Cars. Are They Selling? Anyone In The Trade.

[TylerDurden]

During the crash in 09, Cars just stopped selling. No credit for new cars caused big problems for car manufacturers. Factory workers had hours cut, docklands full of stock. And used prices soared. All obviously linked with the banking crisis and economy.

I'm just wondering where we are now with the situation. Is the credit back for cars. Did the factory workers get the hours back. What about used cars. I swapped cars 3 months ago and was suprised how much old cars were up for.

Any anecdotals on new and used car sales in uk?

I think it must be surely a good indicator of sentiment at least.

I dont really see that many new plates.

[200p]

The Pendragon shareprice is a good indicator http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/charts/big.chart?symb=uk%3Apdg&compidx=aaaaa%3A0&ma=1&maval=200%2C50&uf=0&lf=1&lf2=0&lf3=0&type=2&size=2&state=8&sid=2546933&style=320&time=20&freq=2&comp=NO%5FSYMBOL%5FCHOSEN&nosettings=1&rand=9880&mocktick=1

A bit like using BDEV for the housing market.

[TylerDurden]

The Pendragon shareprice is a good indicator http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/charts/big.chart?symb=uk%3Apdg&compidx=aaaaa%3A0&ma=1&maval=200%2C50&uf=0&lf=1&lf2=0&lf3=0&type=2&size=2&state=8&sid=2546933&style=320&time=20&freq=2&comp=NO%5FSYMBOL%5FCHOSEN&nosettings=1&rand=9880&mocktick=1

A bit like using BDEV for the housing market.

Interesting thanks. Looks like we were in a bit of a bubble back there!

[Topher Bear]

During the crash in 09, Cars just stopped selling. No credit for new cars caused big problems for car manufacturers. Factory workers had hours cut, docklands full of stock. And used prices soared. All obviously linked with the banking crisis and economy.

I'm just wondering where we are now with the situation. Is the credit back for cars. Did the factory workers get the hours back. What about used cars. I swapped cars 3 months ago and was suprised how much old cars were up for.

Any anecdotals on new and used car sales in uk?

I think it must be surely a good indicator of sentiment at least.

I dont really see that many new plates.

I have just finished looking into buying a new car. New job going to be commuting over 20k miles a year, and although my octavia manages 50mpg and will run and run even though it is 125K miles, I figured a new small car where I could get 65mpg (or more) with low tax and lower servicing maintanence costs, might actually be no more expensive....all my calcs suggest it would be about £40 a month more. Although that is managable, we decided that thats £40 a month that we could put towards house deposit, so won't get one, just yet ;-(

I did go into a local citroen garage to see about the DS3, and the guy tried to get me to buy their last stock car by the end of the month. reckoned the monthly price (over three years) would be £220, including £500 off from citroen, and he would do it for £200 a month if I bought before end of month. That was without even attempting to bargain.

Several mentioned that I should buy this year to avoid price rises, APR rises and VAT rises. I then got to thinking, maybe with all these price rises coming through in Jan, they are gonna be despserate to sell in the new year...could be good discounts!

Also got a preferential deals from Fiat, they were offering £2500 off new Brava's. They have just upped that to £3600 off!

So my anecdotals suggest, times is hard for new car sales again!

As for 2nd hand cars...we really struggled to get anything under £2000, when we were looking for a second small car a couple of months ago (a y reg 106 with 70\k for £1600)....not sure what that says!

[Guest_James Toney_*]

i have a couple of friends in the trade, they say things are ok, not great, but not terrible.

but then agaain car dealer are bigger buII$hiters then EA

[Flatdog]

i have a couple of friends in the trade, they say things are ok, not great, but not terrible.

but then agaain car dealer are bigger buII$hiters then EA

Agreed,

Outlaws were ripped off by an accredited Peugeot dealer by over £3K last week..depreciation et al..swines, all of 'em

[dubsie]

Second hand sales are not holding value, however they are selling. New car sales vary depending on the type.

[getknk]

I have just finished looking into buying a new car. New job going to be commuting over 20k miles a year, and although my octavia manages 50mpg and will run and run even though it is 125K miles, I figured a new small car where I could get 65mpg (or more) with low tax and lower servicing maintanence costs, might actually be no more expensive....all my calcs suggest it would be about £40 a month more. Although that is managable, we decided that thats £40 a month that we could put towards house deposit, so won't get one, just yet ;-(

I did go into a local citroen garage to see about the DS3, and the guy tried to get me to buy their last stock car by the end of the month. reckoned the monthly price (over three years) would be £220, including £500 off from citroen, and he would do it for £200 a month if I bought before end of month. That was without even attempting to bargain.

Several mentioned that I should buy this year to avoid price rises, APR rises and VAT rises. I then got to thinking, maybe with all these price rises coming through in Jan, they are gonna be despserate to sell in the new year...could be good discounts!

Also got a preferential deals from Fiat, they were offering £2500 off new Brava's. They have just upped that to £3600 off!

So my anecdotals suggest, times is hard for new car sales again!

As for 2nd hand cars...we really struggled to get anything under £2000, when we were looking for a second small car a couple of months ago (a y reg 106 with 70\k for £1600)....not sure what that says!

great writeup..

[Confounded]

As for 2nd hand cars...we really struggled to get anything under £2000, when we were looking for a second small car a couple of months ago (a y reg 106 with 70\k for £1600)....not sure what that says!

It suggest we had a government that scrapped perfectly good cars out of the market to temporarily boost demand for new cars. We now have a market where people can't afford new cars and second hand cars are poor value. Great.....

[exiges]

BMW M3 is more fuel efficient than a Toyota Prius.

You are being funny right ?

[200p]

A bit like, - lets get rid of hard working families by pricing them out of homes, and enourage people on welfare to have children by giving them free houses, and generous benefits.

The UK is messed up.

[200p]

Fuel is just one part of the equation. A BMW M3 and a Prius both costs lots to run. They are luxury cars. Why not get a hatchback/small car to commute?

[exiges]

a Prius both costs lots to run.

Hmm, not so sure. They're car-tax free. They're congestion charge free. Insurance is low. They're 100% write-downable in the first year if bought by a company. Benefit in kind tax for the employee is about £100 a year, and genuinely deliver 60mpg in daily use. Petrol is now cheaper than diesel. It comes with a 5yr warranty with low servicing costs.. They come stacked with goodies too.

Lots to run ? Hardly

To misquote Victor Kiam, I liked the Prius so much I bought one to replace my Rolls Phantom.

[TylerDurden]

Lots to run ? Hardly

Especialy compared to an M3.

[200p]

Thinking about DIY jobs on cars, sorry, didn't make that clear. I wouldn't know where to start on a Prius!

[Executive Sadman]

Im not seeing the crazy 2 for 1 offers and 50% off things i did in 2008.

When rates are what they are, no one seems to care about not selling stuff.

[Normski]

I'm an engineer at the Honda plant in Swindon.

Although we did have a total shutdown for 4 months early last year, and a 3% pay cut, things are much better now.

The guys came back from the shutdown owing the company hundreds of hours, alot of these have now been paid back. The pay has been reinstated.

We're busy knocking out 650 new cars a day (450 on a Friday) and the unsold stock isn't growing considerably. The Jazz is doing well, not surprising - the best in class for many reasons. The Civic and CR-V models are doing OK, there's a brand new model Civic out next year, much work in progress.

Sentiment is growing slowly more positive, but I do worry about future UK manufacturing.

Do us all a favour and buy a Honda! ( or a Nissan built in Sunderland)

[northwestsmith2]

Just from browsing the prices on 2-3 year old cars are coming down in the last few months.

Ford Focus facelift gone from 6-7K down to 5-5.5K. 30K miles Zetec etc.

Not exciting but reliable, cheap and good mpg and very well designed.

[mitchbux]

Just from browsing the prices on 2-3 year old cars are coming down in the last few months.

Ford Focus facelift gone from 6-7K down to 5-5.5K. 30K miles Zetec etc.

Not exciting but reliable, cheap and good mpg and very well designed.

Glad to hear it. I'm hoping to buy OH's company Focus when he gets his new car next year.

If I can get £1600 for my Y reg Pug I'll be very happy, we weren't expecting anything above a grand

[blankster]

One 'canary' for the economic trend is the number of lorries parked in haulage yards during any working day. If the company is doing well, most vehicles would be out, with just one or two left at base. If there's a row of vehicles parked up day after day, then the chances are that things are not good for that company.

[feed]

Glad to hear it. I'm hoping to buy OH's company Focus when he gets his new car next year.

New focus launches in the New Year. Globally, every market will see the same vehicle launch at the same time. So you'll see some deprecation just for that reason. But if you plan on buying and keeping, then it'll probably represent value. Current Focus is a very good car.

But guys you need to stop thinking about the automotives in the context of just one country. It isn't particularly helpful.

EU19 09/10

Cars 10,075,868 – 353,559 yoy

Commercials 1,606,677 +58,526 yoy

EU is down, but it's by far the worse region. The US is looking much better and China/India are to the moon.

The discounts you are seeing are being lead by the French. Not sure how long they will continue it, as the mantra of shift the metal in EU has gone, the volume pissing match has moved to china/india.

[Rachman]

and genuinely deliver 60mpg in daily use. Petrol is now cheaper than diesel.

er, no they don't. I have yet to be in one, even a new shape one, that is showing more than 45mpg overall - if you pussyfoot it and try to up economy, you can get 60plus mpg, but for normal usage, even round London, they can't and won't do 60mpg. And they are very expensive to buy. And gutless and tinny, and the ride is terrible. A Golf Bluemotion is much much better on all counts. As a comparison my regular driver's 2.7 Jaguar XJ is showing 42mpg..... which would you rather be in....

as for a deal and back to 2009 and related to HOnda, family paid under £21K new for a Cr-V 2.2ctdi Exec with the CMBS, the cornering lights et al in 2009 - that's more like £26K with discount now. My local Honda dealer offered me a Type R for the wife for under £14K new (she kept the GTI). None of those are possible now.

[Charlie Don't Surf]

BMW M3 is more fuel efficient than a Toyota Prius.

Yes, I saw that and whilst it would be nice to believe that isn't really what they said is it?

To summarise - if you drive a Prius like a c**t then it is less fuel efficient than cruising at the same speed in an M3

[blankster]

People argue about the Toyota Prius and whether it really is more economical than a conventional car. What really needs to be compared is two identical cars, apart from one having the Prius's 'Synergy' hybrid drive system, the other a conventional mechanical gearbox. I would imagine the hybrid car would be more economical in most circumstances, but lose that advantage on long motorway runs.

The Prius is often compared to an econmical diesel car - but the Prius is only available with a petrol engine. If there was a diesel version it would probably do 70 - 80 mpg. The Prius was developed with an eye on the Japanese and American markets, where diesel cars are not popular, for some inexplicable reason.

It will be interesting to see how the Chevrolet Volt / Vauxhall Ampera performs. It takes hybridisation further towards the electric car end of the scale, being basically a plug-in battery electric car with an an-board petrol engined generator purely to top up the battery when it runs low (after about 40 miles).

[fluffy666]

I have just finished looking into buying a new car. New job going to be commuting over 20k miles a year, and although my octavia manages 50mpg and will run and run even though it is 125K miles, I figured a new small car where I could get 65mpg (or more) with low tax and lower servicing maintanence costs, might actually be no more expensive....all my calcs suggest it would be about £40 a month more. Although that is managable, we decided that thats £40 a month that we could put towards house deposit, so won't get one, just yet ;-(

I did go into a local citroen garage to see about the DS3, and the guy tried to get me to buy their last stock car by the end of the month. reckoned the monthly price (over three years) would be £220, including £500 off from citroen, and he would do it for £200 a month if I bought before end of month. That was without even attempting to bargain.

Several mentioned that I should buy this year to avoid price rises, APR rises and VAT rises. I then got to thinking, maybe with all these price rises coming through in Jan, they are gonna be despserate to sell in the new year...could be good discounts!

Also got a preferential deals from Fiat, they were offering £2500 off new Brava's. They have just upped that to £3600 off!

So my anecdotals suggest, times is hard for new car sales again!

As for 2nd hand cars...we really struggled to get anything under £2000, when we were looking for a second small car a couple of months ago (a y reg 106 with 70\k for £1600)....not sure what that says!

My impression is that small cars are holding value extremely well even for pretty old examples. Such as our x reg fiesta (2001, 81k, with distinctive wheel-arch rust characteristic of the model, and coolant system held together with RadWeld), which is apparently still worth at least £1500. That's about a pound per remaining mile by my estimate..