drive away. However, the Astra is a bit more expensive and ideally I want the Vectra as it has a bigger engine and looks more elegant. This is the problem with smaller car dealerships; they do no deliver or if they do – it is at an extortionate cost. However, because they are more desperate for business and the fact that they only sell used cars means that there is more room for bargaining with them. However, a four hour plus drive all the way up to Scotland for the sake of a few hundred pounds; is it worth it? I’m not so sure. Maybe if it was a brand spanking new Audi R8 it may not be as much of a problem as I would no doubt look forward to the drive back. However, this purchase is only for getting from A to B and will be used for work alone, which makes it even more of a pain! However, due to the line of work that I am in – a used vehicle must be purchased and so I do not have the choice of many different cars. I do like the Astra from Vauxhall but it isn’t the new shape, it is the older version (before anyone questions it!). Therefore I suppose the questions is; is driving all that way necessary in order to get the car that I want even though it is slightly more. Plus when you add the cost of petrol for getting up there and then the return journey, it makes it even more costly. Buying cars is just not easy anymore is it?!

My previous blog entry explained some of the common ways to try and save money on car insurance. So what else is there then? Well one that I didn’t mention was that you should look out for what type of car you are buying. For example soft tops / convertibles mean higher premiums. Why? Well from the lenders point of view it makes the car appear sportier than normal cars and therefore the driver and / or passenger are viewed as being more likely of being involved in a car crash. Therefore, if you wish to save money, always look at the car being purchase. Obviously the bigger the engine, the bigger the cost also but think is common knowledge among buyers anyway. Another option for saving is coming into fruition only of late as comparison sites have dominated the online car market for the last few years. However, it appears that the main car insurance lenders are now promoting that it could be cheaper for someone to come directly to them instead. Think of that what you will but it is a consideration that should be made. Another thing to consider is buying an older car. For example, insurance premiums decrease once a vehicle is more than five years old and again when it is ten years old. Therefore, buying older used cars could also be of benefit and could save you money. The reason for this being that these types of used cars are older, which means they are of less residual value and so this equates to cheaper rates. By having a pass plus certificate can also help cut insurance premiums but not all insurers actually ask the question so this isn’t a vital option to put in place. Finally, and one that isn’t exactly possible overnight is to get older! Yes, the older you are, the better the premium offered. Buying and insuring cars for people under the age of 21 can sometimes be quite difficult but it is these people that the lenders deem a risk; younger drivers with less experience. So, hurry up and get to 21! Once you are there, 25 is the next benchmark followed by 30 and then finally 50! By then, you shouldn’t be paying much……depending upon your current car type, engine size, amount of no claims bonus, previous claim history etc!

Me – I am an avid purchaser of second hand cars. Why? Well, I suppose it comes down to personal choice and opinion really and I am certainly of the opinion that used cars provide not only better value than new cars but also better performance as they have experienced the road and have had chance to have their engine worn in. Of course, there are different levels to used cars and so I am not talking about those that are five to ten years old. No – I am talking about nearly new cars that are maybe six months to one year old. These in my opinion are the ones that provide the best value; cars that were only brand new a few months previous, the engine has been worn in, that new car smell is still present and the car itself is still well within the “new” category among the manufacturers and buyers. As we know, any new vehicle that is purchased immediately loses around 17.5 percent of its value the second it is driven from the car showroom. So, immediately its residual value decreases, which is good for us used buyers. Now if you are a little bit clever – the ideal cars to purchase are those that are taken on short term leases by people who actually given the car back to the dealership within a certain amount of months (avoid business users though as the mileage that they can accumulate can be extraordinary) and then jump in with an offer. Or, better still, keep a close eye on the car showroom forecourt and look out for vehicles being returned from owners after they have decided not to go through with the purchase. In some cases, people are given a trial period for the car in which they can bring it back in to the dealer if they are not satisfied with its performance. But, upon being give a new vehicle, by the time it is returned, it is used, which makes for a cheaper price. Another really sneaky way of buying used cars is to purchase a test drive vehicle that has only been used for testing. This way, the price can be even cheaper. All in all then – in my opinion, used cars do indeed provide a better value to the customer than new cars simply because of their price. Whilst it would no doubt be nice to have a brand new vehicle on the driveway, I’m afraid the depreciation value that it brings would be too much for me.

I must admit that this is probably my all time favourite mid-range automobiles – not just from Audi – but from any of the car manufacturers. I think that it is absolutely outstanding. I always liked the A5 but due to it being such a big car, the minimum 3.7 litre engine was required in order for it to be a force on the motorway. Now, like the previous whirlwind the R8, Audi have released an ‘S’ version of the model. So, my dilemma is this; I was never going to afford to buy a brand new A5 model and so was waiting to be a used one when they became available. However, having looked at the S5, I am debating whether or not to wait for a used version of this instead? Obviously a second hand S5 would be more to my liking but I do have to think about price, car taxes and insurance premiums etc. Whilst a brand new purchase is probably a little bit out of my league, buying a nearly new isn’t. The only thing that I have against used cars of this type is that you never know how the previous owner treated the vehicle. I mean even though it is an ultra fast car, I very much doubt that I would over rev or push its speed to the absolute limit. In fact I would take great care to ensure that it was well looked after both for me and the next owner. We all know that Audi make exceptional cars that are built to withstand a lot of pressure and speed but knowing that it has been used by someone else just makes me want to buy new instead. But, again the problem of finance kicks in and so I get brought right back down to reality! So in answer to the question of which type of car to buy; a used A5 or new A5, unfortunately it all depends on what you can afford. This time, for me – it looks like I am going second hand.

I have a friend that bought a 2004 used BMW Z4. Whilst he absolutely worships the wheels that it sits on he realises that in order to keep in line with the market, he will need to upgrade. So, given the fact that he enjoys the ride of the BMW so much, he is not going to upgrade the car make or model, just the year of registration. Most people when buying a new car actually change the manufacturer or model simply because they would like to try a new experience. However, given that the car in question was only bough fourteen months ago and the fact that he has had no problems with it whatsoever strengthen the case not to change. We all know that new cars operate at a huge loss when driven out of the car showroom and that used cars seem to offer that little bit more in way of keeping the residual value. However, with the vehicle manufacturers releasing new versions of cars on a regular basis, even the used cars driver can struggle to keep up. As it stands my friend stands to lose around £4,000 if he does go ahead with his upgrade purchase. In return he will be getting the exact same BMW Z4 albeit a different colour and a 2008 registration plate. All in all, it doesn’t seem that bad a deal given that the average car will lose around £3,500 per year in value anyway. Therefore the fact that he is changing cars now show that even with used models, if you stay ahead of the game, the financial losses do not have to be so crippling. The fact that this time next week he will be driving a nearly new car, which has just over 2,000 miles on the clock, presents a good deal and good value if you ask me. Of course, there is a little bit of time and research needed to try and stay in touch with the car market but the money saved will prove to be a good bonus to those wanting to put the work in. Buying cars can sometimes feel like a difficult task but with the introduction of the Internet – thing just got that little bit easier.

One of the main problems that I have had with car Websites is that the search functionality never seems to work correctly. As a result of this, I now only use a select few sites that I know will bring up the results that I want – depending upon the criteria that I enter. I am quite a regular buyer of cars online as it is part of a joint business venture that I am currently undertaking. However, navigating through all the mush is quite time consuming and can be very, very frustrating. Therefore, nowadays I only use two to three different used cars Websites that I have saved within my bookmarks. At least with these select few, I know that I am going to be getting the best deals and car promotions – not just some used old marketing gimmicks. The thing about the Internet is that things are often built on trust as it is such a new industry and people are still getting out of the old habit of only being able to buy a car when they visit a dealership in person. Nowadays though due to the advances in technology cars can be reserved from the comfort of your own home and vehicle finance packages setup. My advice is to research a few different car sites before deciding, which one to use on a regular basis. Buying a car isn’t like buying an item of jewellery for example where the cheapest prices is searched for – there is much more to think about that just the item / product itself. One of the sites that I constantly use is the Bristol Street Motors Website, which provides a wide range of new and used car stock and has some fantastic promotions that area available day by day. The managers’ specials section is one that is very useful, especially for very specific vehicles.