new cars

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Holiday Rental Lucky Dip 2

Posted by carsalesblog on May 4, 2018
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Holiday Rental Lucky Dip 2

I know, I know, you haven’t heard from me and my random blogs for ages! It’s actually been over a year since my last blog; wow a lot has happened but that’s another story. Had a bad year or so really, but hey ho, keep battling as they say!

So I find my self laid on a sun bed on the first day of my holiday in Lanzarote and thought I would actually write you guys a blog.

As you may be aware from previous posts, when I visit this lovely island I let the car hire decision be fate – I book the cheapest possible and see what I get!

I have been out here twice since I last wrote about this and both times I had similar hire cars – but what the hell do you write about a Fiat Qubo other than the cool sliding rear doors? My point exactly!

So this holiday, I’m sure you’re all eager to know what I got…

To be fair, I think I’ve had a bit of a result. I booked the car hire about a month ago. I always check 2 companies and go with the cheapest (as you do). To my surprise, I got a weeks’ hire of a supermini with air con for €52. Fucking hell, my last bar bill in London was twice that!

I thought this was amazing value for money, until last night when I thought what the hell am I going to get!?

Soldiering on, up at 3am this morning for mum’s taxi to East Mids. (Saying mum’s taxi… she got in the back and I had to drive the new Jazz the 40 or so miles to the airport. My fault really, I sold her the Jazz 😜 – she likes it. 😀)

After we made it through the foreign airport, to Autoriesen for my €52 hire car, which was, to my surprise, a 1.2 Polo… result!

Looking at the key, it wasn’t a new car but no problem, it had remote central locking.

Out to the car and all good so far, our cases easily fitted in the boot. Jumped in and all-round leccy windows, mirrors and AC – all I really need. Key in the ignition and 4 minutes later the car started… ah!

As all of us in the motor trade think, oh well, fuck it, it’s started – off we go.

Being fair to our little VW it’s not a bad little car – I managed to get it to 126 overtaking a lorry, this does sound impressive but this is KM not MPH!

It’s got me here, it’s not going to go anywhere else until it has to take me back to the airport in a weeks’ time, so a result in my book for €52.

Happy holiday to me 😀

R.I.P. Coupe

Posted by carsalesblog on December 15, 2013
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Shock horror – The Coupe is dead!!

Now let me explain:

With other models, such as hatchback, saloon, MPV etc., the design of the car is pretty much the same. If someone said to you that they have an estate, you have a pretty good idea what the car looks like. The Coupe models however are different, they are split into categories. Right at the top of the pecking order are the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin. These aren’t Coupes, they are just automotive porn for a handful to have and the rest of us to drool over.

Next up in the Coupe categories are your track day cars: Lotus Elise/Exige, Ginetta, Caterham and the Aerial Atom. Great cars to throw around a track, but not really fitting for real life driving.

Then there’s the ‘Controversial Coupe,’ the car that the manufacturers class as a Coupe but the rest of us would say is a 3 door version of either the 4 or 5 door model, just like the BMW 3 Series. BMW call their 3 door version a Coupe and have done for years but look at it next to the 4 door variant and its defiantly a BMW 3 Series 3 door. VW have done the same really, but been a bit cleverer with it: the Scirocco is basically a Golf with a very pretty dress on. Also in this category are the Coupes which are 5 doors – WHAT!? For example, the VW Passat CC, (not to be confused with a cabriolet,) is a really nice car, but surely this is a Passat 5 door?

I’m not a big fan of this section but it seems to be very popular: the electric folding hard-top roof Coupe Cabriolets. All tend to be aptly called nearly the same: CC, C+C, CLC, CZC and Twin Top. These don’t seem to work very well as a Coupe and equally don’t seem to work very well as a Cabriolet either – pointless!

This seems to be the way the Coupe is being formed now, either by a 3 door variant of a good car or making a stupidly complicated and complex folding roof system that will always leak and when out of warranty will cost more than CAP’s valuation in winter months to fix every year.

Think back a good few years, there were loads of proper Coupes. Japan tended to produce the most – Toyota had 4! Paseo, MR2, Celica and Supra. Honda produced the CRX and Prelude and later the brilliant Integra. Nissan chucked a few in the pot too: 100NX, 200SX and 300ZX. A bit closer to home, Vauxhall had the Tigra and then the Calibra, (technically a Cavalier though.) Ford had the superb Puma and then the not so superb Probe which was closely followed by the Cougar. Renualt had its strangely styled Alpine. Even Hyundai had its own Coupe.

blue red silver

So discounting the Exoctic Porn Coupe, the hair-raising thrill-seeking Coupe, the Coupe that really isn’t a Coupe and the Cabriolet versions, what have we got left? I’m sat here now racking my brains to think of Coupes that are truly a Coupe and for the real world. All I can come up with is the Toyota GT86 (and of course Subaru’s version of the same car,) and the Audi TT. I may have missed a few but this shows that manufacturers are not investing money into this category anymore which is a real shame and that the true Coupe has now been laid to rest. Sad times.

You may be wondering why this is. I know the answer and even though I am saddened by the death of the Coupe, I am overjoyed with the reason for it.

The real killer of the Coupe is: The Hot Hatch!!!! (And yes, you have guessed it – there will be a post about it soon.)

Why buy new?

Posted by carsalesblog on November 14, 2013
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Those of you that watch Top Gear… Err, no, let me rephrase that… Those of you that watch the repeats of Top Gear on Dave will remember the episode during which, for the price of a New Nissan Pixo, Clarkson and Hammond went out and bought cars to the equivalent value. As it was Top Gear, they went a bit mad a bought a Mercedes CL600 and a BMW 850 Ci; great cars, but not what us ordinary folk from Yorkshire would buy.

As always, the kids that present this motoring show do have a point, but just went to the extremes. (Which is why we all watch it!)

I will show you what I mean…

Let’s take the best-selling small car at the moment, the Ford Fiesta. For this experiment I will be using the 1.25 82 PS Zetec 5dr model with metallic paint. According to Ford’s Car Configurator, this will set you back a staggering £13,240 that’s with a customer saving of £750. Wow, thanks Ford, generosity at its best! So for the sake of this blog, I am going to shave another £740 off that list price, as I’m pretty sure there will be a dealer out there that will sell you this car for £12,500.

Right, so here’s the challenge and the interesting bit: what used car can you buy for the price of a new one? Now as I am a Used Car Salesman and this sort of thing is what I do best, I feel this might be an easy task so, wait for it… I’m going to halve the amount! Yes £6,250 – I know, that’s like kicking myself in the privates! But I’m up for the challenge.

So which used cars can I come up with that are actually on sale today that would tempt you away from the buying of a brand new Ford Fiesta?

First up to prove my point is this:

Alfa Romeo Mito 1.4 Lusso 3dr

mito

Stunning looking Italian Super Mini. 59 Plate ,Only 49,000 miles, full Alfa Service History. Just £5,995, but I have been tactical here. I’ve got £255 left over to buy a warranty.  BUY A WARRANTY IF BUYING A USED ALFA, IT WILL BREAK DOWN! Consider yourself warned.

Next up:

Seat Leon 1.9 TDi Emocion 5dr

Untitled

A great diesel car delivering over 65mpg. 09 plate, 73,000 miles, just £6,294. (Yes, I know that’s £44 over budget, but I’m pretty sure he would sell you this car for the magical £6,250.)

I can’t quite believe this one:

Jaguar XJ6 3.0 V6 Sport 4dr Auto

jag

Full leather, touch screen sat nav, 19” alloy wheels, xenon headlights. 03 plate, 75,000 miles and at a stupidly cheap price of £6,000! Can you imagine what the neighbours would think when they look out of their window and see this parked on your drive?

The Old Faithful:

Vauxhall Insignia 1.8 SE 5dr

insignia

With masses of spec and loads of room, this 09 plate with just 50,000 mile is only £5,995. I don’t think you can get a better value for money car than this. Brand new, this car would have cost over £18,000.

Anyway, I could go on for hours writing this blog but I’m pretty sure that the only person that would like to read it would be me, so I’m not going to bore you further with any more examples. Apart from one final car to really question why you would buy new.

Are you ready for this?

The Ford Fiesta 1.25 82 PS Zetec 5dr in metallic paint!

fiesta

Yes, exactly the same car as I started off this challenge with: a 10 Plate with 46,000 miles, for a ‘bang on the budget’ £6,250. Admittedly, this is the pre-facelift model ,but what would you rather have? A brand new car, or the same car but previously loved and over 6 grand in your back pocket?

I rest my case. Let’s leave the new car sales to the company car drivers and rentals and go shopping for a bargain.