The Best Car Finance Blog In The World

I have to say that I have a fantastic relationship with my customers, many of whom rely upon my judgement, but one of the dangers I’ve had to face over the years, is when I attempt to get a customer into a great value car but the customer, who bases his decision on cost rather than the whole package, hasn’t had a test drive in the car, only to find that the driving position is Read more »

We keep hearing a lot about green issues and the need to improve our environment. The warnings are there, each year we see more extreme weather conditions that are blamed upon global warming but what are we actually doing about it in the cars we drive? Have I sold hundreds of hybrid cars? No. Have I seen a strong move from big gas guzzlers to city cars or even just mildly more modest cars? Read more »

Bad news! The dopey Chancellor has listened to all the anecdotal evidence and decided that the scrappage scheme should be extended, which has already helped nearly 300,000 people with old bangers to get into new cars, but done nothing to help ordinary people and small businesses that are struggling to finance their new car as the funders are running out of money. Whilst manufacturers continue to Read more »

The test of a finance arrangement isn’t so much the cost or the APR but in the current climate, what happens when things go wrong. Most of my readers know my views on the heavy promotion of personal loans rather than dealer HP but another issue was mentioned to me this week that again shows why HP is far more beneficial than a personal loan. When you take out dealer HP it is what is known as a Read more »

Over the years I have put forward many reasons why you should opt for Dealer HP over a personal loan (contrary to all advice given in the media). Your legal rights are so much greater when you take HP. If you have read my book An Insider Guide To Car Finance, or been a regular reader of my newsletter, you would know the reasons that I put forward. However, I have just uncovered a new one that you may find useful if you, or a friend/relation ever find yourself in this situation. If you are a consumer (can also be a sole trader) and you purchase a vehicle outright you are deemed to have accepted the goods if you have had a reasonable time to inspect the goods and not rejected them. After this time your remedy for defects is restricted to Read more »

Last week I attended Motor Finance Europe 2009, one of the most important events of the year with regard to identifying how the European motor industry and the finance sector in particular is coping with the downturn. So I packed a couple of bottles of Paracetamol in the briefcase along with a couple of razor blades as I was totally convinced that by lunchtime I would be feeling more than a little suicidal and Read more »

They say ‘it’ sends you blind – whatever ‘it’ is. But whatever ‘it’ is it seems to affect middle aged drivers as one in five drive their cars knowing that their eyesight is impaired according to the College of Optometrists. The study also revealed that 28% of these blind old duffers put off having a sight test for up to 6 months after noticing their eyesight had deteriorated and a startling 21% put it off for up to 5 years, probably because they can’t find their local Specsavers. ‘This attitude is extremely worrying’ said Dr Susan Blakeney, optometric adviser to the College of Optometrists. I agree. By Graham Hill

Trying to get more drivers off the roads and onto public transport won’t work if we continue to be charged ridiculous fares on the trains. A recent study revealed that UK rail travellers pay more than anywhere else in Europe. I bought a return ticket to London today and it cost just under £40 to take a round trip of about 70 miles, it’s ridiculous. By Graham Hill

Calls for a total mobile phone ban have come from safety experts following a landmark case. Lynne-Marie Howden, a director and head of sales at business consultancy Insights was found not guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. But she was found guilty of the lesser charge of careless driving which resulted in a 12 month ban and a fine of £2,000. Ms Howden was talking on her hands free phone to a works Read more »

If you are a business you need to be aware of the tax changes coming into force in April. I have been through this before but as we are now nearly there let me refresh your memory: 

• Cars with CO2 emissions of more than 160g/km will be written down at 10% on a reducing balance basis. Read more »