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I was sitting outside a dealership a few days ago and saw something happening that I felt I should bring to your attention. I’ve raised this before and told the full story in my book, An Insider Guide To Car Finance. In my book I explain that a friend of mine was working in the reception of a very large main dealer and told me about a practice that she had part witnessed and been told about by staff that absolutely amazed me. In her dealership they were Read more »

We are hopefully seeing some green shoots of economic recovery in various parts of the world. In the UK we paid off more than we borrowed last month for the first time ever and house prices are starting to rise but company closures and redundancies are still running at a high level and will probably do so for some time as we bump along waiting for the sustained upsurge in the UK and world economy. This means that many more of the population will continue to Read more »

More and more people that either bought or leased cars over the last two years are either holding onto their cars or extending their leases. Leasing companies have been encouraging extensions putting back the need to sell the end of lease car till as late as possible in the belief that used car prices will recover. But as I reported recently this drop in demand for new cars hasn’t led to a mass of unsold cars finding their way Read more »

Whilst used car prices are having a negative effect on lease rates as they counter the bonuses given away by manufacturers there has been a mild glimmer of hope during January. British Car Auctions have reported on average a 6% increase in used car prices following several months of continued falls. At the same time they reported that the average price was £1,000 less this January than it was last January so the Read more »

For those that like to personalise their cars with a cherished number plate you might be interested to learn that 1 HRH was purchased by a Berkshire based millionaire recently for £113,815. Even better was 1 O which had a reserve on it for £10,000. The owner must have had a Fools and Horses moment when it went for £210,242.50! Phew! By Graham Hill

After a strong NO vote for the western extension of the congestion charging in London (67%) Boris Johnson will scrap the scheme introduced by Ken Livingstone in 2007. This will halve the size of the congestion charging zone and as many have suggested with little effect on the environment. So why are other cities still hell bent on introducing the schemes elsewhere in the country when no one really wants them? This year is decision year for many proposals, I wonder if many other cities will follow the new London Mayor’s example and let the people decide or will they have their motoring costs substantially increased without any say? Time will tell but one thing is for certain something needs to be done but is the solution congestion charging? By Graham Hill

Do you live and work in Nottingham? If you do you will no doubt be delighted that they will soon be introducing an at work parking levy on any companies that have more than 10 parking spaces. The proposed scheme puts them at odds with London, Manchester and Cambridge who favour congestion charges as a much fairer way of charging. According to Read more »

CAP who provide vehicle valuation guides based on achieved auction prices have said that they are about to launch a significant downward price review based on the continued drop in prices achieved by fleet sellers in auction. This will have the affect of putting up lease rates unless the leasing companies can counter this with greater bonuses from the manufacturers. And be dismal news for those who Read more »

Whilst there appears to be a great deal of doom and gloom about, the latest new car sale figures issued by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) to the end of June shows a modest drop of just 1.6% over the same period in 2007. A lot of that was due to the sharp action of the manufacturers to discount cars into Read more »

Impersonators who sit driving tests for others have been warned that if caught, they face tougher sentences. The driving standards agency issued the warning following the sentencing of Palwinder Singh Johal at Oxford Crown Court to two years in jail and a recommended deportation notice on completion of his sentence. By Graham Hill