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There is growing evidence that SME’s and consumers are moving over to leasing as a way to fund their vehicles. The old reasons still exist, having a fixed, known monthly cost, no risk in uncertain resale values and benefitting from hidden substantial bonuses provided by manufacturers to leasing companies but SME’s and consumers  have identified a new benefit. Read more »

It has been reported this week that many people do not see the distinction between credit crunch and recession. For those that lived through the last recession, as I did, you will know how hard things got before we turned the corner and things started to dramatically improve. And this was all down to a recession, which was pretty much left to run its course by the Government. Whilst it seemed pretty harsh at the time it was a way of streamlining business in the UK and weeding out the good from the bad. Sadly, Read more »

There are now fewer illegal drivers on our roads according to a recent operation undertaken by fifty two police forces throughout the UK under the operation name of V79. During the operation 6,689 motorists were randomly stopped and results compared to a similar operation carried out in 2006. The number of drivers stopped without valid vehicle tax or licence fell by half. The number of vehicles without Read more »

Did the measures regarding VAT, announced by the Chancellor of the 24^th November, have any affect on drivers or the industry? Not much is the answer. The VAT drop on fuel has been balanced out by increased duty but will the duty come off again when VAT returns to it’s current level? It will also have the affect of putting up prices Read more »

The leasing sector is starting to contract as was predicted in my newsletter a few weeks ago. GE Capital Solutions, number 8 in the top 50 leasing companies in the UK says it will no longer deal with fleets of less than 50 vehicles. The company says that it wants to concentrate its efforts in Read more »

Times are getting tougher, I don’t need to tell you that but if you are considering changing your car you need to consider who is going to supply your finance if you are going to use someone off the internet. One of the latest problems faced by applicants is the tightening of underwriting by lenders. Missing a couple of credit card payments, something that would have been ignored by lenders a year ago, is enough for some lenders running short of money to turn their back on you. And if you think about it Read more »

Even in these enlightened times and a greater awareness of employer responsibilities when it comes to health and safety at work relating to those who drive a car on business, a recent survey revealed that a third of drivers opt for the cash alternative to a company car. This is so dangerous as drivers who need as much money as they can save to simply pay their household bills, Read more »

Following from my recent warnings about the use of some brokers that advertise on the Internet the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) have warned also that it is a big risk using a broker who is not accredited by one of the professional bodies. We are members of the NACFB and in addition to complying to a code of practice it is also a condition of membership Read more »

The ‘recession/credit crunch’ is already cutting fairly deeply and now is a time to think very carefully about the financing of your next car. Not only should you take care over the type of finance that you use but you should also take care over the supplier. In the last week I have heard of three dealer groups that have gone, locally we lost Sidlow, mainly VW, Audi, Seat and Alpha as well as Barkers Citroen and another VW Audi dealer, Dane. This has been bad news for those who paid deposits and initial rentals to these companies, Read more »

This item is probably one of the most significant items that I have ever written about consumer rights, something I am passionate about. It will be worth cutting and pasting into a secure file as a reference point in the future should you or anyone you know experience problems. The case I am about to refer to is to do with pension advice provided by a financial advisor but according to Greg Standing, partner in Wragge & Co LLP’s Finance, Insolvency, Recoveries and Sales Team, the Court of Appeal ruling has far reaching affects and is Read more »