Posts Tagged ‘car finance’

Welcome to the world of car leasing

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

Car leasing has rapidly become one of the most popular forms of car finance in the UK in recent years. People looking to get their hands on a brand new car as cheaply as possible have been seduced by the large savings car leasing can offer, as well as the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a posh car that might’ve been out of their budget range previously.

Of course, you might think that, in a perfect world, you’d be able to save up the cash in full and go out and buy a car without resorting to car finance. However, going down that route is time consuming and can end up costing you a lot of money that you’re more than likely going to lose through depreciation. The average car in the UK loses over 50% of its value in its first two years, so why would you buy one for cash only to lose half of it within a couple of years? It’s a lot of money that you’ll never get back.

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How car finance can get you the car of your dreams

Monday, February 6th, 2012

Buying a new car can be a difficult process accompanied by a good old dose of reality. We all want to pick up our dream car, drive off with it and be done. However, sometimes our budget or circumstances mean that our favoured vehicle is quite simply off limits. Maybe it’s a luxury saloon or a sporty little number – either way, all too often we’re forced to put it to the back of our minds and settle for something else.

However, there might not be a need to settle for second best, as paying for your dream car will be made easier on a car finance deal. You might be under the impression that in order to buy a new car, you have to save up your cash and hand it over to a car dealer. But there’s no need to do this, since the concept of car finance allows you to pay for a car over an agreed period on much more affordable terms.

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The benefits and value car leasing can bring you

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

Have you ever fancied driving something a bit more glamorous than the normal humdrum saloon? Maybe you’d like to try out something a bit more upmarket, with a hint of exclusivity and desirability? Well, you might think that the dream of getting your hands on a premium motor is just that little bit too much out of reach due to budget restrictions – however, you might be wrong. Car finance options exist to make those dreams a possibility, and are well worth considering before you give up completely.

Leasing a car can be a very effective method of car finance. It’s been in use in the business world for many years now – although it’s often called contract hire when it comes to commercial use. Basically, contract hire packages are a great way for a business to provide company cars for its employees. As they’re leased, they don’t go on the balance sheets, don’t depreciate and lose the company money, and offer the business all sorts of tax incentives.

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New Year, new car?

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

The New Year is an ideal time to freshen things up – maybe the house, your diet, even your car. It’s possible you just feel like a change, or maybe your current vehicle’s giving you a bit of trouble – perhaps you’re planning a car finance deal in time for the number plate change in March. In any case, you’re in luck since manufacturers also tend to see this as the perfect time of year to preview and launch new releases.

In a time when belts are still tightened and after an always-expensive festive period, it’s a relief to know that a car trade up doesn’t have to dent your wallet too much. There are plenty of different payment options open to you, many of which make paying for your dream set of wheels a lot less stressful too.

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Understanding car leasing

Thursday, January 12th, 2012

Car leasing has emerged from relative obscurity to become one of the most popular forms of car finance in the UK in recent years. Despite this growth in popularity, many people are still unsure of what exactly leasing entails and how it works. One of the most frequent questions is: ‘what exactly am I paying for?’

The simple answer to this question is that, when leasing a car, you’re paying (on a monthly basis) for the use of the car over an agreed period – you don’t own the car at any stage of the agreement.

When the lease period is over, you hand back the keys to the leasing company and have the option of choosing a new, replacement vehicle. This arrangement may not suit everyone, but it does offer numerous benefits for people who like flexibility and want to update their car every few years.

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Drug-driving shake-up, VW’s E-Bugster and Hyundai Velostar

Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

The government is planning a major shake up of existing drug-driving legislation, which would make it easier to carry out convictions for drug-related offences on the road. The new rules, if implemented, will allow the police to test suspected drug-drivers at the roadside. In 2010, there were 39 road deaths caused directly by drug-driving. While this figure seems low, drivers who have both alcohol and drugs in their system are currently only prosecuted for alcohol offences alone.

As such, the government is currently in talks with medical professionals to determine tolerance levels of recreational drugs such as cannabis and cocaine. With this information on board, it’s hoped that strict new rules can be drawn up to make it illegal to drive a car shortly after taking drugs. Such moves are likely to be welcomed by motorists and road safety charities alike, many of whom have stated that this issue has long been neglected.

Another area of the motoring world that’s currently receiving widespread attention is the electric sector. Experts are suggesting that 2012 will see electric car technology grow in popularity, starting to genuinely challenge for the hearts and minds of people everywhere who are considering their next car finance deal.

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Nissan winter checks, free blue badges in Wales and Kia’s new Ray EV

Friday, December 30th, 2011

Winter can be an awkward time for motorists, with a host of seasonal challenges – including adverse weather conditions and poor roads – coming into play. The festive season is one when we rely on our cars, and use them to visit friends and relatives to deliver gifts and cheer. It’s always important to perform some simple checks to make sure your car is fit for the road during winter, and tyres and lights are vitally important for safety reasons.

Thankfully, Nissan is one manufacturer willing to go that extra mile for their customers during winter – if you have a Nissan (on car finance or otherwise) over three years old, it’s eligible for a free winter check to make sure it’s in tip-top condition.

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End game for Saab, Mercedes launch luxury hybrid and Audi previews hot A1

Saturday, December 24th, 2011

The Saab saga took an unfortunate turn this week as the quirky Swedish car maker finally lost its battle with bankruptcy. Saab had once been a popular car finance option for a select market who sought a quality alternative to German brands such as BMW and Mercedes. However, over the past two years it suffered from falling sales figures and struggled to maintain stability.

A deal had been put in place between Saab’s parent company and a Chinese investment group to rescue the manufacturer, but this deal was ultimately rejected by Saab’s former owners, General Motors. Their objections centred mainly on the grounds of intellectual property rights, which the American car giant did not want to see fall into the hands of another company.

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BMW debut 6 Series Grand Coupé and women’s insurance set to rise

Thursday, December 15th, 2011

BMW are to take on Mercedes and Audi in the increasingly popular four door luxury coupé market with their new 6 Series Grand Coupé. The Bavarian car maker has released preview pictures of a stretched version of their 6 Series coupé that now sports two rear doors. Designed to take on the Mercedes CLS and the Audi A7, the handsome new design is sure to be popular amongst those looking for a superb all-round car finance package.

The Grand Coupé will seat four adults with ease and in comfort. There is a fifth seat but the centre rear passenger would be left straddling the centre console, so if you’re after large rear interior space when looking at cars on finance then the Grand Coupé might not be for you. It is, however, the same story with the CLS and A7, both of which focus on the luxury transport of four people.

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Ssangyong re-enter UK market, SAAB GB enters administration and Scenic gets a makeover

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

Car maker Ssangyong has officially re-entered the UK car market following the acquisition of a 70% stake in the company by Indian engineering firm Mahindra and Mahindra. Speculation has surrounded the re-entry of the company into the British market for a number of months now, but the news was only officially confirmed late last week.

Ssangyong may not be an instantly familiar badge to UK motorists, but their models have always been known for their tough and hard wearing nature. The Korean car company will initially bring three models to the UK market in order to try and tempt people into their next car finance deal.

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