Cool Used Cars Blog

2008 Analysis

admin — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:01:37 +0000

It seems that 2009 is almost upon us so let’s reflect on the past twelve months for the automotive industry. Well where does one begin?! Going back to January, it seemed that everything was normal; people were buying cars, new models were being introduced by all of the manufacturers and there was a general “good feel” in and around the marketplace. However, like the midnight sky on view during a dark horror movie, lightening struck and it struck hard and fast. By the time April came about, between the banks and the media, a non visible frenzy was created, which saw the purse strings of many be tightened to the point that nobody was buying cars. The new cars section of the industry was hit most with many people just unable to afford a brand new vehicle. The main reason for this was due to the fact that the banks and financial institutes were not offering buyers the finances that were normally used to buy a vehicle. But it wasn’t just the new car market that suffered. Used car sales were also hit albeit at a lower rate. As the year progresses, many people lost their jobs and were made redundant. New production was halted and many of the main manufacturers were left in turmoil. The only shade of light was that there was more business for the repair centres, which was a result of older cars needing either new parts and / or a service (with people not buying cars, it meant that they were keeping hold of their vehicles for longer). This was the case for the rest of the year and so the industry has seen some major changes. The outlook is that things will be similar, if not worse during 2009. So in summary, it has been an extremely difficult 8 months out of the 12 for the automotive industry.

After Sales Service

admin — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:03:34 +0000

For me one of the most important elements to buying a car is dealing with a company and / or manufacturer that come across in a friendly and genuine manner. Of course, finding a vehicle that is of a decent price and standard are the main considerations but that only deals with the initially purchase process. I find that by dealing with a decent company to begin with means that the after sales service provided afterwards will be of a better standard. What many buyers don’t foresee or even neglect is what happens after the purchase in terms of booking in an MOT, a service or buying parts. Obviously many could be forgiven for not considering such things initially as the excitement of buying can certainly take away any attention to the afterthoughts. However, personally speaking, a decent vibe from the seller is required for me to obtain an interest. If I do not find such things then straight away I am more guarded and my judgment becomes reserved. The thing is, within the automotive and cars industry there are many people who appear to know the spiel but don’t actually understand the processes behind car buying, maintenance and customer service. The industry is so big worldwide that sometimes the small details can be neglected, which is why finding a trusted partner who will look after the customer after the sale and not just during the sale is vital for getting the best deal. This could be the argument as to why many people prefer to buy from dealers instead of directly with the manufacturer – as the attention and bond with the customer is more apparent when visiting a local dealership.

Audi Services

admin — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:26:17 +0000

Last week I managed to have the wonderful experience of having the ‘service’ light on my control panel flash up when driving on the motorway – right before Christmas; great! Anyway, I managed to get a booking in with the people at Audi for an early morning car service and was told it would be ready by a certain time. As you would expect from such an efficient and responsible manufacturer – the service was completed on time and ready for pickup. When I arrived, it had undergone a full valet and looked as good as new. The sheer professionalism in which Audi operated at throughout the whole process was evident for everyone to see. When summarising the tasks that were completed, I was able to gain a detailed insight into everything that was undertaken and the technicians were more than happy to answer any questions that I had. I even managed to learn a few things about the engine and was given helpful tips for the future in terms of the cars overall daily maintenance. For me, the way in which Audi operates is and has always been first class. Their knowledge of the car industry is second to none and this experience has only solidified my opinion of them to greater effect. I found that it was just the simple things that accounted for so much and whilst a valet for example is quite rightly expected by owners when they are having a service on their car, the standard of valet in this case was perfect. All of the leather was cleaned using a specific cleansing solution and the Alloy Wheels appeared as new. Overall, Audi have once again proved to me why I was correct is purchasing a car from them in the first place and why they are one of the leaders in the world of automotive.

Car Market Decline - Hype or Reality?

admin — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:13:32 +0000

If you were to listen to the news and read the local press you might be under the impression that the car industry is experiencing hard times due to the downturn in fortunes of the financial climate etc. However, just how much of this is reality and is any of it just pure hype? The truth is it is a little bit of both. Many smaller vehicle dealers have experienced difficulties maintaining the upkeep of their dealerships due to a retraction in the number of cars sold during the second half of 2008. Therefore, they have felt the pinch and have been forced to abandon their businesses – especially with the banks not offering any help in the form of a financial loan. So, in that respect, yes, there have definitely been companies that have felt the effect of the market and ultimately the smaller ones have been hit the most. The bigger car dealers, although suffering from a low number of sales still seem to be operating at decent enough levels and if you speak to the people at Audi for example, they will tell you that sales are indeed up on 2007, which in itself offers another story altogether. I suppose some of this so called car credit crunch comes about when you actually let it affect you. Yes the banks are not lending finances to every Tom, Dick and Harry anymore but if you have a foundation in place along with a steady monthly income then things shouldn’t be affecting you too much. If anything, with the cost of petrol and fuel decreasing – it should benefit! Unfortunately though those in the automotive industry – especially the used car industry have certainly had their purse strings tightened and there is less and less car advertising campaigns being promoted nowadays. From a personal point of view I am going to wait until the second quarter of 2008 before I commit to any new cars or make any upgrades to my current vehicle.

BMW X6

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:12:22 +0000

I have just come back from my local BMW garage and seen an absolute stunner of a car. The new X6, which has now made the X5 the baby of the family is a beautiful 4×4 in the mould of a coupe. This in itself makes it unique as I am yet to see a vehicle that combines the two types of styles. Whilst it seems that the only colour being promoted is a brilliant black metallic, I must say that it certainly managed to get the attention of many customers and has already been critically acclaimed by car enthusiasts and review Websites. One sticking point though may be the price, which starts from £45,000. Now in the current climate I highly doubt that many people will be able to afford such cars and so no doubt this will therefore contribute to the sales numbers. The reality is that the new cars markets have been hit more than the used, which makes new additions from the production line much harder to sell. Still though, it didn’t stop a few potential X6 buyers from requesting further information on the car itself, which is probably to use for the future given the uncertainty in the marketplace. In fact BMW had quite a variety of car up for sale with most of their efforts concentrating on the used second hand area. There were some great deals on show for 2008 registrations, which have obviously been sold back to them by sellers due to the credit crunch. So, to summarise then – BMW still seem to be providing customers with a wide range of vehicle for them to choose from – even if the market isn’t quite ready to give people the confidence to buy. Finally, just to mention once again – the new X6 model in my opinion will cause quite a stir once it fully hits the UK roads. When that will be though is another question…..

Used BMW or Used Mercedes

admin — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:34:33 +0000

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!

Buying Cars Online

admin — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:32:05 +0000

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.

Audi – The Company

admin — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:18:15 +0000

There’s just something about Audi that impresses me. My last three cars have all been from this wonderful German manufacturer and I cannot see the time where I think that I will change to a different supplier. Not only are the cars themselves of the upmost quality but I always find that the customer service provided is second to none. At first I thought that this just my local dealer but having travelled to various different ones throughout the country, they are German-like at each branch. Also, they have one of the widest ranges of used cars that I have ever seen and that can be attributed to the fact that they are constantly releasing new models of cars and because of the quality that they bring, people want to buy. This is not only providing constant new stock in a competitive marketplace but also making Audi an awful lot of money as the people trading in their second hand cars are also Audi models. This is why whenever I look around the used cars section of the dealership, many of the cars on show are as good as new and look as though they have never even been driven. Take yesterday for example, I visited my local Audi dealership to find many 2008 vehicle registrations for sale even though the first batch of these was only released in March 2008. Therefore, the maximum age they could be is 8 months old yet the sale price was much lower than if bought brand new. It is now wonder then as to why there were so many people lurking around the used car section and why the salesmen were all busy upon my request for more information about a particular vehicle. It just goes to show then that with a decent product and an excellent service how far companies can go. Add to that an aggressive advertising campaign and the possibilities are endless.

Used Car Sales Figures Increase – USA

admin — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:47:06 +0000

One particular industry that has been on the demise due to the economy in America is the automotive industry. This has therefore meant that many people have had to think twice about buying a new vehicle. However, one person’s downfall is another person’s gain and so it is the used, second hand cars industry that has seen a small but positive increase in sales numbers. It seems that many families can no longer afford to purchase new cars and are instead being forced to either downsize or cut the costs of the normal motor spend just so that they can take part in an ‘upgrade’. The fact is that with Wall Street in the US operating at huge losses, more and more buyers are turning to used cars as a way of saving their dollars. In fact, some used dealers are inundated with business and are making more money now than they ever have done before. So just why are people turning to cars that is second hand then? Well the answer to that question is simple; price. The price is a lot less strenuous on the wallet for used cars as oppose to new cars. Therefore, people prefer to buy used and then maybe use the money that they would have spent on a new car for something else or as a way of saving. As we know many of the car manufacturers are reporting decreased profits and are offloading staff as a way of making up the loss generated. However, again, the downfall of one section has meant that the maintenance and repairs teams of such companies have seen an increase in activity. This can be attributed to the fact that more and more used cars are on the road and do not carry the same warranties as a new vehicle would. Also, it seems that people are keeping their cars longer as many cannot afford an upgrade. So, from this, the longer they keep the car, the more likely it is that a repair will be required. One thing that the American people are hoping is that the election can help boost their economy and they can then start planning for the future in a more stable environment.

Common Problems in Winter Season

admin — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:33:51 +0000

With winter fast approaching (in fact it seems as though winter is already here judging by today’s temperatures) cars will need to be treated with extra care. I always remember during the last winter season the amount of time that my engine would not start because of the freeze. Well the good old days of having to scrape the ice from the windscreen and having to use warm water from the household kettle is nearly upon us. We didn’t really have much of a summer and so it seems Winter may just come that little bit earlier this year. With used cars especially, the cold weather can have quite an impact as the engines are more worn than that of their contemporaries with a newer engine. They also seem to take longer to start up in some cases and can be compared to an older person who has problems with their joints for example! Another quite common issue during the festive season is the car door “sticking” and unable to open. I have seen this on many occasions and I am in the unfortunate position of living across the road from a field, which when the wind is active, blows the frozen due off the grass and onto the right hand side of my car; therefore including the drivers’ door. Now many times in the past not only has the door “stuck” but also the door handle, window etc. Frequently I had to enter the vehicle from the passengers’ side just so that I could get in! Whilst this proved to be quite inconvenient, it was my only way of being able to make the car function unless I was willing to wait until the sun arose. However, during the early hours of the morning this was next to impossible and so it was my only option. In terms of unfreezing the windscreen – many people seem to think that de-icer is the best way forward. Whilst I agree to a certain extent – de-icer alone will not always provide the desired results and you will find that the cars windscreen will appear blotchy and only offer a clear view in certain areas. The very best way to remove ice from a cars windscreen is to boil some water in the kettle and then mix it with cold until it is just warm. The reason for this being that hot water could indeed crack the car windscreen and cold water will only make the freeze worse! Therefore, by using warm water – it provides a feasible solution to removing the ice. This, combined with anti-freeze is by far the best option on those cold winter mornings when you are in a rush to get to work.