The figures (not just in the car trade) are being manipulated such that we are getting good and bad news concurrently from the same batch of numbers, with figures being down 5.2% of this, against 2.3% of that which equals a 7% gross ?  Frankly you are getting more sense out of the gross output of goat cheese from Uzbekistan. The facts are we are deep in a recession, money may be cheaper to borrow but it is more difficult to get. The knock on of this is finance deals that would have gone through unnoticed two years ago are getting kicked back. This is what’s keeping fresh used car prices up.

Companies have seen their car spend tip the balance, and they are now chasing lower to run, lower to tax, easier to fuel  low co2 cars as the major factors in their fleet purchasing decision process. This ultimately will be tomorrow’s expensive used car. The same effect is apparent with retail consumers struggling with fuel and running costs.  The only real winner in new car sales has to be contract lease companies,  and if you look at the top ten new car sold in May it is the usual perennials of the leasing industry  Fords, Vauxhalls and Volkswagens . The Nissan quashqai made it into the top ten but again it is available with good finance options and appears to be holding its value with launch models only now dipping below 10K  (this is from a man that once bought a murano!!).  Thankfully I placed £200 with Betfred for a twelve month slide in new car sales at 25/1  last year so one more month and I’m quids in !  I didn’t really, but until all this cheap money in the pot starts to get spent and the government can offer consumers the assurance to drop into their savings,  the figure will continue to slide for another while yet.

© 2011, MD. All rights reserved.

Shop around for car contracts.  There are hundreds of companies offering deals, but they are generally all eating  from much the same pot.  Some offer deals that are too good to be true and have expensive add ons.  Here I’ve listed my picks from a trusted source. I wont list contact details but if you get in touch I can  forward details on.

Citroen C1 VTR+

1.0 VTR+ 5 Door

Business users £106 plus VAT per month

Personal users £127 incl VAT per month

6 Rentals in advance plus 23 monthly rentals. Contract hire, non-maintained, 5,000 miles per annum.

Citroen DS3

D Style Hdi 90

Business users £179 plus VAT per month

Personal users £215 incl VAT per month

3 Rentals in advance plus 35 monthly rentals. Contract hire, non-maintained, 10,000 miles per annum.

Nissan Juke

1.6 Acenta

Business users £189 plus VAT per month

Personal users £239 incl VAT per month

3 Rentals in advance plus 35 monthly rentals. Contract hire, non-maintained, 10,000 miles per annum.

Mini First

Hatchback 1.6 3 Door

Business users £189 plus VAT per month

Personal users £227 incl VAT per month

3 Rentals in advance plus 35 monthly rentals. Contract hire, non-maintained, 10,000 miles per annum.

Volkswagen Touran

1.6 TDI S 105ps Manual

Business users £199 plus VAT per month

3 Rentals in advance plus 35 monthly rentals. Contract hire, non-maintained, 10,000 miles per annum. Business users only

Mercedes B Class

B160 BlueEfficiency Petrol Sport

Business users £199 plus VAT per month

Personal users £238 incl VAT per month

3 Rentals in advance plus 23 monthly rentals. Contract hire, non-maintained, 10,000 miles per annum.

Audi A1

1.6 Tdi Sport 3 Door

Business users £213 plus VAT per month

3 Rentals in advance plus 23 monthly rentals. Contract hire, non-maintained, 10,000 miles per annum. Business users only

Toyota Avensis T2

2.0D-4D 4 Door

Business users £239 plus VAT per month

3 Rentals in advance plus 35 monthly rentals. Contract hire, non-maintained, 10,000 miles per annum. Business users only

Volkswagen Eos

1.4 SE TSI Bluemotion 2 Door

Business users £253 plus VAT per month

3 Rentals in advance plus 23 monthly rentals. Contract hire, non-maintained, 10,000 miles per annum. Business users only

Audi A5 Cabriolet

1.8 T FSI Manual

Business users £279 plus VAT per month

6 Rentals in advance plus 23 monthly rentals. Contract hire, non-maintained, 10,000 miles per annum. Business users only

Peugeot RCZ

1.6 THP GT 2 Door Coupe

Business users £289 plus VAT per month

Personal users £347 incl VAT per month

3 Rentals in advance plus 23 monthly rentals. Contract hire, non-maintained, 10,000 miles per annum.

BMW X1

Diesel Estate sDrive 20d SE 5 Door

Business users £326 plus VAT per month

6 Rentals in advance plus 35 monthly rentals. Contract hire, non-maintained, 10,000 miles per annum. Business users only

BMW 5 Series

Diesel Saloon 520d SE 4 Door

Business users £358 plus VAT per month

6 Rentals in advance plus 35 monthly rentals. Contract hire, non-maintained, 10,000 miles per annum.Business users only

Mercedes E Class

E220 Cdi BlueEfficiency SE Auto

Business users £379 plus VAT per month

Personal users £454 incl VAT per month

3 Rentals in advance plus 35 monthly rentals. Personal Contract hire only, non-maintained, 10,000 miles per annum.

Mercedes E Class Cabriolet

E220 Cdi BlueEfficiency SE Manual Leather

Business users £430 plus VAT per month

3 Rentals in advance plus 35 monthly rentals. Contract hire, non-maintained, 10,000 miles per annum.Business users only

© 2011, MD. All rights reserved.

© 2011, MD. All rights reserved.