Car Dealer Magazine: Issue 22

CarDealer.

Issue 22 | January 2010 | CarDealerMag.co.uk | £3.50

[ Road Test: New Porsche 911 Turbo p31 ]

Driving the future of the motor trade

BANGERS4BEN MkII

SCRAPPY RACES

25 TEAMS, 1,521 MILES, BREAKDOWNS, WRITE-OFFS, RESCUED DOGS. OH, AND £15K FOR CHARITY! 25 TEAMS, 1,653 MILES, BREAKDOWNS, WRITE-OFFS, RESCUED DOGS. OH, AND OVER £12K FOR CHARITY!

Ewards Our judges on what the

OUR JUDGES ONfor WHAT THE FUTURE future holds car dealers online HOLDS FOR CAR DEALERS ONLINE PLUS: The winners collect their trophies CarDealerIss22.indd 1

I N A S S O C I AT I O N W I T H

Ewards 2009

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start Issue 22 | January 2010

LOOKS cold doesn’t it? That’s because it bleeding well was. These two lunatics might look like the two off of the 118 118 adverts but they’re not that famous.

They are in fact Gareth and Dean, both usually normal, calm office types from Honda’s head office. So, what exactly are they doing swimming off the pier at John O’Groats in the middle of November, wearing open-face helmets and stick-on moustaches? Let me explain...

These two were part of the Honda contingent taking part in Bangers4BEN MKII – a mad-cap rally which saw 25 teams drive the length and breadth of Great Britain in £250 bangers. Sleep deprivation, an appalling service station diet and unhealthy coffee intake levels were all part and parcel of the big adventure – but swimming in the stinking water at JOG wasn’t. The Honda chaps decided to do that off their own backs. Quite exactly why isn’t clear – we’re not even sure if it was a condition of the sponsorship money they raised – but we don’t really care. It made us laugh and added yet another surreal chapter to our already quite weird quest to raise cash for BEN. Counting sponsorship and the amount the cars made after they were auctioned, we collectively raised more than £15,000 for the automotive industry charity.

At a time when it’s suffering from critically low donations, an event such as this, raising that sort of cash, makes a real difference. BEN is our industry’s charity and a

hugely worthwhile cause – you never know, one day you, or a member of your family, might need their assistance. But I’m not going to bang on about it – just make sure when we launch Bangers4BEN Part III, you get your entry in quick. We’ll be doing it bigger, better, madder and with far more costumes next year.

If you want to register your interest now, drop me an email to james@blackballmedia.co.uk. I’ll keep them stored and make sure you’re the first to know when we do it again. For now, enjoy reading about the madness that was Bangers4BEN MkII – the adventure starts on page 18.

TOP 10 IF THE experts are correct, next year will be one of slow, but gradual, recovery. We’re already seeing tentative signs of growth – those much-anticipated ‘green shoots’ everyone keep talking about are starting to appear. But with scrappage set to come to an end and the VAT rise looming large we still need to be careful.

Making sure you have the right suppliers that give you the best value for money is key. But coming out of a recession it might also be the right time to try something new – be that in your marketing, on your website or in the way you sell your part exchanges.

We’ve highlighted 10 companies this month that can offer you something special in 2010. Some of their ideas are truly unique. We hope they help you prepare for the upturn. Turn to page 43 to find out more.

T’IS THE FUTURE THIS web malarkey isn’t going to go away. There’s no point hiding behind the coffee machine and hoping it just sort of ‘slopes off’. Instead you need to sit up, take notice and prepare for the future. But what exactly is that? What is the next ‘big thing’ online going to be? Well, that’s the question we asked a selection of our Ewards judges when they got together to judge this year’s websites. This month we print their thoughts in full – it makes fascinating reading. It starts on page 36.

THANKS AND lastly a huge thanks to everyone who’s helped make 2009 such a successful year for us – to you, our readers, and to our advertisers – without whom we wouldn’t be able to publish the only glossy magazine for the motor trade every month. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and prosperous New Year.

And if anyone wants to have a word with Santa for me and get him to drop off my Audi R8 V10, I’d really appreciate it…

James Baggott, Editor

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Web payments

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Priced to sell

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BMW 5 Series

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Audi A8

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Auto Trader App

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Big Mike

Issue 22 | January 2010

Eward winners launch new product The supercar with a £30k premium New luxury car gets family look Miami showcase for super saloon Control your adverts on the move PLUS: Best sat navs for Christmas

Someone’s not happy with scrappage

forecourt

29

Porsche 911 Turbo

Engineers tell us they could have made new supercar even quicker!

31

BMW 7 Series

We try long-wheelbased version

33

Sales Legend: Mazda MX-5 Cult Car: Lancia Delta Integrale

34

features 18

Bangers4BEN MKII

Crashes, lost dogs, mad-cap swimming and 25 bangers. Yes, it was eventful!

36

Web future for dealers

What do our Ewards judges think the future holds for you online?

40

Ewards winners

The editor hands over the winners’ trophies – find out what they said

43

10 for 2010

A top selection of suppliers that can help you make more money next year

55 57 58 59 60 60 63 64 65 66

Right Click Dot Com Servicing Online Auctions On the Spot Suppliers Guide HPI Valuations SMMT sales figures Sub-Prime Time

‘It was quite obvious our Peugeot needed a fettle of some sorts, so we did what any good journalist would do in our circumstances – called the press office.’

[Bangers4BEN MKII: Page 18]

Reach more buyers

...sell more cars

with classified listings that reach 2million web visitors per month on great websites such as www.carpages.co.uk and www.channel4.com/4car with Smart Banners on the web that include your actual cars for sale on Banners and Skyscrapers

contact info@skupenet.com or 0208 610 6103 to include your vehicles today

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 05

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dashboard Peugeot consigns famous GTI badge to history

Burgess Just checking Helping your customers go green just got a lot easier

A

s Christmas gets ready to take a hold of our midriffs and what pennies are left in our pockets, those of you determined to go all things green in 2010 will have welcomed the recent launch of the used car fuel economy label, on behalf of the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP).

Since Transport Minister Sadiq Khan unveiled the scheme, thousands of you have flocked to sign up with the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) and take part and display the label on the cars that you sell. Well we’ve got some even better news for you…

All HPI members will now automatically receive an updated HPI CO2 Certificate free ‘If you haven’t when they conduct an HPI Check. So, if you haven’t jumped on the yet jumped on the green bandwagon yet, bandwagon, here is the here is the helping hand you need to get on board. helping hand Our certificate has been you need to get revamped to reflect the new label and I’m chuffed to say on board.’

HPI is the only company currently authorised by the LowCVP to produce our own approved version of the used car economy label.

All roads seem to lead back to the recession and used car buying is no different. UK households are still feeling the pinch and fuel efficiency has become the key word for used car buyers, not to mention rising concern for the environment.

The HPI CO2 certificate offers you a valuable point of sale tool to help your customers make greener buying decisions.

The new label provides consumers with clear ‘at a glance’ information on the running costs, fuel consumption and environmental performance of used cars available and builds on the success of the new car fuel economy label.

The updated certificate features a breakdown of fuel efficiency, and displays miles per gallon (mpg) figures, average fuel cost per 12,000 miles and the cost of taxing the vehicle (VED) in addition to the well-recognised CO2 emissions chart. You can choose to label cars up to two years old, but 94 per cent of dealers who have signed up to the scheme intend to label cars dating back to March 1, 2001. Sales by private individuals are not covered by the LowCVP scheme, but this information is available through HPI Checks.

Go on, pack a punch and help your customers get a greener picture of the stock on your forecourt.

Who is Daniel Burgess?

Daniel is automotive director of HPI. Find out more about HPI‘s services by logging on to www.hpi.co.uk or call 01722 422 422

PEUGEOT will drop the GTI badge from its models.

This means there will not be a successor to the world-renowned Peugeot 205 GTI. Currently, the GTI tag is carried by the lukewarm Peugeot 207 GTI. This will be dropped in the future as Peugeot’s sporting department switches its focus to coupes such as the RCZ, right.

Web firm launches integrated payment system for dealers Eward double winners Gforces lead the way again with online payment system for traders GFORCES has launched the UK’s first ‘shop and pay’ system to let car dealers run Amazon-style online stores.

The launch of Tiger Commerce has been described as ‘groundbreaking’. It means car dealers can retail parts and accessories on the internet, and accept online payments using a system from Paypoint.net. GForces offers this service for £35 a month.

Currently, an incredible 169 of the UK’s top 200 car dealers do NOT offer any form of online shop.

The opportunity to expand online parts and accessory retailing is a potential money-making goldmine for car dealers – particularly as the GForces system is a straightforward, fully integrated one.

No separate ecommerce and payment systems are needed.

GForces commercial director Tim Smith said it lets car dealers run 24/7 sales operations, pulling in customers from all over the

Gforces commercial director Tim Smith country. Traditionally it has been complicated to set up your own ecommerce operation because you needed shopping cart software, a payment gateway and an internet merchant account. ‘Our partnership with Paypoint means we can deliver all this from one place,’ said Smith.

Paypoint.net MD Michael Norton added: ‘Our ecommerce shop is the ideal website solution for start-ups and growing online businesses because it is easy to use and has all the features necessary to market successfully online.’ [RA]

What’s next for car dealers online? p36 Gforces Right Click, p55

VW Polo named Car of the Year 2010 CAR of the Year 2010 is the Volkswagen Polo.

It won 25 top-place votes from the 59-strong voting panel. Toyota’s clever IQ came a close second – that car was top dog for 20 judges!

The final scores were 347 for the VW Polo and Strange choice or the right one?

Let us know...

337 for the Toyota IQ. Results were drawn from a shortlist of seven cars, which was narrowed down from a potential 33. Vauxhall’s new Astra was a fair way behind in third, but it still managed to beat a Mercedes. The E-Class came out fifth, one place behind the Skoda Yeti.

Car of the Year 2010 results: 1. Volkswagen Polo 347 points; 2. Toyota iQ 337 points; 3.

Vauxhall Astra 221 points; 4. Skoda Yeti 158 points; 5. Mercedes-Benz E-class 155 points; 6. Peugeot 3008 144 points; 7. Citroen C3 Picasso 113 points.

VW accepts two Eward trophies, p40

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£30k premium for new Ferrari 458 PRESTIGE car dealer Clive Sutton says the Ferrari 458 Italia is already commanding a premium of £30k over list!

The London-based trader says he has a bank of clients ready and waiting to pay over the odds for an early 2010 order for the new supercar.

‘The problem is there are a lot of buyers out there that are bored,’ Sutton told Car Dealer. ‘The F430 is relatively old now, and there are buyers in DB9s and Bentley Continental GTs that want a change.

‘The problem is getting hold of an order.

Some buyers might think they’re first on the list at their dealership but in terms of where they are in that list across the country can be very different.’

Sutton says the new 458 is a ‘stunning car’ and that Ferrari is one of the most emotive brands he sells from his St John’s Wood showroom.

But added: ‘A lot of current 430 owners are going to get a shock. The 458 is a lot more expensive than the outgoing car – upwards of £170,000. The 430 was around £130k. Factor in depreciation and a lot of owners will be looking at £100,000 to change. A big difference.

‘Granted there are those buyers that will

Dealer says buyers willing to pay well over the odds to get ahead in the supercar queue change no matter what the cost – but there are some that will be shocked by the cost this time round. The 458 has been priced in Scuderia territory.’

HIGH ROLLERS Another car currently attracting serious interest is the Rolls-Royce Ghost – but it’s not just from buyers!

‘There are a lot of people trying to sell their Ghost orders,’ Sutton confirmed.

‘People think, and rightly so, that it will command a premium. There are more people than usual that are willing to lose their place in the queue and cash in.’

Other cars with a lot of interest at the moment include the Mercedes Benz SLS AMG and the four-door Aston Martin Rapide.

Sutton has already sold a Rapide order at a premium, but is having trouble with the SLS as no one knows when they’re getting their cars. ‘We can’t sell cars with no delivery date,’ explained Sutton.

Clive Sutton won the Autotorq-sponsored Independent Website of the Year Eward this year. Find out what he had to say when we handed over his trophy on page 40. [JB]

Confusion over scrappage scheme figures SCRAPPAGE car ORDER figures are set to change due to government officials cleansing their data… However, car dealers are unlikely to see any impact on their own stats – because the industry looks at car SALES for its data!

Reports in several newspapers suggested that figures had been skewed because some scrappage cars had been ‘counted twice’ in the figures. This came about from cancelled orders, changed orders, delays and so on.

The Dept for Business, Innovation and Skills

figure of 268,641 orders by the end of October is widely expected to be revised downwards.

However, this will not affect the motor industry – as we look at the numbers of cars sold. This, according to official stats from the SMMT, stood at 218,735 at the end of October.

This figure will NOT be changing.

So, car dealers concerned by reports they’ve read in the press can rest easy. It’s business as usual for the motor industry as far as scrappage goes!

Hill

Net gains

Don’t lose those valuable customers to click-throughs

A

s we approach the end of the year and the traditional ‘quiet period’ for the industry, I was thinking of ways that some dealers try to look at incremental income and leads from their website. This was particularly relevant in the light of the recent Ewards announcements, where the desire to quantify the return on any web investment was raised on several occasions.

This column has previously outlined the importance of driving both existing and potential customers to your website, as it should be working for you 24/7. Those of you that have invested in quality website builds, and maybe SEO and marketing packages, will probably be feeling the benefit already. But how many of ‘Beware – these you have added third party ‘click throughs’ to your site? organisations You know what I mean – are very skilled links to motor insurance at taking those providers or (even worse) personal loan providers? introductions Some dealers view these and making links as ‘incremental’ income for no effort – after good use of all, a small fee is given for the data.’ each introduction. But just beware – these organisations are very skilled at taking those introductions and making good use of the data.

It seems strange that anyone (let alone a car dealer) would want to invest heavily in attracting people to their website, only to encourage them to leave the site when they click on one of these links – but it happens. Often, when third party links are used, you lose control of your customer.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. It is possible to offer links and content on your site that provide tools that the car buyer will definitely make use of, without having to sacrifice control to a third party.

The way to do it is through a process known as ‘white labelling’ – and it is something that we at Codeweavers have a great deal of experience of. It is possible to brand certain customer research tools such as motor insurance with your own corporate identity – this ensures that not only can you provide the content but you can also make it a real and tangible part of your website.

If you would like to get in touch with us at Codeweavers to discuss any aspect of how the web could influence your future, we’d love to hear from you. See my details below.

Future for car dealers online, p36; Ewards extra, p40

Who is Martin Hill?

Martin is commercial director at Codeweavers.

Learn more about how he can help you at Codeweavers.net or call 0870 443 0888.

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Henstock Auction stations Just what is happening to used car values?

BMW has launched the all-new 5 Series – and Car Dealer Magazine was there to see it revealed. This core model in BMW’s expanding line-up goes on sale next March, with prices starting at £28,165.

First impressions in Munich were positive.

It is an elegant, well-detailed car, smooth and interesting to look at, but very much a 5 Series. The only part we’re not sure on is the rear end – but the gorgeous nose really does compensate.

Inside, there is lots more space within the 7 Series-inspired cabin. BMW is claiming 8cm more rear legroom, and a 520-litre boot.

Hi-tech features abound, including head-up displays and night vision with pedestrian sensors. There is tech that will park it for you, or bring it to a halt if it senses you’re about to crash on the motorway too.

BMW says it is the greenest 5 Series ever.

The new 520d, which is expected to take more than 60 per cent of sales, will emit 131g/km of CO2 and average 56mpg. The firm says there’s still more to come.

Car Dealer reports from vital car’s unveiling in Germany Even the 550i twin-turbo V8 petrol beast, which tops the range and can hit 60mph in 5.0 seconds, averages more than 27mpg.

There are new direct injection six-cylinder petrol engines too, including a rapid turbocharged 535i.

It is packed with hi-tech features from the luxury 7 Series, including: Night vision, aluminium bodywork, adaptive suspension, rear seat DVD system, head-up display and anti-crash which can detect and stop the car completely on motorways.

It also includes many new features, including and eight speed gearbox, self parking, stopstart and a 360-degree monitor to show what’s outside (windows no good then?).

Although prices have risen a little, adding in the options means there’s actually little difference. Residual values will benefit too.

And, yes, there’s an M5 on the way! [RA]

New 5-Series takes cues from the 3 and 7, but the back end is the biggest talking point

BMW: There’s gentle growth on the horizon BMW board member Ian Robertson predicts 2010 will be a year of ‘gentle growth’ for the firm. ‘It will not be rapid,’ he said, but recent upturns in markets will continue.

He was speaking at the firm’s annual press dinner, where he detailed how BMW had coped during the recession. The company, he explained, had started to see issues late last year. ‘However, few knew the significance of these,’ he said.

BMW responded by decisively cutting car production across the board. This saw the firm end the year within 2000 units of sales and forecasts. ‘No other company came close,’ he said.

This bold lowering of production will see the firm emerge from the recession in a very strong position. BMW will end 2009 as ‘the world’s largest premium maker, again,’ with sales in excess of one million vehicles.

N

ews from a number of industry sources that used values have stalled in recent weeks may have surprised some market watchers, particularly as 2009 has generally been very bullish on price.

BCA’s latest figures suggest that average used car values have decreased for consecutive months, a position not seen since mid-2008. The month-on-month fall across all sectors – fleet, part-exchange and nearly-new – has been around £200, with the average value still exceeding £6,000.

But let’s take that drop in some sort of context. Values remain at record levels and are some 25 per cent or more ahead of the figures recorded a year ago. Of course, price alone does not tell the whole story, it is simply the end ‘Values remain result of a supply and at record levels demand dynamic and this and are some 25 is where we have seen a change over the past six or per cent or more seven weeks. ahead of the Volumes have increased, figures recorded just at the time that demand has softened. The a year ago.’ latter is almost certainly seasonal – it is as if the market takes a breather before the new year, when we traditionally see a significant uplift in demand. And as we have been short of stock all year, it is almost inevitable that we see some pressure on average values when volumes rise.

When taken in the context of the exceptionally strong prices we have recorded this year, it is not surprising that the combination of rising volumes and the typical seasonal slowdown in advance of Christmas have cooled prices somewhat.

If you are a seller at auction, this may have proved a difficult pill to swallow. Values decreased in the part-exchange sector for the first time since last November, (when P/X values reached their absolute nadir). Values fell by £88 from £2,672 to £2,585 – a fall of 3.3 per cent.

Dealer P/X stock effectively suffered a triple whammy in October – a slightly softer marketplace and greater numbers of cars reaching the market combined with increasing volumes from the fleet and lease sector.

It’s worth remembering that the best cars in the most attractive colours will continue to sell strongly. But don’t judge your remarketing performance on the best cars alone – make allowances for cars that are not in the top percentile.

Our view is that it is far more beneficial to focus on the real-time cash values that the market is prepared to pay.

Who is Simon Henstock?

Simon is UK network operations director for BCA. Find out more at www.bca-europe.com or call 0845 600 6644.

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dashboard Shifting part-exes direct to the public HARRATTS Motor Group has launched a new used car dealer site offering part-exchange motors to the public.

The auction-price cars will be sold from a dedicated forecourt in Barnsley. At least 40 cars will permanently be offered, as the dealer bypasses the traditional PX-to-auction route. The public will be allowed to buy them instead of traders. Five jobs have been created in the venture which aims to ‘bring auction prices to the public’.

Shaun Harratt, MD of Harratts, said: ‘We are thrilled to launch Part Exchange Direct and create new jobs for the Yorkshire economy too.

‘It promises to offer low prices to the public while still upholding our very high standards of customer service.’

Audi A8 gets all-new look Celebrity-packed launch for carmaker’s sporty luxury limo that’s greener than ever AUDI has revealed its all-new A8 luxury limo at an exclusive celebritypacked bash in trendy Miami.

With 47mpg potential, the allaluminium model claims to be the greenest luxury car there’s ever been.

Yet, Audi boss Rupert Stadler said it’s also the sportiest in its segment, too.

Adaptive air suspension and Audi’s

hi-tech Drive Select system means ‘it combines numerous functions in a new and intelligent way’. All of this is wrapped in a bodyshell that packages a luxurious interior with craftsmanlevel workmanship.

Stadler points to the special ‘emotionally charged’ interior lighting, power seats all-round and an all-new

‘Audi Advanced MMI’ operating system. This includes a world-first touchpad: to enter sat nav directions, users simply trace the letters of the destination on the touchpad!

There are two TDI diesels and a 4.2-litre V8 petrol. The latter will be a rare site; car dealers will shift far more 4.2-litre V8 TDI and 3.0-litre V6 TDI models. All are driven through Quattro 4-wheel drive and have an eight-speed auto gearbox.

The V6 diesel produces 250bhp – but, later, a 204bhp front-wheel-drive 3.0 TDI will be introduced. This is the model that can do 47mpg, and emit just 159g/km CO2!

There are a whole host of other technological innovations in the new A8, which luxury car buyers will be excitedly hitting Audi car dealers to discover. With all this huge wealth of tech packed in, they’re in for a busy time with the product briefing chaps, before it arrives in early 2010. [RA]

New A8 gets smart front end, lavish interior and A4-style rear

On The Spot, p60 Stay up to date every day at CarDealerMag.co.uk

Share watch

...in association with ASE

2010 fears start to impact on shares T

he period since September has been an interesting time for the publicly listed motor retailers. While the trend has been overwhelmingly positive for 2009, there have been some significant falls recently.

All of the businesses have provided encouraging trading updates, however the current levels of profitability had already been built into the share prices over the summer months.

Looking in more detail at the reporting of the trading announcements, the majority of the reasons for the improvement in performance when compared to 2008 has been attributed to the government’s scrappage scheme. While this has undoubtedly had a positive effect, in profitability terms improvements in the used vehicle market and cost cutting measures taken in 2008 have provided at least as much of a boost to the bottom line.

Both the retailing sector and the stock market are aware that the scrappage scheme will come to an end and this is one of the significant reasons behind the recent share price reductions.

If the end of the scrappage scheme was the only

‘Both the retailing sector and the stock market are aware the scrappage scheme will come to an end – this is one of the reasons behind recent share price reductions.’ factor impacting the sector then we would expect a comparative improvement in the market sentiment towards businesses concentrating on premium franchises, such as HR Owen.

But this is not the case and, in line with the market, we expect 2010 to be a challenging year with the end of scrappage combining with a slowly recovering economy, an increase in VAT, new taxes on vehicle purchases, a reduced service parc and an uncertain used vehicle market.

These factors appear to be being built into the share prices, with the educated commentators already

noticing the recent softening in the used car market.

We are therefore likely to see a continuing split in the sentiment of profit updates emanating from the listed motor retailers.

Current year profitability is likely to remain strong with delayed deliveries of scrappage vehicles and a rush in advance of the VAT increase and expected price rises boosting the results for the end of 2009. This will be matched, however, with a cautious outlook for performance in 2010 which may well keep stock values depressed.

Covenant compliance should be less of an issue for the current year with the majority of the listed retailers having boosted their equity through rights issues and their net worth through healthy profits in 2009 although increasing stock levels of both new and used vehicles present a downside risk.

Overall, we should therefore avoid the drastic share price falls which resulted in businesses entering 2009 with a heavy risk discount.

If you have any questions concerning the above, please contact me on 0161 493 1930.

Mike Jones, ASE director

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4/12/09 10:34:33

dashboard Lexus LFA gets showcase at Park Lane showroom

LEXUS Park Lane is currently showing the only example of its mighty £300k LFA supercar in the whole of Europe!

Car Dealer visited the unveiling where the Japanese car firm revealed its exclusive sales process for the 560bhp supercar to us.

In the mould of Mercedes’ SLR McLaren and Maybach product lines, LFA sales will be handled by a ‘personal liaison manager’ – in this case, long-standing Lexus man Dev Varsani. He will be handling all European LFA sales through the Park Lane showroom. London was chosen for its cosmopolitan air and Mayfair in particular for its concentration of well-heeled buyers.

Just 500 LFAs will be built and around a fifth of those are projected to be sold in Europe, with up to 20 or so expected to find homes in the UK. Having handed over a €25,000 deposit, Dev will then be on call personally to buyers as they’re guided through the ordering process. This will include taster drives and the ability to choose paint, trim and other options. Each LFA will be built to the individual tastes of the customer, whether that be a custom colour or more track oriented spec.

[Dan Trent]

The £300k Lexus LFA at the Park Lane showroom has attracted a lot of attention; Dev Varsani will guide all LFA buyers through the purchase personally

Auto Trader’s new mobile upload tool SALES portal Auto Trader will launch a new mobile tool in early 2010 that’s been developed just for car dealers.

The Auto Trader Mobile ‘app’ is a dedicated site that can be tailored by the firm to an individual car dealer’s needs.

This will help them upload stock and make changes to listings via their iPhone or BlackBerry on the move.

Even better, consumers can contact them directly through the advert they’re reading, with a ‘click-to-call’ button! In one month of trials alone, Auto Trader said it was used 25,000 times.

‘In the same way that today no company would be without its website,’ said Auto Trader group sales director Craig Stevens, ‘mobile is set to become a must-have for dealers looking to reach customers in 2010. Over half of the

Sales portal creates application that lets dealers modify their listings on the move ‘Mobile is set to become the musthave for dealers looking to reach customers in 2010.’ people who visit the Auto Trader website access mobile internet at least

GADGETS

once a month – one-in-four access it daily.’

Do not underestimate the breadth of this market, either. In the third quarter of 2009, 10.4m people used their phone to access the web – an increase of 18 per cent in three months! [RA]

Future for dealers online, p36

...reviews by James Baggott

Best portable sat nav for Christmas Navman M300D Price: £92 | Contact: halfords.com Car Dealer Rating: ONE of our favourite sat nav manufacturers Navman has joined forces with technology experts Mio and this is one of the first units from the new team. The M300D features the mapping that we liked so much on the Navman units of old, with clear motorway-sign style directions and smart, simple-to-follow directions.

We liked the accurate speed camera information too.

the US and Canada is pre-loaded, which explains the whopping price, and it also features the maker’s IQ Routes which calculate journey times using real time information from other users and traffic information.

There’s Bluetooth, an FM transmitter to send your tunes to your stereo and a 4GB memory.

N Drive Touch XL Price: £129.99 | Contact: halfords.com Car Dealer Rating: THE N Drive claims to be the thinnest sat nav around – how that makes it navigate better is beyond us! The ace up its sleeve is photo mapping that helps you navigate cities with Google-Map-a-like photo views. The unit has a 3.5-inch screen, rechargeable battery and an 8GB SD card that holds mapping for UK and Ireland.

TomTom Go 940 Live Price: £349.99 | Contact: tomtom.com Car Dealer Rating: ANOTHER big hitter from TomTom – but this time

it’s got a meaty price tag to match! Like its little 740 brother, the 940 has a built-in SIM that can pick up traffic information as well as a host of other services like weather and petrol prices. Mapping of Europe,

Garmin Nuvi 1490T Price: £251.99 | Contact: amazon.co.uk Car Dealer Rating: [BEST BUY] SIMPLE to use, rammed with features and with superb navigation to boot, the latest Garmin is a worthy winner. It has a five-inch touchscreen that displays clearly laid out maps and the route picked was faultless, the traffic jam alerts spot on and speed camera detection equally impressive. It comes with European mapping, Bluetooth and a sensible price too.

14 | CarDealerMag.co.uk CarDealerIss22.indd 14

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CarDealerIss22.indd 15

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big mike

Why scrap is crap for us M used car specialists any a mention has been made here of the government’s cash-for-scrap scheme, and its effect on the new car industry, where sales are up and the Koreans are raking it in.

But little has been made of what it means to the used car market – and specifically the murkier end of the trade, where £3k is top dollar, and most cars go out the yard for £995 with a full MOT. As a trader, you’ll either love or hate cheapies. Personally – and you may have noticed this from the tone of previous columns – I’m a bit of a fan. Ok, so I might make somewhere in the region of four or five grand on a good high-end sale, but sometimes it’s less effort to turn round a dozen ‘PX to clears’ and enjoy the same kind of margin.

Except that supply of such vehicles has pretty much dried up. Thanks to a legion of retirees who have decided it’s time to chop in their mint Granadas and Rover 800s and downsize to something a little more appropriate for their advancing years, all of the decent, low mileage, low owner older stock has landed in the crusher, its place on Planet Earth now taken up by a Hyundai i-Wotsit or a Daewoovrolet.

But don’t despair, for while demand currently exceeds supply at the bottom end of the market (I have proof: I got four hundred quid for a 16-year-old Skoda Favorit last week), what this sudden upsurge in prematurely demolished 10-15-year-old motors means is that if you do pay a little extra than you may have done last year to get behind the wheel in the bargain basement, running costs have never been cheaper.

Why? Because all of a sudden there’s an overwhelming supply of used parts. Time was, a good part-worn tyre would cost around £30. Today, halve it. A used battery was £40, today, a tenner.

And these are just consumables.

When you consider that the top scrappage cars, in no particular order, are Nissan Micras, Rover 200/400s and Ford Escorts, the benefit of buying one of these models right now is that every scrapyard in the country will have four of the bit you’re looking for when it breaks down. eBay will be overwhelmed by desperate

Scrap scheme has had a big effect on the price of parts – if you’ve got a Micra and need bits you’re in luck

‘While the scrap scheme hasn’t been brilliant for all, its macroeconomic effect is fascinating.’ junkyards wanting to offload some of their surplus components.

And because there has been a temporary dip in scrap metal prices, the yards aren’t in a desperate rush to put them through the bailer – knowing full well that the Chinese economy is on the verge of another government-sponsored kick up the jacksie, the price of scrap metal is expected to rise again in 2010. It won’t last forever.

So while the scrap scheme isn’t brilliant for all, its macroeconomic effect has been fascinating – from the way it has sustained some of Europe’s biggest car companies that were on the brink of collapse, to the way it has passed down the whole supply chain to the cash-only lay-by trader.

Perhaps the best way of summing

it up is to once again reintroduce my old pal Billy Two Bags. Billy, as you may recall from previous columns, gets his name from his fixed-price approach to used vehicle sales – £2k, it’s yours, regardless of what ‘it’ actually is.

He’s been raking it in since the scrap incentive scheme landed – a lack of finance for people to buy newer used cars, those in the lower reaches being forced to spend a little bit more to get what they want and a wholesale stabilisation of the lower end of the motor trade have all left him somewhat in the pink.

In the past, I criticised Billy for having some rather stale looking stock that was critically overpriced – but these days his lot’s half bare, he’s even cleared the rubbish from ‘Poo Corner’, and we’re thinking of changing his nickname to Billy Three Bags…

Who is Big Mike? Well, that would be telling. What we do know is he’s had 30 years in the car trade and picked up some seriously funny tales along the way.

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18 | CarDealerMag.co.uk CarDealerIss22.indd 18

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Pictures @neillwatson

Bangers 4BEN MKII

By James Baggott

50 motor traders, 25 teams, £250 budgets and 1,500 miles to travel – what do you expect us to do? Take the train? Pah! That wouldn’t really make a feature would it... No, we asked everyone to buy ‘bangers’ instead – far more fun – And eventful...

S

mokey Bangers and the Motor Trade Bandits, part two. Scene one, take one: enter stage right two inept car magazine paper shufflers, one bright idea and a shed load of like-minded mentalists. What have you got? One potential disaster movie of epic proportions…

The concept was simple: Buy cars for less than £250, drive them to John O’Groats and back, then sell them at auction, handing over a sizeable cheque to motor industry charity BEN. You may remember the last time we made this trip – dubbed Bangers4BEN – was back in February, when two know-nothing journalists and a couple of our magazine cohorts made the same trip in scrappage scheme dodgers. This time we raised the stakes and opened the event up for readers to join us in our quest for cash.

To be completely honest, we didn’t think anyone would want to do it. Driving more than 1,500 miles in three days in cars that have the potential to empty their vital fluids all over the road isn’t everyone’s idea of fun… or so we thought.

We announced the event on our Twitter feed a week before the magazine promoting the event was due to hit desks. And were rather taken back when we sold all 10 places in a day! Some frantic phone calls between BEN, hotels and local McDonald’s to check they had enough McMuffins to cope, and we were back in business – with another 20 places on offer. Again, these sold out in days.

Suddenly things got rather real.

Marshall Motor Group took six of the slots, joined by a number of other dealers from across the UK. Others included motor trade suppliers and representatives from Honda UK, Honda Motors Europe, Toyota GB and Hyundai UK. Quite a line up.

With these motor trade professionals as rivals, we needed a plan of action if we were going to have any chance of clinching the winners’ title. The top slot on the podium would be decided by deducting the original purchase price of the car from the final sale price, so it was vital we paid as little as possible for our motor.

Knowing most teams would be writing down part exchanges to a pittance, we decided to go down the begging route and placed an appeal in the local paper.

We mentioned we needed a car for a charity rally and were willing to pay up to £250 for the right one. Within hours of the paper coming out we were inundated with calls. Ok, so we had four, but that was still more than we were expecting.

One was a chancer that wanted to flog us his old Nova that had a wheel missing. Seriously. Another was from a woman who wanted £350 for her Citroen AX that had no MOT or tax. She was ever so slightly batty.

But the last call sounded promising – it came from, what we were later to find out, was a real life saint.

Henceforth known as Saint Bob Garrod of Widley-shire, Portsmouth, he offered us his car for £100. It sounded promising: A Peugeot 406, in pond mould green, 96k, MOT to the end of November, but no tax.

We went to see it and Saint Bob had obviously spent the morning cleaning the car – it was sparkling. We got down to the dirty business of talking cash and that’s when he really shocked us.

‘I’ve been thinking about it since we spoke and seeing as it’s for charity you can have the car,’ he said. I thought he’d actually decided to sell it to us for the frankly already ridiculous price of £100. But no – he actually meant we could take the car away for NOTHING! Saint Bob had officially booked his place in heaven.

On the way home it was clear the car had a few ‘issues’, the severity of which would be revealed at a later date, but at that point I couldn’t have cared less – this car was free and would stand us in very good stead of a winners’ trophy come sale time. Or at least a place on the podium.

Get it sorted

W

ith Bangers4BEN MKII taking place at the beginning of November, picking up our car at the end of August was, in hindsight, a mistake. Not only did it strain marital relations in the Baggott household, but the prolonged period of inactivity didn’t do the rear brakes any favours.

Being poorly organised writers, it wasn’t until three weeks before the event that we even began to think about getting the car ready for the rally. It was quite obvious it needed a fettle of some sorts, so we did what any good journalist would do in our circumstances – called the press office.

Peugeot listened to our pleading – which probably had little effect – but they did get the fact it was all for charity and by helping get our 406 in fine form it would do wonders for its resale price. Problem was we needed to get it from Gosport to Coventry.

With no tax or insurance it was likely we’d end up on Police, Camera, Action, so enlisted the help of vehicle movement experts Autologic. The transportation >

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Bangers 4BEN MKII Honda Prelude – minus previous owner’s cat hair – carried on to Lands End on the last day

company’s Steve Hanwell worked with military precision to get our car collected and dropped off to Peugeot’s press garage.

Then the wait began while the manufacturer’s experts checked our humble steed over. Their first email back wasn’t encouraging: ‘Rear directional tyres are on the wrong way round, the fuel hose leaks, and the rear brakes are working inefficiently.’ That last bit turned out to be the understatement of the year… Some £1,500 worth of parts and labour, nearly two weeks and 15 hours’ of the carmaker’s top technicians’ time and our Peugeot was making its way back to us with a new MOT, tyres on the right way and anchors that stopped the car. Handy.

Autologic worked their logistical brilliance once again for us and dropped it off at our car artist’s workshop in Southampton on the Friday before the start of the event on the Monday. Phil Voller, of Artistic Licence, specialises in vinyl wrapping motors for dealers, so was well placed to help us get our car looking top notch. It was his idea to ‘wrap’ our Pug in magazine covers – and after 12 hours in his capable hands it came out looking better than we could have ever imagined.

The last hurdle was getting the tax. As we’d be driving the car on our own fully comprehensive insurance for the event we didn’t have a cover note for the car – vital, as you know, for tax purposes. So we turned to our friends at HPI. The firm organises the famous seven-day cover for dealers across the UK so easily coped with our simple request.

Marketing chief Jonathan Blackmore liaised with Aviva and arranged special cover for us, and nine other competitors on the rally. This meant we could get the car taxed with just a day to spare. We’re used to deadlines...

Day one

E

arly doesn’t begin to describe the ungodly hour we dragged ourselves out of bed on the first day. At 5.15am I was waiting for the car

Our story... Poole Audi Team members: Chris Ryu and Russell Whittam Car: Audi 100 bought for £175, sold for £175 IF THERE is one memory that will stay with us from the event it has to be... what a car! The Audi 100 was a credit

to the marque. When it was released, it was the most aerodynamic car in the world and the hands of time had been generous to our modern classic. After spending 14 hours in it in one day, the only ache we had was from our empty stomachs!

When you spend that amount of time in a motor, you get to know

windows and my brain to de-fog while I set up the TomTom sat nav – a vital companion on our 1,500-mile tour. It’s at this point, a mere 30 seconds into our trip and with zero miles on the trip, that I encounter our first problem – the Peugeot’s 12v socket is in fact a 0v socket. It’s dead.

Panic begins to set in while I have a hunt around the garage for a solution. Under a pile of boxes I find it – a map. This is essentially a book with drawings in that can help you find your way. It’s what they used in the olden days. Just in case we can’t work out how to turn the page I also grab a jump pack with a 12v socket adaptor so we can plug the navi in when we get really desperate.

Drama averted, we head from our Gosport HQ to BEN’s Ascot residential centre and the start line. Fashionably late we arrive to see nine of the competitors already raring to go. Everyone’s inspecting the other cars marvelling at just what can be bought from £250. There’s a tasty Audi 100 from Poole and an Audi 90 from Sport Network Cima Racing, both with seriously smart decorations. Team Shine’s Renault Scenic looks a particularly good buy, but must have cost more than the £250 budget (Or maybe not...).

Then the others start arriving. The Honda teams make an entrance – decked out in outfits from the Impossible Dream advert, they’re all wearing white jump suits (fashioned from Halal butchers’ overalls), white open face helmets and (mostly) stick-on moustaches. They roll up playing the annoyingly catchy tune from the advert which we later find out got stuck in everyone’s head for the entire three days – talk about subliminal advertising!

Their entrance, though, was topped, but only just, by Hyundai UK’s HyRoller outfit. They’d managed to find an old XG and had attempted to give it the Rolls-Royce treatment. It sported a massive bolted-on grille, a Spirit of Ecstasy made Blue Peter-style from a Barbie Doll and vinyl side panels that look like they’d been attached by a child. However, it’s the team’s outfits that really set it off. >

everything about it. You find (often the hard way) all of the niggling issues that arrive with age. But we never really had that problem, so much so, that it really puts my modern car to shame!

The highlight for us has to be our vain attempt to keep up around the track.

As beautiful as the Audi 100 is, it still handles like a large cruise liner.

The only issue we had on the journey (apart from the satnav) was when one of our hoses split, dumping coolant all over the road. This was not actually too bad, as we came well prepared and were back on the road within 20 minutes.

It’s a shame that the Audi 100, or ‘Bessie’, only went for £175. I just wish I had put a bid in for her myself.

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4/12/09 10:34:51

Bangers 4BEN MKII They had attached wedding ribbons to the car and one of them was sat in the back, dressed in top hat and tails with a blow-up ‘bride’ as a companion. Pure genius.

After bacon butties and gallons of coffee we remind everyone it’s not a race and set them on their way. Next stop Inverness – 560 miles north.

Team Car Dealer is last to leave and instead of taking the sensible route up the M40 and M6 to Glasgow we have to rendezvous with snapper Neill Watson at Scotch Corner, dictating our route north via the M1.

It doesn’t take long before I’ve gone slightly mad. Too much time cooped up in a car seems to send me bonkers and I’m caught on film making one of BEN’s cuddly dog mascots dance to YMCA. It’s very embarrassing, so obviously had to be put on YouTube…

Twalking Tweets

T

o ensure everyone could stay up-to-date with each other’s progress we asked each team to sign up to micro-blogging site Twitter. This lets users update their status on a web page in no more than 140 characters.

Anyone with a computer or smart mobile phone could then keep track of the teams.

‘Tweets’, as the messages are called, ranged dramatically in subject matter from locations, current favourite sweets, music choice, to ‘overheard on Bangers4BEN’ excerpts (‘I really like those Phaetons’ was one, obviously from a very tired individual). The most useful tweets were the locators – helping everyone work out where they were in the convoy.

Mostly it transpired we were last, until Team Toyota decided to take in the Lochs… at night!

Our trip up the backbone of Britain was punctuated by coffee breaks and junk food. It’s amazing just how much rubbish you eat when you’re on the road. There has got to be an opening for a decent salad bar franchise at motorway services. I like a burger as much as the next man, but there’s got to be a limit... I’m sure many Americans are trying to find it.

Despite the fact snapper Neill is taller than a well established tree, he was a very useful addition to team CDM. Not least because he’s quite handy behind the wheel. When Neill’s not stuck behind a camera he can be found helping petrolheads get a taste of a supercar as an instructor all over the UK. Knowing he was handy behind the wheel made sleeping in the back a bit easier. So I did a lot of that.

A brain breaking 15-and-a-half hours after we set off from Gosport we arrived at the Best Western in Inverness, jaded, slightly confused and with about 1,500 more calories in our bloodstreams than we started with.

A night in the bar with the teams gave us the chance to swap stories about our battered motors. But the real talking point of the day was the Land Rover Cambridge team that had made the 560-mile trip in a B-reg Land Rover Series III. The chaps had to contend with a top speed of 57mph, noise levels that’d give a health and safety officer a coronary and fuel consumption that makes an Apollo space mission look frugal.

But the smile (grimace?) on their faces as they enjoyed that first beer – with ringing in their ears – said it all. We made the usual mistake the Car Dealer team always does, leaving the bar for bed at 2am… idiots.

Our story... Warranty Wizards Team members: Eric (Dick Dastardly) Stone and Mark (Le Mans) Laws Car: Rover 400, bought for £250, sold for £225 WE set off from BEN’s HQ full of trepidation, coffee and bacon rolls like two Hobbits from Lord of the Rings on The Road to Morpeth. Surrounded by bizarrely decorated cars full of weird people dubbed by us as the riders of BEN they flew along the M1 into strange foreboding lands.

They reached a vast place full of people from all over the country, exotic food smells filled the air, a cacophony of sound greeted them as they realised at last they had reached... Leicester Forrest Services.

By mid afternoon they still had most of the wheels left on their vehicle and as old people overtook them on Zimmer frames, Mark decided it was time for drastic action – yes, he actually changed gear!

On day two, we continued to John O’Groats our final destination – otherwise known as the end of the world. The riders of BEN had already arrived and we all celebrated our success with some people falling off the end of the world into the sea.

With light fading we set off on the homeward journey with questions: Will Good always overcome Evil? Will an old Rover always beat an old Audi? Ah well, back to the shire! Look out for the sequel – the fellowship of the piston rings – out next year.

‘Lord Alan’ will see you now...

Even the cuddly dogs were tired of Dunc’s jokes by the time we got to JOG

Jog on

L

ate nights, beer and early mornings mix like oil and water, so our Peugeot on day two was about as appealing as a cow pat for breakfast. Instead we consumed a combination of haggis, fried eggs, black pudding, white pudding, sausages and bacon – we needed to replenish the calories we’d lost sleeping, after all.

Inverness to John O’Groats is a stunning drive. On a map it’s just 90 miles – but that’s on slow roads. Going is anything but fast, but the scenery as you wind your way north along the east coast is breathtaking.

The last time we made the trip, the roads were covered in snow, but this time autumnal golds, oranges and reds littered the trees. This part of Scotland really is worlds apart from the cluttered south east.

As we neared the tip of the UK, the convoy of 25 bangers bunched up and Neill used the quiet roads to grab some action shots of the eclectic collection of crusher dodgers. On the final approach we dashed ahead to get some footage of the cars arriving and our competitors broke the silence the Japanese tourists were enjoying with a symphony of car and air horns. The bangers are back.

Considering JOG is the pinnacle point for north-south travellers, it is, in a word, crap. Beautifully described by one of our competitors as the biggest collection of static homes and caravans north of the border, the tourist destination is a big disappointment. We’re too busy to care though as Neill and I set about organising the cars into something >

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Looks cold – and that’s because it was. And smelly

Editor suffers Red Bull-induced hysterical laughing fit

Honda helmets didn’t fit in the back

Honda team were wonderfully described as ‘looking like sperm’ in one service station

Weird empty church thing at JOG

Our story... GRS Where to mate?

Team members: Julian Pullen and James Schofield Car: Toyota Avensis bought for £250, sold for £1,225 OUR Red Bull consumption began at the M6. Next stop – Inverness. Crikey it’s a long way! The sky seemed so black we felt like we were floating. But that might just have been the aftereffects of the Red Bull!

Day two started with the most calorific breakfast you can imagine.

Unfortunately we were the last to leave after assisting others with the repairs of, among others, dodgy brakes and a

leaking hose. Refusing to stop and top up our leaking oil, we made up time, taking some unsuspecting onlookers by surprise as we billowed smoke through various petrol stations along the way.

Drama ensued when, with James live on the radio at 4.15pm, we were struggling to find a phone signal at…

4.14pm! We shot through the hills in search of one and made it in the end!

We were first to arrive at Mercedes Benz World – but only because everyone else had parked in the wrong place – and we completed several exuberant laps in celebration. Thanks to everyone who sponsored us – we raised nearly £1,000 and the car fetched £1,225.

Our story... Team Toyota Team members: Scott Brownlee and Christian Skelton Car: Toyota Carina bought for £100, sold for £190 POOR planning on our part saw us set off on our 1,500 mile adventure having barely even sat in the ‘banger’. As such, we were pleasantly surprised to find a £100 car could be as quiet, comfortable and easy to drive as a new one. Almost.

While the 15-year-old, 151k Carina E never missed a beat, it did show its age in the dimness of the headlights on dark Highland roads. We had only two problems (although problem is

too strong a word): the thermostat was stuck open, meaning that cruising through the glens at 60mph saw the water temperature plunge to cold start levels with consequently little warmth from the heater; and about six inches of headlamp rubber seal came loose.

Oh, and the Sony cassette deck ate our iPod adapter.

Frankly, by the third day we would have welcomed a few more dramas to keep us occupied, but instead we merely blasted down the country, keen to get to Brooklands early for a look around. Doubtless the car will end up as a taxi, clocking up another 100,000 miles with no dramas…

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Bangers 4BEN MKII resembling a scene out of disaster movie for a group picture. With the big shot in the bag we send the teams on their way to the next stop – Berwick-upon-Tweed.

But then disaster strikes. As Duncan reverses our car out of the melee of metal, I hear an almighty bang from the other side of the car park and know immediately it’s our Peugeot that’s screaming in agony. One of the tyres has exploded, but this wasn’t just a blow out – this was sabotage!

I know, I know, who would even begin to think about ruining our car?

Ok, probably everyone, but we did eventually manage to find out who it was. I won’t name names, but let’s just say we ‘pooled’ our resources to uncover the culprit…

Fortunately not everyone had left, and Team Mad Cow came to the rescue. Luckily team member Luigi De Luca is a tyre bay manager and had the spare on in minutes. He did warn us though, that it was ‘the wrong type’ and was being held on by ‘two threads’. We tried to forget that and, with pictures sorted, plotted a course south.

That was until the Honda boys made an announcement: ‘We’re going for a swim.’ Excuse me? You’re doing what?

‘Swimming! Hang on I’ve got to get changed,’ says Gareth Dean.

Impossible Dream? Quite Possible Nightmare more like...

‘I hear an almighty bang from the other side of the car park and know immediately it’s our Peugeot screaming in agony. But this wasn’t just a blow out – it was sabotage!’

True to their word they strip down to their shorts and, complete with helmets and moustaches, plunge off the pier and into the drink. Quite why is beyond me – the smell was making me feel sick just filming the dip, but swam they did. The nutters…

Drama for the day over (we thought), we settled down for the long drive from J-O-G to B-U-T. Cosily curled up in the back (again), we’re only half an hour in when Neill pulls up on the A99. We’re in the middle of nowhere and there’s a woman trying to catch a dog that’s wandering around. I know, it’s as strange as it sounds...

Being dog lovers here at CDM we couldn’t simply drive around, so jumped out to help. Spotting we were suckers, the woman got in her car and roared off – leaving us holding the curly haired terrier. Unfortunately I wasn’t allowed to take it home, so it was decided to find a friendly local and drop him off. A few door knocks later and we’d managed to persuade an ex-Army major to take in our cold and wet companion (not the Honda boys) and we’re back on our way. Sat here now, writing this, if I didn’t have photographic evidence that this surreal segue took place I would have dismissed it as an energy drink-induced hallucination.

Back in the car, good deed done, we get back on with enjoying the twists and turns of the A99. But it’s not long before drama part four, scene one unfolds. There, in a layby next to a hospital-stay bend, we spot one of the bangers… in bits.

We had to stop to check it out. The front bumper had been caved in at quite a considerable speed and there was no sign of the drivers. We managed to work out it was the BEN team’s car so we frantically began calling them to find out if they were OK. When we didn’t get an answer, I get visions of the Air Ambulance landing in the middle of the road, but

Our story... Team Impossible & Possible Dream 3 Team members: Andrew Lowerson, Dean Hayward, Becca Eatwell, Terry Smith, Gareth Dean Cars: Honda Civic, bought for £200, sold for £375; Honda Prelude, bought for £200, sold for £600 It started innocently enough with an email entitled ‘this looks like a laugh’ and a link to Car Dealer’s website. Little did we know what we were letting ourselves in for: a lot of hard work, anguish but ultimately a great deal of fun!

After a comprehensive search of eBay, led by our Product Planning

contingent (plenty of spreadsheets were generated – as you would expect) we thought we’d cracked it. Two third generation 2.0 16v, 4WS Preludes (BEZ & SRC) were in our sights.

The Preludes were rescued from their previous home – a garden in Stoke where they were being used to house the owner’s cats, particularly unpleasant for Becca who had the pleasure of driving it back!

Disaster struck as SRC was found to have a rusted steering rack and soon became simply a donor car to fix BEZ’s issues. In the meantime a Civic was purchased to fill in as second banger.

The cars were expertly prepared by

Big BEN Banger after giving Postman Pat a Glasgow kiss

the Honda UK Press Workshop and several donations by the parts department rectified (among other things) the lack of brakes and the broken rear window in the Civic.

The next part of the story involved a full valet using cleaning products from Comma. Graphics designed by Hicklin & Slade and expertly applied by Portabello Press and the cars were given pride of place at Honda HQ. Arriving at BEN with ‘Impossible Dream’ by Andy Williams blaring from the stereo, we felt a little out of place in our overalls and 70s moustaches (some stuck on and some home grown) and our far from FIA-approved helmets.

We soon settled into the groove and began working our way through a collection of tapes from the late 80s and early 90s to set the mood. A brief stop at Andrew’s Mum’s for tea was the highlight of day one. Day two featured some ‘heroic’ overtaking and some misguided swimming. By day three the overalls were dirty, the tapes dull and the headlights were still badly aligned, but we made it!

The end of the adventure saw Dean and Andrew proving the reliability of a 20-year-old Honda as they took BEZ all the way to Lands End, finishing the story with another dip in the sea and a shave on the beach!

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Our story... The Big BEN Banger Team members: Emily Bird, Ros Collins Car: Vauxhall Astra, bought for £100, smashed to pieces TEAM BEN’s £100 1994 Vauxhall Astra held up well... on straight roads at least. The lack of power steering was a challenge anywhere near a bend and would play a role in a subsequent disaster.

After a rather damp photocall at John O’Groats, on the return south our poor banger hit a wet patch on the winding roads and skidded, leading to an unexpected and terrifying encounter with a post van.

This was, tragically, the end of the BEN Banger as it was agreed that it would cost more to fix than the car had initially cost us.

We returned, heads bowed, to the splendour of the Berwick Travelodge and were too shaken to take part in the evening’s entertainment which appeared to include completely covering one of the other bangers with cling film.

BEN would like to thank everyone who took part with such enthusiasm, our sponsors at Chicane, James at Car Dealer Magazine and Phil at CimaRacing for the late, lamented BEN Banger.

Warranty Wizards cast a spell and got a thumb to do the driving Is it us or does someone look like they feel a bit guilty in this picture?

Our story... Bluecycle Team members: Piers Wilson, Stuart Atkinson Car: Mazda 626 bought for £100, sold for £295 EVEN though we weren’t racing, we were determined to make our mark and knew that our first pint in Inverness would taste much sweeter if we checked into the hotel first.

Thankfully Piers knew his way out of Ascot, along the back roads to Maidenhead and on to the M40. The first day went well and with two, five-minute pit stops and 20 or so Tweets, we made excellent progress going north.

On day two we got to see Scotland in daylight, which was fantastic. The road to John O’Groats was great fun to drive and then down all the way to Berwick.

Just outside Berwick, we were the first on the scene of an accident and pulled over to call the police and check everyone was OK. Thankfully they were, and Piers was able to use his knowledge of the salvage industry to comfort the shaken lady and explain what would happen to her crumpled BMW...

With the generosity of our sponsors and the sale of the car, we raised around £2,000 for BEN. Would I recommend it for next year? Definitely!

Would I do it again? Probably…

10 minutes later the phone rings. ‘Everyone’s OK,’ says event coordinator Laura Redman. ‘They’re just a bit shaken up.’

Turns out the BEN team had rounded the corner and got caught out by a slippery patch, the car span and side-swiped Postman Pat in his van on the other side of the road. By all accounts they were very lucky, if it had been a second earlier chances are it would have been head on and a completely different story. By this point I’m exhausted – with all the drama happening in the space of an hour my adrenaline levels are at sky dive levels and I crash in the back. A stop for Doritos and caramel lattes later and I’m out for the count. Next thing I know we’re pulling into Berwick-upon-Tweed’s finest travel tavern. Cod, chips, beer and rest follows.

The final leg

A

fter a night disrupted by Duncan’s snoring and a car park full of McDonald’s-fuelled boy racers sound testing their bass settings, I’m feeling decidedly groggy. I’ve had 12 hours sleep in three days – not counting dozing in the back – and it’s starting to take effect.

Bleary eyed I peer out the window and am convinced I’m still dreaming when I spot the Gforces team unwrapping their Suzuki Vitara. Someone has entombed it in clingflim overnight. What’s unclear is whether the baseball-capped massive in their Citroen Saxos are to blame or another B4B team. Fortunately Jamie and Paul have it uncovered in minutes and see the funny side.

Our trip to the finish line takes us via Neill’s gaff in Yarm and back behind the wheel I get the chance to reflect on our Peugeot. Yes, it might have been ‘works prepared’, but it’s still a staggering piece of kit for £0.

Saint Bob said one of the reasons he decided to hand it over for nothing was because he was fed up with buyers coming round, poking and prodding it and trying to knock him down from the £250 he was asking. It’s a £250 car for gawd’s sake, and they were moaning about a bit of rust!

The 406 might not have ever been the prettiest motor, but it’s extremely comfortable. The seats may be covered in that material that sets your teeth on edge, but they’re supportive and never once made my legs numb. A feat my Focus manages in minutes.

The 2.0-litre powerplant never missed a beat either and was incredibly frugal. In fact we were actually concerned the fuel gauge was broken, such was its reluctance to move. Spend any length of time with a banger and you can’t fail to fall in love with it. Ok, so it had it’s faults – the temperature gauge that said it was constantly 67oC outside (it was mild, for sure, but I’m not convinced it was that warm); the electric windows that liked to go up in stages; oh, and the handbrake that didn’t quite fulfil its primary objective. But, to be honest, if that’s all we’ve got to moan about, Peugeot has done well. I’m sure the Land Rover boys would have happily swapped with us at any moment!

After a boring slog down the A1, M1 and around the M25 we pulled into Mercedes Benz World. If you haven’t been, a trip is well worth it – some of the cars on display are incredible and the facilities are superb.

And I’m not just saying that because they stepped in at the last minute after Brands Hatch pulled out. At 3pm our travel-weary bangerers took to their track, hoping oil spillages wouldn’t be spotted and our front wheel would stay on, we paraded the circuit to the whoops of the Mercedes staff and blaring horns.

Unfortunately, not everyone made it to the finish line. The Land Rover had to be towed to Berwick after giving up the game just south >

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Y

Bangers 4BEN MKII of Scotland. Try as they might the Marshall chaps couldn’t get it going again – and considering they were both LR technicians, chances are the AA wouldn’t be much more help. And the BEN banger obviously passed away in active service.

Prizes were handed out to the winners of the Top Twit gong – an award for the team judged by Car Dealer deputy ed Richard to have covered the event in the most entertaining way on the social networking site. The gong went to Gareth Dean (@GarethHondaEU) – one of the mentalists that went for a dip at JOG. And BEN chose the Best Decorated Car winner.

There could only really be one choice – and it was handed over to Hyundai for their Rolls-Royce wannabe XG. What probably sealed it for them was turning up for day two with Lord Alan Sugar in the back and The Apprentice music playing.

Sale of the century

O

OK, it might have been a laugh, but the whole reason for making the trip was to raise a shed load of cash for BEN. We didn’t make sponsorship mandatory but still teams got on with it with vigour. In total some £6,058 was raised in sponsorship alone! Special mention must go to the biggest fundraisers, the WMS Warranty Wizards, who raked in a whopping £2,470. They should be very proud of themselves.

But to decide the winner of Bangers4BEN it all came down to what the cars were sold for at auction. We enlisted the help of our friends at BCA and a special sale was held at the firm’s Blackbushe site. The winner would be the car that made the most profit – but only teams that could prove how much they paid for their car would be in line for the title.

On the day of the auction only 17 cars had made it to the site. Two were being sold by our friends at Bluecylce, the salvage experts, because of missing documentation, two were lost in the BCA system and Gforces bought their car back for £750 as they couldn’t bear to see it go.

Real winners on the day included Poole Audi’s 100 which returned 350 per cent of CAP – albeit at only £175; Smart Repair Cover’s Mondeo which recorded 250 per cent, selling for £150; and our very own Peugeot 406

The Results TEAM NAME Shine!

GRS Where to mate?

Car Dealer Green Machine Gforces Toyota Team Twits Possible Dream 3 Land Rover Cambridge Brainy Bunch Destruction Danny & Dave BlueCycle Impossible Dream 3 Pentagon Toyota HyRollers Team Toyota Team Mad Cow Sport Network Cima Racing Poole Audi Big Ben Banger Warranty Wizards Huttons Henchmen Used Car Expert SMART Repair Cover Really Good Domains Welwyn Dowed

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CAR Renault Scenic Toyota Avensis Peugeot 406 Vauxhall Omega Suzuki Vitara Toyota Avensis Honda Prelude Land Rover Honda Civic Ford Escort Mazda 626 Estate Honda Civic Toyota Carina Hyundai XG Toyota Carina Volvo 940 Audi 90 Audi 100 Vauxhall Astra Rover 400 Ford Fiesta Rover 827 Sterling Ford Mondeo Ford Mondeo Vauxhall Astra TOTALS

‘Two days after the sale we got a call from BCA. Turns out one of the cars had formerly been a private hire car and it hadn’t been declared.’ which smashed its CAP price by 250 per cent, selling for an incredible £675! The auctioneer played up the fact it had been ‘worked’ on by Peugeot head office, and BCA had even posted the job sheets in the windows for all to see. These tactics had the desired effect!

But the stand-out seller on the day was the Toyota Avensis entered by Team GRS Where to mate? They paid just £250 for the car, but the 51-plater made £1,225 – enough to see it win by quite some margin. But, just two days after the sale, we got a call from BCA. Turns out the buyer had returned with the Toyota and claimed it was a private hire car – this is one of the things that has to be declared before sale – so the auction house negotiated a partial refund of £250. The buyer went away happy but GRS Where to mate? were relegated into second place.

Which means Shine! wins the Bangers4BEN event. They bought their car for just £1 – and MD Paul Normyle bought it back at the auction for £775 (which isn’t against the rules). This put him on 774 points and in first place. The Toyota Avensis wasn’t the only car to cause problems at BCA. The Land Rover sold for a provisional £500 but issues were thrown up with it on the insurance database and the buyer wasn’t prepared to go ahead until these were clarified. At the time we went to press negotiations were still ongoing. And the only car we couldn’t shift before this mag printed was Welwyn Dowed’s Vauxhall Astra. This had broken down at the end of the event and there were problems getting it to auction.

So, including the sale of the cars and the sponsorship money, we’ve collectively raised £15,268 for BEN. I think that, in anybody’s book, is something to be proud of. Here’s to next year – a new theme, more twists than a Charles Dickens tale, more crashed cars, and more costumes. But no swimming… [CD]

PRICE PAID £1 £250 £0 1p £250 £250 £200 £250 £250 £250 £100 £200 £175 £250 £100 £250 £120 £175 £100 £250 £250 £240 £250 £250 £250 £4611.01

PRICE SOLD £775 £1,225 £675 £525 £750 £675 £600 £500*2 £450 £450 £295 £375 £350 £375 £190 £300 £125 £175 £0 £225 £185 £150 £150 £125 TBC £9,210*3

TOTAL 774 725*1 675 524 500 425 400 250*2 200 200 195 175 175 125 90 50 5 0 0 -25 -65 -90 -100 -125 TBC

Special thanks to...

-

HPI & Aviva for help with insurance Neill Watson for the pictures and putting up with us Bluecycle & Charles Trent Ltd for helping sort the valves for the trophies Saint Bob Garrod for donating our Peugeot Peugeot UK for fixing our motor Autologic for moving our Peugeot around the UK Phil @ Artisic Licence for making our car look cool BCA for selling most of our cars and Bluecycle for flogging the rest Mercedes Benz World for letting our bangers celebrate their trip around a track. And to anyone else we’ve missed – thanks!

-

*1 £250 refunded by BCA because car was not declared as a private hire before sale *2 Provisional price bid at auction, but investigations being made by BCA into insurance category problems flagged up after sale *3 Price adjusted to discount £250 refunded for point one

4/12/09 10:35:34

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m

[forecourt]

Porsche 911 Turbo

If engineers had been let off the leash, chances are new supercar would have been even quicker

P

orsche’s new 911 Turbo can accelerate from 0-62mph in as little as 3.4 seconds.

Now that is fast – very fast. But maybe not quite fast enough. See, Porsche’s engineers dropped enough hints to us on the new car’s launch to suggest it’s very much on the ‘conservative’ side of cautious. Meaning, to all intents, Porsche has given us the quickest thing on the road today.

Bold claim, when cars such as the Lamborghini Murcielago, Caterham R500 and Bugatti Veyron exist? Maybe. But we say it with reasonable confidence, for one reason. The new 911 Turbo is so stunning in every other way, to lead here too would be no surprise…

Porsche hasn’t messed about. With all the fuss given to the bonkers new 911 GT3, and all the plaudits lauded on the incredibly capable standard 911s – never mind the brilliance of that cut-price Cayman S – you could be forgiven for thinking the Turbo’s day is gone. It’s been around since 1974, after all. Remarkably, in all that time, it never once got a ground-up all-new engine, but continued developments of the original 3.0-litre.

Is it done for, then? Not a bit of it. In Porsche’s world, if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing in a manner good enough to have your rivals weeping. So, for the latest 911 Turbo, in comes a new 3.8-litre engine, direct fuel injection, the option of the amazing PDK dual-clutch gearbox, wrapped in a bodyshell that’s subtly facelifted over the existing 997 series in a refined way.

Punching out 500bhp, this engine is simply incredible. Apparently, it’s even more fuel-efficient than the old one, and is capable of 25mpg.

Not in our hands, it wasn’t. Not when it’s this bleedin’ fast, refined, smooth, revvy, creamy, cultured and harmonious. Brand new it may be, but it’s already a classic.

Remember how people used to tell scary tales

DEALER VIEW Dean Francis General sales manager, Porsche Silverstone WE HAVE already sold three Gen 2 911 Turbos – and all have gone to owners of the Gen 1 car.

They tell us it’s such a different car. It honestly does feel very different to the old model; it may not look too different, but the drive has been honed. It feels crisper, free-revving. You don’t necessarily notice the power increase, but you

absolutely can feel the extra crispness it has.

Interestingly, we’re also seeing interest from multiple-car owners, those who maybe have a Ferrari and a Lamborghini in the garage. The 911 Turbo becomes their everyday car – the machine that will do all the routine stuff, yet also offer the same performance level and experience as the Ferrari F430 in the garage. It’s such a great all-rounder.

of the 911 Turbo’s sudden boost-rush, and the effects it had on the waggy tail? That’s but a distant myth. If it wasn’t for the turbo boost gauge, and the phenomenal pulling power this missile possesses, you could be forgiven for thinking it’s normally-aspirated, so fine is its power delivery.

If you do the sensible thing and opt for that PDK gearbox, you get yet another trick, too: Launch Control. This means F1-like perfect starts, that will absolutely nail every last bit of acceleration from the mega motor. It’s jaw-droppingly good, particularly as four-wheel-drive means traction is simply never an issue. This thing doesn’t just explode, it decimates.

Yes, then, it’s fast. That’s in 911 Turbo tradition.

Where Porsche really has gone to town is with the handling. To that four-wheel-drive, cornersticking system, Porsche has added a rear torque vectoring system option.

It’s bafflingly clever, but basically means

individual rear wheels can be ‘braked’ as you turn into corners, hastening the response of the rear end. See it as a sort of mechanical fourwheel-steer system.

It’s truly incredible. From the very first turn, we were blown away at how agile, lithe and responsive the 911 Turbo now is through the bends. Despite its colossal power, it’s as adept and precise as a standard version.

As if driving it wasn’t enough, Porsche let us out on to Portugal’s Estoril race circuit for some hot laps. Whatever we did to it, the 911 Turbo took it in its stride: grip was abundant, power always there, and the staggering carbon-composite brake option got us out of many a sticky situation.

Yet, afterwards, we simply drove back out on to the highway and loped up the motorway in comfortably-riding, practicality-focussed luxury.

The famed 911 Turbo has never cost a sixfigure sum even in basic guise. But, given the standards of its performance, and the type of company this means it’s able to mix with, it has to be considered a bit of a steal. We’d have one, no doubt about it. That’s a decision it took us about 3.4 seconds to reach. And even that may have been conservative.

Richard Aucock Porsche 911 Turbo Price: £101,823 Engine: 3.8-litre straight-six twin-turbo Power: 500bhp Top speed: 193mph 0-62mph: 3.4s

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BMW 7 Series

[forecourt]

It’s the perfect chauffeur’s car with acres of space in the back – and the options list is vast too...

B

MW has designed the 730Ld luxury limo to be something of a Tardis in reverse. Huh? Well, sure, there’s no arguing with the presence it has on the road. Yes, that ‘L’ stands for long-wheelbase. Fittingly, it’s huge.

Long, lithe and designed – at no little expense – with a totally bespoke roofline to the standard-wheelbase model (just to ensure the lines are spot-on, its designer told us), the biggest BMW saloon certainly racks up boldness as an attribute.

It comes as no surprise then to find loads of room inside. Up front, it’s unchanged from the standard model. This means even Peter Crouch wouldn’t have to set the driver’s seat right back on its furthest setting. With a tall, flat bonnetline underlining the effect, it certainly has presence, if not the outright impact of sitting behind a Mercedes S-Class’ three-pointed star.

Things get really special in the back, though.

Like some of the characters in Doctor Who, this is plain weird. It’s simply not natural to have this much legroom! On planes, in trains, at school assemblies and certainly when in cars, we’ve grown accustomed to having a set ration of space. So, in the back of the longest 7, to find you really can cross your legs and stretch out on the reclining motorised chairs is quite something. That’s the reason why Car Dealer Magazine fought over the rear doors during our week with it, rather than the front. And why we used it for bridesmaid’s duties at a family wedding…

It’s gadget overload too – and you know how we love our gadgets. Via monitors in the rear head restraints, you have access to the sat nav, TV stations, all the stereo functions, a multitude of heat and adjustment settings for the leather pews – all masterminded by a replica of the much-improved iDrive controller set up front.

We can’t remember a car ever being this entertaining in the back.

DEALER VIEW Sytner of Oldbury spokesman BMW car dealer Sytner of Oldbury reports that it’s both well-heeled plc directors and chauffeuring businesses who buy the long-wheelbase 7. If it’s a company car, they’ll go contract hire, while

chauffeurs go for lease.

Some do still actually pay outright in cash, though!

Generally, the 7 is seen as a bespoke vehicle, so there is not a single standard spec.

Every one is different, so the options list is (profitably) plundered with much enthusiasm…

But that’s not to say the driver is shortchanged.

We already know how well the standard 7 Series drives, have already discussed how it’s almost as agile and sporty as a 3 Series. Well, if anything, that was enhanced in the Ld we drove, through one trick optional addition: Integral Active Steering.

At low speed, this sees the wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front, helping the rear end swing around tight corners with doubletake finesse. It’s hard to believe something so large and long can be so maneuverable.

Speed up though, and the wheels switch, and turn in the same direction as the front. This makes it agile in a different way, helping it scythe through bends with tangible immediacy.

You genuinely can feel the rear end helping you round, ensuring the stretch of the model has no effect on the fun you’re having.

A powerhouse of a 3.0-litre straight-six diesel

is further enjoyment – 245bhp of torque-laden power gives surge sufficient to elicit (distant) complaints from those in the back: 0-60mph in 7.3secs is barely down on the standard model, and damn impressive for one so large.

Despite this, it still does 153mph. And 41.5mpg. While the addition of rear air suspension over the standard model will hopefully have cushioned them off to sleep, anyway.

It’s a niche market for the longest 7. BMW admits chauffeurs are a key customer – but car dealers should not be upset about this. Such guys travel lots (good for aftersales) and will tick lots of options on the standard spec sheet to keep Lord Alan happy. Treat them right and they’ll be regular customers, too: brand-loyal, they often are.

In the 7, BMW has just the car for them. It doesn’t have the immediacy of a Mercedes S-Class, but for the driver who likes to drive, without spending crazy amounts on fuel, it’s the more favourable choice. £53,695 is no small beer, but what a lot you get for it. Big on the outside, big on the inside, then. Yet surprisingly, er, ‘small’ behind the wheel.

BMW 730Ld SE Price: £53,695 Engine: 3.0-litre straight-six turbodiesel Power: 245bhp Top speed: 153mph 0-60mph: 7.1s

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Mazda MX-5

[sales legend]

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wo seats, soft top and rear-wheel drive – three ingredients that form the basis of a recipe for success. Add in a dash of affordability, a pinch of cute styling and lashings of handling prowess and you’re well on your way to a Michelin Star winning banquet of a car!

When Mazda designed its MX-5 it kept things simple. The concept was to recreate a classic British sportscar of days gone by – a modern interpretation of a Lotus Elan or MGB – and boy did they crack it. As only the Japanese can, they took the idea we had and made it even better – and buyers lapped it up.

The little Mazda has been an unequivocal sales phenomenon for the firm, shifting more than 860,000 units since it first arrived on our shores in 1990. Yes, the MX-5 really is nearly 20 years old. But where did the idea to create such a car come from? Well, quite unbelievably, that was all down to one humble journalist’s chat with the head of research and development for the car manufacturer back in 1976.

Motor Trend magazine scribe Bob Hall was lamenting the dwindling numbers of ‘classic British sportscars’ on the roads and suggested a carmaker should try to recreate an inexpensive roadster for the masses. The conversation planted a seed in the mind of then R&D head honcho Kenichi Yamamoto.

Five years later, Hall was offered a job at Mazda in a product planning role and met the same man he’d spoken to – but by then Yamamoto-san had moved up in the world… to chairman of Mazda Corporation! The chief remembered their chat and tasked Hall with turning the idea into reality.

Hall immediately set about putting his great plan for an affordable sportscar into place and a competition was set up between Mazda’s design houses in Tokyo and California. The Americans opted for a front engine, rear-wheel drive layout – in line with the British roadster roots Hall was trying to recreate. But the Japanese couldn’t decide between two drive trains: front-engined with front-wheel drive or mid-engine with rear-wheel drive.

Both teams presented their plans on paper, and the mid-engine model was discounted.

The second round of judging saw clay models

In its 19 years, there have been four generations of the MX-5 – all of which have stuck to the original concept closely. The first was with us for eight years and launched in the UK in March 1990 costing £14,925. It featured a 1.6litre 115bhp engine capable of hitting 60mph in 8.7 seconds and a 121mph top speed. Mazda UK sold 20,088 models of the MkI – but worldwide more than 580,000 found homes!

The MkII’s biggest difference was at the front, with the pop-up lights of the original – outlawed for safety reasons – replaced with fixed units. Under the skin there was plenty of reworking too and the 1.6-litre was joined by produced and the American team emerged a new £15,995 1.8-litre that produced 145bhp victorious. Their concept, dubbed ‘Duo 101’, and hit 130mph. UK sales doubled to 47,157. was earmarked for production.

Seven years later – in 2005 – the third generaThis was back in 1984, and it would be some tion arrived and with it the MX-5 got its first years before it would become the MX-5 we complete redesign since the original. Inspired know and love today. Mazda commissioned a by the then recently-launched RX-8 it got a British company – International Automotive gentler wedge shape and flared wheelarches.

Design – based in Worthing, West Sussex, to Again, under the skin, the designers got to build a prototype, and after positive reaction from the public, top brass finally signed the car work introducing a new chassis but the big news was the 1.6-litre axed in favour of a 1.8 off in January 1986.

Three years later it was ready to launch at the and a new 160bhp 2.0-litre introduced too.

Only a year later, Mazda tweaked the formula California Motor Show – with the name that’s again adding a retractable hard top model – become somewhat of an icon: MX-5. The M the Roadster Coupe. stands for Mazda, the X came from ‘eXperiThat brings us to 2009 and another MX-5. mental’ and the five was the project number.

This time changes were designed to make it But the real key to the MX-5’s success has ‘sharper, leaner and greener’ – and give the been just how good each model is on the road. Rear wheel drive, like all good sportscars eight-strong line-up the edge to still win sales.

But what really makes Mazda’s little roadster should be, with sprightly engines that weren’t too powerful, the Mazda was a delight to pilot. such a success is the fact the maker has stuck closely to the original concept: simplicity, fun It’s won thousands of fans the world over – including a host of celebrity followers. Car nut and value – all three of which go a long way when it comes to pleasing car buyers. It just Jay Leno believes it will be the car that future seems funny, then, that it took a humble generations will want to collect and even Jeremy Clarkson loves the baby Mazda calling it journalist to point that out to a car giant…

James Baggott ‘basic, honest and wonderful’.

‘It has been a sales phenomenon, shifting more than 860k units since it first arrived in 1990. Yes, the MX-5 really is nearly 20 years old.’

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[cult cars]

Lancia Delta Integrale It might be pretty hard to get hold of one now, but that’s what makes it even more of a cult

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ar Dealer Magazine staff are of a certain age. In our childhood, there was only one daddy on the World Rally circuit. The Lancia Delta Integrale. World Rally Champion 1987. 1988. 1989. 1990. 1991, too.

Oh, and don’t forget 1992.

On the poster we had on our wall, they’d run out of space on the laurel wreath graphic to fit them all in. We imagined the frustration of the graphic designer: What? I’ve got to fit another year on?

They did indeed, and all because the Delta Integrale was World Rallying. Many wax lyrical about the Mini’s famed prowess in the sport, but even that has nothing on this famed Italian. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was virtually unbeatable across all conditions. Which, conveniently, meant the road-going versions that homologation rules stipulated had to be built, were similarly awe-inspiring too.

It all came about because the Group B cars, of which Lancia had played such a major part in developing, were banned. They were just too fast. This caught many makers on the hop – who remembers the factory full of unsold Ford RS200s? – but Lancia had it all in hand. It was already developing the future.

This was released in 1986, as the Delta HF 4x4.

Looked just like the standard HF, complete with 163bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre. Don’t be fooled.

That permanent four-wheel-drive running gear made it pretty damn capable, and its potential was soon being realised.

For, just a short while later, the first of the famed Integrales arrived. With an 8v version

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of that 2.0-litre, it produced 182bhp – which sounds weedy now, but was good enough then for 0-60mph in 6.6s. With revised suspension, bigger wheels and enlarged brake discs, it all helped create a legend – given cult status in the UK from its left-hand-drive only status.

Lancia set its desirability fully in stone by designing the most delicious bulging-wheelarch body makeover, complete with rectangular driving lamps and that grille-set badge.

It didn’t stand still. By 1989, the engine had 16 valves, and a further bulge in the bonnet to clear the enlarged head. It was punching out 200bhp, in utterly counter-balanced, Italiantuned brilliance. And still it won rallies. So still Lancia developed it.

The first of the Evoluzione variants came in 1991. This was so good, a bunch of car-mad journos named a magazine after it: no wonder, when an even wider track, and even more bulging wheelarches, left it looking so utterly delectable. There was yet another new bonnet, an adjustable rear wing, and enough tuned-in ability to chop a further six per cent from the World Rally special stage times. The competition simply shook its head.

It was probably tempted to just pack up and

go home when the Evo II came in 1993. Despite getting an exhaust-cleansing cat, this boasted 215bhp, was even faster and even more achingly wantable. New wheels, alcantara Recaros and a red-topped, Garrett turbo-equipped engine meant not even Bon Jovi could win the fight against it for space on bedroom walls.

Some 16 years ago, and here was a car doing 0-60mph in 5.7s, and putting this power to the ground with total accomplishment. Throw in that famous yellow ‘elephant’ badge on the grille, and is it any wonder we still lust after one?

Trouble is, so good was the Integrale, they’re still not within our price range. To get an Evo II like on our poster, we’re still looking at a healthy £14k plus (and, usually, a lot more). Oh, and make sure you add on a hefty chunk to keep the thing in poster-worthy condition, too. Know what, though? It’ll remain on our list. Age shall not wither our passion: mark our words, this cult car itch will one day be scratched…

Richard Aucock

Lancia Delta Integrale Evoluzione II Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo Power: 215bhp Top speed: 140mph 0-60mph: 5.7s

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BANGERS4BEN Formidable teamwork and a fantastic achievement!

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M&I Autos, Martin Smith Motors Luton, Middlesex Tuning Centre, MKG3000 Twickenham, Motorland Gloucester, Northridge Cars Hemel Hempstead, Paul Munday Cars, Penn Motor Company High Wycombe, Premia Solutions, PW Cars Farnham, Pymans Headcorn, R.H Automotive, ReCall Direct Leeds, Roadside Motors Lurgan, Russell Cooper Cars Kingsclere, Saxton 4x4 Billericay, Scotia Vehicle Inspection, Scott Fisher Cars, Slough Van and Truck, Sue – WMS, Sutton Valence Cars, Van Centre Plymouth, White Swan Car Centre,

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I N A S S O C I AT I O N W I T H

autotorq.com Ewards 2009

What is the future online?

Car Dealer Magazine couldn’t miss the opportunity. There, in the same room, gathered around a huge round table at Ewards headline sponsors Autotorq.com HQ, were the cream of the industry’s smartest brains. If anyone knows what the future has in store, it’s a selection of our Ewards judges. The question we posed to them was this: What trends does the future have in store online for car dealers? We then sat back and soaked up their wisdom…

Shaun Armstrong Visit Cars, MD

THE internet is now a tool where people don’t just research – they physically buy. There will thus be more distance selling in the future, meaning it’s important that client-handling processes are optimised.

This includes the speed of capture, personalisation, user interfaces; it’s vital to hone them all in a clear way.

On top of that, dealers have to compete with a medium they (and their rivals) know works – print. They thus need clear strategy and budget on what they’ll do with the internet. Clear performance measures must be set. As more people move over to the internet, so products become more commoditised – so you must ask yourself how quickly you can capture the client, process them and deliver the product.

Richard Lawton

Really Good Domains, marketing manager CAR dealers need to open their eyes to the fact the buying cycle remains around three months – and that, instead of using them, people are

doing all their research online first. Indeed, some surveys say people put more store in what they read online than in what friends and family say – this is unbelievable!

Dealers need to engage customers – convince them that YOU are a part of the process of them choosing a car. You could do this in all sorts of ways. How about, for example, putting car reviews on your website?

People will use these to gen up on cars before they’re ready to buy. So, when they do get to point of purchase, that’s the website they’ll go to and buy from. Ideas such as this really are the way forward.

Clive Jackson

Autotorq.com, founder THE way the car industry prospects, serves existing customers and retains customer business is not working well.

I feel there is a change coming, one driven by consumers’ expectations and experiences from other industries.

At the root of this is how they get served online. And what is it they’re after? Seamless connect to the things your brand can give them, across any medium. Carmakers know there is a disconnect. They have a vested interest in

seeing it work, but they realise there is a marked change from their website to a dealer’s portal.

There’s often little harmony.

Makers, I feel, are going to wake up to this fact. They’re going to have their ‘Martini moment’, where they decide they want to own the next step in the value chain. That’s ‘giving people what they want, when they need it’, so they don’t go anywhere else. Those who wake up to this first will start to win further down the value chain.

Martin Hill

Codeweavers, commercial director I’D ADVISE car dealers to look at their people and processes – what are the constituent parts of sales? These include funding, configuration, car insurance… how many tools do they have to ease these vital processes? If they don’t have any, then people WILL leave to find them elsewhere. That’s a fact. But it doesn’t have to be the case…

However, even if you do offer them, you need to give people the confidence to use these things. Web leads must be treated differently, and often it’s all down to how quickly you get back. Performing well here elicits confidence

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Pictures: Derek Goard

‘Franchise car dealers need to get a handle on weekend enquiries that are not dealt with until the following week day.

Often, by then, you’ve lost that customer.’

Chris Green, Motoring.co.uk

in you. Without that, the whole process simply won’t work. Really, you must ensure your website is an extension of your showroom.

Think of any way possible to make you stand out on the web. If you can do this, then you will succeed.

Chris Green

Motoring.co.uk, sales director OVERALL, I think we’ve got to get the right people in the dealership. We all come from our own businesses, where we’re driven by process and innovation… but the bottom line is have the best sort of person in the showroom to put this into action.

There is no point in developing striking net strategies when enquiries are not dealt with correctly. Franchise car dealers, for instance, need to get a handle on weekend enquiries that are not dealt with until the following week day.

Often, by then, you’ve lost that customer.

The next generation of car salesmen in showrooms will have a new mindset. They will see things completely differently, and operate in a different way, too.

Certainly, they’ll be aware of the need to react fast. No, we are not there yet. But, you can be

sure the 20 and 30-somethings who are coming through the ranks now are going to give things a real shake-up.

Stuart Niblock

Autotorq.com, chief operating officer SELLING cars on the internet is more about retail product than car sales in the traditional sense. Car dealers need to think differently. Now, the industry in general may not be the most sophisticated industry in terms of IT, and that’s something that needs to be worked on.

They must understand, though, the importance of building relationships with the customer, in order to get them to the site in first place.

And also realise that, when they do get to do something with the site, consumers want choice and ability go wherever they want, rather than where you instruct.

Dealers should see the internet as not something that just sits there for the sake of it, but is a real key tool to drive sales, aftersales, finance and so on. If used right – and it’s not that difficult – they’ll get great results. If they don’t, it will sit there moribund, and they’ll say it’s a waste of time. >

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autotorq.com Ewards 2009

‘You don’t have to invent: it’s all right to copy! The Japanese car industry was built on this, after all.’ Daniel Burgess, HPI Keith Rountree

BCA, marketing manager USED cars are the next big opportunity over the next three years. Car dealers need to work out how to do it.

God knows what will happen after the new carmaker shakedown… but the ability to profitability source and retail used stock, and do it in volume, will certainly be the secret of success. Supermarkets proved it can be done – but franchises, in the main, are only interested in new or nearly new. Certainly not in a threeyear-old vehicle. For them, it has to be new, as that’s where profit is.

That’s the market dealers will need, to generate aftersales and other profit streams, in order to feed this franchise structure. All carmakers will have to be switched on if they are to help them hook in.

Tim Smith

Gforces, marketing director THE internet engenders lots of trust if you do it properly.

It enables advantages such as

scalability, distance selling and so on. Over the next five to 10 years, the major trends coming to the fore will all be driven by behaviour – that’s how people buy cars.

Trends will change. People won’t own cars as long, particularly as carmakers bring out more lifestyle models. What’s more, it may not feel like it but finance will become more attainable.

With more products back in the market, which people find easier to move in and out of, commoditisation will happen. The result of this?

Well, potentially higher sales volumes, as people change cars more often.

This will be heavily tied in with the internet. If you get it wrong, and you’re not reaching customers, you will get shown up very fast – and, well, will not exist.

For too long, people have been able to exist simply by point of presence.

This will go away as younger people will trust people on Twitter and on forums rather than local dealers. Don’t forget, such is the access to information online, people don’t really need to go to their local dealer anymore…

Daniel Burgess

HPI, automotive director IF YOU’RE buying on the internet new, then clearly it doesn’t need to be bought from dealership – some never even see the car before delivery! Used cars are different, and I know because I recently went through the process... Car buyers still need to go to a dealer, to see a number of examples, get a feel for them and, they hope, ‘find a good ‘un’. They do want to see it. Used cars are unique, so people do want to touch it. It’s important car dealers consider this when thinking about how to approach used car sales online.

My best advice for seeking inspiration is to look at what other people are doing – not necessarily from the motor trade. Check out the big guys in the internet arena. You don’t have to invent: it’s all right to copy! The Japanese car industry was built on this, after all. The basic package the best retailers use is clear, simple and on message, which means people enjoy visiting that site. [CD]

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I N A S S O C I AT I O N W I T H

autotorq.com Ewards 2009

essexautogroup.com

Franchised dealer website of the year

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inning the Franchised category in the Car Dealer Ewards 2009 was the icing on the cake of a cracking year for Essex Auto Group’s Matt Brown. The marketing manager has been putting in countless hours getting the firm’s site to the winning standards it is today – and he says the Eward makes it all worthwhile. ‘When we designed the site with Gforces I camped out at their headquarters for two weeks, working long days getting the site ready,’ said Brown.

‘The staff there joked about giving me a pay slip! But I knew to get it delivered to my concept I had to see it through. To win this Eward means a lot. It shows that all the hard work has paid off. We try to really get the personality of our dealerships across on the site and to know that the judges spotted that means a lot.’

The group’s chairman and managing director, Philip Maskell added: ‘To beat Arnold Clark into second place is a massive achievement for us. Our website really needs to capture buyers’ attention and I think it achieves that very well. We’re delighted to win.’

Brown added that this year had been a year of acquisitions and planning – but 2010 will be when all the firm’s web plans really begin to come off. We’ll have to wait and see if Essex Auto Group can make it two years on the trot!

Editor James, right, hands Essex Auto Group’s marketing director Matt Brown, centre, and chairman Philip Maskell their Eward

clivesutton.co.uk

independent dealer website of the year

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Editor hands over the Independent Dealer Website of the Year Eward to Clive Sutton

here are two schools of thought on the credit crunch and supercars. One is that buyers hold off because they simply can’t afford a new motor. The other is that those buyers aren’t buying because they simply don’t want to look too flash while everyone else is suffering.

Either way, prestige car dealers like Clive Sutton feel the pain. That’s why the London-based dealer has invested heavily in his website in the past 18 months to ensure he opens his showroom up to a far wider audience.

His efforts have certainly worked – last month his site was named Independent Website of the Year in the Car Dealer Ewards 2009, sponsored by Autotorq.com.

‘Early in 2008 I really could see trouble brewing, so made a conscious effort to invest in the website,’ explained Sutton. ‘Winning this Eward is recognition of that and gives us a credible spotlight on the business. I also hope it will help increase good relationships with other dealers as we’re keen on developing this.’

Sutton says he has tried to give his website some personality and says he enjoys using the site ‘dynamically’ to foster leads for his business.

‘The website helps us sell cars all over the world and it’s very good at helping us capture quality information for marketing,’ Sutton explains.

‘Our use of video, high quality pictures and an exclusive feel all helps immensely. We’re really pleased it’s been recognised with this Eward.’

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Last month we announced the winners of the Car Dealer Ewards 2009 in assocation with Autotorq.com. Now we’ve had the chance to hand the winners their gongs, here’s what they had to say

Volkswagen.co.uk

car manufacturer & web innovation of the year

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Volkswagen’s relationship marketing manager, Marianne Nicholas, accepts VW’s brace of Ewards from the editor

The reception area at Volkswagen’s Milton Keynes headquarters has a trophy cabinet as big as a Caravelle – and it’s packed with awards from all different motoring magazines. So, will there be space in there for their two Ewards?

‘Of course,’ explained PR chief Paul Buckett. ‘All the awards are rotated and when they’ve finished they’re sent to Germany where they go into the VW archives as part of the firm’s history. The Ewards will be joining them.’

Volkswagen picked up two gongs in our Autotorq.com-sponsored Ewards: Car Manufacturer Website of the Year and the special Web Innovation Eward for its New Car Configurator.

‘We’re really pleased,’ said Marianne Nicholas, relationship marketing manager for Volkswagen. ‘When we designed the site we wanted to make sure it could take full advantage of broadband connections in homes. I think we achieved that. We know a lot of people are return visitors to the site – some 30 per cent – and anecdotal evidence suggests that when customers go into dealers they say they’ve used the configurator.

‘The idea behind the homepage – the I Want, I Own part – was to give it direction and an uncluttered start point. We looked at other car manufacturer sites and they tried to bombard the users with messages.’

Buckett added that the site was hugely important to the manufacturer’s marketing strategy and hinted that the firm was looking at actually selling cars online, but ensuring that dealers were still an integral part of that process.

carshop.co.uk

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car supermarket website of the year

ward winners Car Shop have ambitions to be the best car supermarket in the UK – and now they can celebrate a step on that ladder with this Eward. The firm has four sites around the UK and is working hard on becoming the market leader.

At the impressive Northampton site, group operations director Jonathan Dunkley explained the website is key to the firm’s ambitions. ‘We’ve worked hard to get our branding across on the site and to make it usable,’ said the 25-year-old. ‘We’ve used clear layout, worked hard on natural search engine results and have implemented a live chat function which works very well for us. Winning this Eward is great news.

‘Our site is simplistic but functional and we try our very best to keep users on the site with insurance and finance calculations. We know it works very well for us because customers come in with print offs of the cars they want to look at. They’ve done their homework online and in a lot of cases are ready to buy. That’s the power of the website.’

The Gforces-produced site curried favour with many of the Ewards 2009 judges who were impressed with its ease of use and simple style.

‘Three years ago the website took up 20 per cent of our marketing budget – now it’s more like 45 per cent and growing all the time,’ added Dunkley.

‘We want people to think Car Shop when they think car, and the website helps us achieve that. But I think the next step for us is to facilitate the whole purchase of a car online – I think buyers are ready for that.’

The Car Shop’s group operations director Jonathan Dunkley, left, accepts the firm’s Eward from Car Dealer’s editor

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CarDealer.

TEN FOR

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xperts predict 2010 will be a year of recovery.

It’s something we’ve long been looking forward to, and many car dealers are now beginning to plan their marketing campaigns to capitalise on the upsurge in interest.

Which means it’s a great time to try out some new ideas and services! If you want to really get noticed in a market that’s been given newfound vigour, you need to stand out.

This is where your suppliers can help. They’ve all

Next year is an important one for everyone in the car industry. We’ve seen the ‘green shoots’ of recovery, but sustaining that will be the hard part. Here, Richard Aucock chats to 10 companies that can give you a helping hand to ensure you’re adequately armed to tackle the challenges ahead

been busy developing trick new innovations over the past few months, all set and ready to go and drive custom to your business in 2010.

Car Dealer Magazine has hit the road to hunt down some of the most creative. We’ve looked at all aspects of a car dealer’s business to see which suppliers are at the cutting edge of development, and which have the smartest and most ingenious schemes to make people sit up and take notice.

Some of the inventions here really have

impressed us. They encompass so many areas, provoked so many ‘that’s genius!’ exclamations from the office, it was like being one of Einstein’s pupils as he opened his mind to his students.

So let us guide you through them, hear from the teams behind them, and let them explain exactly what they can offer your business in order to help you maximise the upturn. We hadn’t even imagined some of them could exist, and we’re sure there are some that will surprise you, too.

REALLY GOOD DOMAINS

Reallygooddomains.com 0161 482 7650

Building sights N ext year will be a very special one for Really Good Domains – because the firm will celebrate its 10th anniversary! ‘Not bad going in the online world,’ said marketing manager Richard Lawton – particularly as, within that decade, the web development company has built up a huge amount of experience and expertise.

The main focus for the year will be, explained Lawton, an entirely new and improved contracthireandleasing.com site, plus the launch of thevanwebsite.co.uk. These two developments will reinforce the company’s online breadth still further.

‘We are currently in an intensive phase of site redevelopment,’ continued Lawton. The first fruits of this are already on show at carsupermarkets. co.uk – it’s been totally rebuilt, and boasts a significant increase in visitor numbers as a result.

‘It acts as a showcase of Really Good Domains’ website design philosophy,’ said Lawton. ‘It’s built on new technology, it’s safe and secure, and we have integrated CAP vehicle data in the website for the first time.’ This is something Lawton is particularly proud of, as it provides full car specs on all listed new and used cars.

Next in line for a major update is savemoneyon cars.co.uk, which will get a similar host of new features and, again, incorporate CAP vehicle data.

‘But the biggest news will be during 2010 when contracthireandleasing.com is rebuilt and relaunched. Continuing the theme of the earlier launches, it will involve the website being built on the latest technology with improved security and speed, a plethora of new features, CAP vehicle data integration, improved search engine optimisation and a fresh new look.’

And it’s many of these changes that will be revealed on thevanwebsite.co.uk. Lawton hopes this new portal will shake things up in the commercial vehicle sector – and go hand in hand with a timely and overdue recovery in the CV market.

‘There will be a substantial amount of new features, new technology and new aesthetics,’ he says.

Despite hitting a double-digit age, then, Really Good Domains remains hard at work. ‘Not a company to rest on its laurels, we will continue to work incredibly hard to ensure that our portfolio of leading car-related websites continue to bring excellent levels of enquiries to our ever expanding

customer base,’ adds Lawton.

‘With the 10th anniversary just around the corner, it shows we have the experience and knowledge to continue to lead the way in online automotive marketing.’ > Read more about Really Good Domains’ exciting plans in next month’s Car Dealer.

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CarDealer.

TEN FOR

CARTAKEBACK

Cartakeback.com 0845 257 32 33

Kingdom of rust S crappage has been the saviour for many franchised car dealers. But, being a government scheme, it also has its downsides – not least the amount of paperwork behind it.

Anecdotes to the Car Dealer Magazine office have revealed the extraordinary amount of legwork you chaps have to do, in order to get your £1,000 from the government. What’s more, one slip and you can put your entire payout at risk.

One of the keys to it is actually scrapping the car. Enter Cartakeback, the chaps who really have proven to be knights in armour for many car dealers this year. They are, no less, the complete scrappage package. That ropey old motor sitting on your forecourt, cluttering the place and costing you £1,000 for the pleasure? One email to them can sort it in a jiffy.

‘We are here to take the hassle out of scrappage,’ the firm’s Alison Price told us.

Complicated thing, the End of Life Vehicle Directive. It means getting the official paperwork to get your scrappage money back maybe isn’t as straightforward as you’d think. With Cartakeback,

though, it can be sitting in your email inbox in minutes: courtesy of 300-plus vehicle recycling centres, they have the capacity to give official scrappage documentation to more than two million cars a year. And have provided the route to £1,000 for more than 80,000 scrappage clients.

It’s not an easy thing, scrapping a car. It isn’t just a matter of taking it down the scrapyard and dodging the Alsatians. Some 85 per cent of a car has to be reused and recovered – and that total will rise to 95 per cent in 2015.

Virtually all of the car has to be turned back into something useful!

Luckily, these guys can do that for you. Then email you the Certificate of Destruction, plus payment (with VAT on top), faster than you can work out how much they’ve actually paid out in scrappage monies. (It’s £7m, by the way).

What’s potentially a right old hassle is made easy as pie. No wonder they’re responsible for recycling 70 per cent of the cars on our road – including brands such as Ford, VW, Renault, Peugeot and Audi. As scrappage reaches a crescendo in 2010, the scrabble to snare funds and beat the deadline is going to be intense. With Cartakeback though, the only thing you need to worry about remains finding the new car stock…

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CarDealer.

TEN FOR

MYTRADEAUCTION

Mytradeauction.com 08444 103 103

Hammer time

T

he secret to mytradeauction.com is insider knowledge. Not only does the firm run a successful auction site, explains director Nick Wenger, but it also owns several car dealerships.

Who else can boast experience from both sides of the fence?

Not that Wenger, and business partner Paul Rogers, are being overly bold. ‘We don’t claim to be unique,’ says Wenger. ‘No auction site is – but what we can claim is that the customer service you receive from us will be superb. We promise to speak with the dealer, on your behalf, and provide you with all the info you need. Even at weekends!’

So strongly does Wenger believe in the site, it is used to pre-sell all the car dealerships’ partexchanges. This has the added benefit of aiding cashflow, and ensuring there’s always an even healthier selection of cars on there.

Mytradeauction.com’s unique feature is proxy bidding, and it is this that will see it make big gains in 2010. ‘We are the only independent site to offer this functionality, which allows a trader to enter a maximum bid and carry on working while the site bids on their behalf.’

It’s all very straightforward to use, too. ‘We knew from owning dealerships ourselves that this site need to be simple.’

It’s supported by a marketing agency that boasts a blue chip client base. ‘An expensive route,’ admits

Wenger, ‘but the fact we had the dealerships providing cash flow meant we did not need to rely solely on the income generated from the site.

Wenger makes it easy for you to get on board.

‘We don’t charge any new dealer for a month – we like them to try the site and to experience how easy it is to add their vehicles.’

And the anecdotal evidence proves the wisdom of this approach. ‘Recently, a dealer told us he would only use his local trader to dispose of his part exchanges. However, having taken us up on our offer of a month’s free trail, he is now questioning the amount of profit he had lost out on in the past!’

What further impressed that trader was the charging structure after the month’s free trial. ‘We don’t charge yearly or monthly fees, no buying fees – only if it hits the reserve price will dealers pay £39.

This, we have been told, is the cheapest around.’

The site was only launched two months ago, but already has 600 traders registered. Wenger reveals discussions are ongoing right now with many more car dealers keen to get on board. It may be young, but it’s growing fast. >

Regis ter

mytradeauction.com FNREE ow now launched !

600 R OVE

RED ISTE G E R RS

USE

5 reasons why DEALERS are going crazy for mytradeauction.com. . .

...and 5 reasons why TRADERS are doing the same...

1) Quick and easy disposal of part-ex and over-age stock 2) Eager buyers = higher profits per car 3) A one-off £39 (+VAT) charge - however many times you list 4) Helps your cash flow as you can pre-sell your cars 5) Nationwide audiences looking at your stock

1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

Don’t miss out! Just visit www.mytradeauction.com

It’s FREE to register NO buying fees NO monthly fees Nationwide coverage Access to franchised dealer stock

7jn ^i# HZaa ^i# Egd[^i# CarDealerMag.co.uk | 45

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CarDealer.

TEN FOR

ANYTEXT SERVICES Anytext.co.uk 0845 638 1421

Your perfect car is now in stock. Call us now!

Textual favours?

W

e text way more than we call. Customers read far more texts than they take calls: how many of us see a strange number and don’t answer? Compare this to texts – almost every one is read.

That’s the magic of Anytext Services. They offer you a means of contacting customers directly via text. Even better, you can do this from your PC, in a flash. Yes, fear not: text contact doesn’t have to mean clicking away at the Nokia…

Indeed, says boss Michael Green, doing it via Anytext Services can be three to four times cheaper than other methods: what’s more, setting it up is free. Not a bad way to advertise anything you like – promotions, new stock, special offers, aftersales incentives, ‘car ready’ reminders, MOT reminders, service due reminders… you name it.

The service even allows you to send images by text.

‘Another advantage,’ said Green, ‘is that texts are automatically stored, so all the information is there in front of your customer whenever they want it. Even if they do pick up their voicemail,

Your perfect car has just arrived in stock.

Call us now

they won’t necessarily have a pen.’

There’s a legion of clever ways you can use it.

Have a customer enquiring about a car you don’t have in stock? Then take their number: as soon as that car comes back in stock, you can send them a text alert.

Low intrusion, so you won’t be seen as hassling them – yet at the same time you’re almost guaranteed to get their undivided attention. And then, who knows what! Green says the firm’s focus on specialist end markets such as car dealers has enabled them to really hone some canny solutions to help drive business.

A couple of enterprising firms have even pre-scheduled texts. Yes, you can actually preprogramme a text to be sent out at a specific time: Green’s clients have chosen New Year’s Eve, to thank customers for their business in 2009. Who’s to say you can’t pick other special events to tie in with? There really is no end to the applications such an affordable, easy to use system offers.

It’s not as if the texts will be perceived as spam,

either. Anytext Services’ clever software enables you to display not a number, but the name of your car dealer as sender of the text. Instant recognition, and yet another way of getting your name before people.

Remember, there are more mobile phones in the UK than there are people… the potential to contact these cheaply, and guarantee near-universal attention, is pretty compelling, don’t you think?

Contact your customers by text from your PC • Te Texting helps to build relationships by keeping customers informed • Texts Te are read when phones aren’t answered and voicemail ignored • SSend full sale details and photos direct to their mobile at the push oof a button • Use Shortcode/Keyword campaigns to be open 24/7 • Send “New on the market” alerts • Reminders for services, MOTs, appointments, car ready • ‘What do you think of our service?’ follow ups • And texting saves you money

anytext.co.uk mobile phone marketing by SMS

call: 0845 638 1421 (local rate) email: info@anytext.co.uk visit: www.anytext.co.uk

46 | CarDealerMag.co.uk CarDealerIss22.indd 46

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CarDealer.

TEN FOR

BCA

bca-europe.com 0845 600 6644

Winning bidder

A

uction firm BCA’s Tim Naylor is in no doubt that 2010 will continue to present big challenges to car dealers. Thus, he says, ‘making the best use of time, money and stock will be absolutely crucial.’ This is where BCA comes in.

The firm has more stock than any other auction company – and more auction centres, plus a website that makes bidding and buying online a piece of cake. This all supports Naylor’s mission: ‘To make life as easy as possible for the trade.’

Take the website, he said. One of the driving design aims was to make it easy to navigate through and find the cars dealers actually want to buy. A reason, perhaps, for it attracting three times the traffic of its nearest rival? That’s not BCA’s figures, either, but audited data from Experian Hitwise: ‘This will in turn generate even more buying power for sellers,’ says Naylor.

‘In particular, the integrated Auction View functionality now gives trade buyers a seamless web experience. And for professional buyers, it provides access to the best selection of retail

quality stock in the UK – from instant market valuations to instant purchase.’

Meanwhile, sellers are further boosted by many more BCA benefits, all of which aim to lessen the time to sell, strengthen retained values and improve market churn.

‘Sellers get improved efficiency, with instant access to account details and bespoke reports as well as direct links from MyBCA into BCA sister companies – UFD, for example, to arrange transport, or JTK Automotive to check pipeline stock.’

These partnerships extend further too, as Naylor explains: ‘BCA has partnerships with all the major fleet companies in the UK.’ This ensures that it has the widest range of stock from its 21 locations.

As a result, BCA can offer a staggering number of cars and vans through auction, with a huge range of choice from small city cars through to top of the line executive models.

All these complementary channels bring buyers and sellers together. That’s why, Naylor says: ‘It’s the number one partner for motor dealers in 2010.’ >

BCA LIVE ONLINE: THE FIRST AND STILL

THE BEST FOR BOTH

BUYERS AND SELLERS Whether you’re buying or selling, Live Online makes great sense for your business. Buyers can choose from and buy stock at auctions nationwide, and vendors have their vehicles marketed and offered to buyers everywhere.

With Live Online, BCA pioneered across the UK and Europe the broadcast of live auctions on the internet – and it remains the most successful e-sales channel in the remarketing industry. More innovation and proven performance from Europe’s No.1 vehicle remarketing company.

www.bca-europe.com

We never stop CarDealerMag.co.uk | 47 CarDealerIss22.indd 47

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Mobil_Ad:Layout 1

2/12/09

15:08

Page 1

Mobil 1. The leading oil is the one that also drives your business.

With a proven track record for performance, Mobil 1 is the world’s leading synthetic engine oil. But technology is just one thing that Mobil 1 can offer you. It can also help to boost your business performance.

We can help you to retain customers and drive your profits up. To learn more, visit www.mobil1.com

© 2009 Exxon Mobil Corporation. Mobil 1 is a trademark of Exxon Mobil Corporation or one of its subsidiaries.

WMS - in the bag.pdf

30/11/09

14:22:46

YOUR PRESENT, IT’S IN THE BAG C

We hope you like the style...

• Free warranties • Free service • Free advice • Profit savings • Repair cost savings • Staff cost savings

Hope you like it – 2000 other dealers did.

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Vehicle Warranty | RTI | GAP

0844 477 4909 sales@warrantymanagementservices.co.uk

www.wmswarranty.co.uk CarDealerIss22.indd 48

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CarDealer.

TEN FOR

MOBIL 1 Mobil1.com

Oil’s well that ends well M obil 1 remained the world’s leading synthetic engine oil during 2009. Once again, it also helped power the pinnacle of motorsport to TWO world championship wins: yes, Brit star Jenson Button’s Brawn F1 racer was powered by Mobil 1 in the Mercedes-engined machine.

The firm has continued its ongoing programme

to help car dealerships make the most from its premium oil product, too. The educational, resultsdriven programme it has developed to help dealers maximise top-up sales is one such example of this.

Long service intervals mean car services are further apart nowadays. This means the number of bulk fills of engine oil is falling – meaning car dealers are making less money from them.

This is where Mobil 1 can help. The firm has evidence that proves dealers who focus on increasing their pool of service customers can make a healthy 25 per cent improvement on bulk fills.

That’s because they sell an extra litre for every fourlitres sold, as part of the routine maintenance cycle.

How? Top-up pack awareness and incentivisation.

An incredible 65 per cent of all top-up packs are sold at petrol stations. That statistic alone is evidence of something we all anecdotally know – that buying a one-litre top-up pack is a distress purchase for most motorists.

The Mobil 1 training scheme asks two questions of car dealers: Why were these people not already carrying a bottle?

And why had the car dealer failed to sell it to them in the first place during a regular service?

It’s not to say, though, that top-up packs are the only area to generate extra profits. They can be driven from in-service fills and even trade sales, too. Dealers can also make the most of Mobil 1 aftersales schemes such as data sourcing.

And there’s plenty more too: 2010 is going to be the year for many such innovative solutions from Mobil 1 – take an enhancement of the Vehicle Health Check system that Mobil 1 offers, for example, which will help drive profit growth by highlighting up-sale opportunities. There is also an online product selector, plus an internet solution for franchised car dealers called Servicing Direct.

For three decades, Mobil 1 has used motorsport to test, develop and improve its oils. Indeed, one of the trick SuperSyn technologies used in the oil car dealers stock on their shelves actually began life in F1 engines of the 1990s!

This has earned it an enviable reputation – which it now reckons can help car dealers make money from the prestige and sales this name brings.

WARRANTY MANAGEMENT SERVICES wmswarranty.co.uk 0844 477 4909

It’s a cover-up...

W arranty Management Services has a really simple proposal for you to muse over while you drink the sherry and eat the mince pies: Make extra profit from each deal!

‘It’s what we do,’ said Eric Stone. ‘We make you money.’ Can’t say fairer than that! And Christmas is an ideal time to consider just how WMS can help, he says. ‘The showroom is locked, the staff are at home with their families and you are left with the responsibility of driving the business.’

To help you plan for next year, WMS has an online showroom for all its many products. This will help showcase all the various offers in an easily legible form, so car dealers can consider the many merits of each.

These products include GAP and Return to Invoice insurance, MOT failure plans, wheel & tyre cover, even breakdown recovery plans. These add-on aftersales goldmines can really boost the money made from each sale, explains Stone.

You don’t need to worry about any pre-existing deals, either. ‘You can, of course, remain tied to a warranty provider that keeps your profit and

dictates the gameplan.’ Flexibility is the name of the game for WMS – the online showroom is set to enhance this ease of use in 2010.

Despite 2009 making everyone fight against some of the worst financial situations in most of our memories, the year has been one of continued growth for WMS. ‘We promise in 2010 that we will continue to work hard to supply products and services to increase car dealers’ profitability,’ said Stone.

‘This year, we have increased our sales and support staff, expanded into Northern Ireland and Scotland, and recruited many new dealers to the WMS family.’ For which the entire management team thanks all of its loyal car dealers for their ongoing support.

‘More and more of our business partners are seeing real benefits from a company that can provide solutions to fit your own unique business requirements,’ he said. The showroom showcase will, in 2010, make it even easier to discover these.

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CarDealer.

TEN FOR

DRAGON2000

Dragon2000.co.uk 0845 838 2000

Slaying the opposition ‘W e see 2010 as being another growth year as we introduce new product lines,’ says Mark Kelland, sales and marketing executive at Dragon2000. Several key products are to drive this in 2010, for the 6,000plus users of the DMS system across the UK. It’s lower-volume car dealers who are set to receive welcome attention, as Dragon2000 rolls out its smart Car Dealer Stockbook.

It can manage new and used stock, advertising details, invoices, even VAT records. If you’re struggling with spreadsheets, this one’s for you.

There’s more, too. DragonRPM will be launched in 2010, which will extend the DMS offer to help monitor business performance and KPIs. This allinclusive performance monitor, which works in real time, will be launched in the first quarter of 2010.

Dragon2000 will also roll out History Wizard, as an aid to help those migrating from other DMS. Existing data can be added to, edited and cleansed in an entirely operator-customisable way.

Microsoft and Intel are so impressed, they’ve given Dragon2000 official recognition.

‘Dragon2000 has gone through Microsoft’s approval programme for compatibility for Windows 7 users,’ Kelland told us. ‘We are also actively working with other data platforms and hosting packages in order to offer maximum flexibility to our users.’ If Bill Gates and co say they’re good, then that’s good enough for us.

You can get 12 months’ subscription to Stockbook – AND a netbook computer! – for £495. Data History Wizard costs £495 per network, and the firm promises DragonRPM will be competitively priced when it’s launched in 2010.

Nothing stands still in the IT world, Kelland added. That’s why Dragon2000 continues to roll out the initiatives, meaning 2010 will be another busy one for the firm. Sign up and let them help you too. With the added bonus of getting a trick new computer thrown in for free.

Sole traders, multi-franchise operations and a rapidly growing overseas market are all on board.

‘And with pay-as-you-go “Software as a Service” rental initiatives to make it as easy as possible. We really are in reach of all businesses,’ Kelland added.

ZYPE

Zype.co.uk 07955 113667

Make it big in the movies

W

hat’s the next logical step in online communications and interaction with website customers? You’ll soon realise it if you appreciate the problems of the logistics involved: buyers are remote, not in front of you.

So why not bring your cars and your car dealership live into their homes and living rooms, via the power of cutting-edge technology? That’s the promise of Zype’s Andrew Howells, whose C It Now product will help car dealers ‘broaden their hinterland’.

‘They’re spending big on websites, on effective SEO. Now they need to enhance this through better communications with remote customers,’ he says. ‘By default, C It Now gives them a completely new customer base, and a huge broadening of their business.’

Zype’s C It Now is a live online video presentation tool. It enables car dealers to provide bespoke TV shows for customers, no matter where they are in the world. This real-time demonstration can be conducted on the exact car they’ve just searched for and chosen on the internet. The personal touch

does not get better than this.

‘Customers love live video,’ says Howells. ‘It’s hard to quantify just how this can help sales – but believe me, it really does work. You’re letting the customer conduct things on their terms, no matter where they are in the world. This makes it far more likely for them to then follow it up with a showroom visit.’

The films are produced live by the car dealer, who communicates to the customer via a headset.

‘This means they can view online and focus in on any aspects particular to that customer,’ said Howells. ‘They are in control.’

For 2010, Zype will be showcasing its archiving facility. This means that any potential buyer who’s keen on the car can take part in the presentation, then download the video they’ve just made and share it with others later. This is extremely clever – effectively, it’s a personalised car TV show, featuring what could well be their next new car.

Everyone they know can see this at the click of a computer mouse.

Following on from this, people are much more

likely to buy, confirms Chester Volvo’s Phil McCaffery. He’s been using it for a while now, and reports people see it as a commitment – the conversion rate is extremely high.

‘If two dealers are offering the same car, for the same price, they’re much more likely to buy the car shown to them through live video. It’s the nextbest thing to actually coming in,’ he says. >

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 51 CarDealerIss22.indd 51

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CarDealer.

TEN FOR

FINDSYOU.COM

findsyou.com 020 7255 5148 Your perfect car is now in stock. Call us now!

Finders keepers?

T

he internet is great, but it isn’t quite perfect.

As Steve Leighton, chief operating officer of findsyou.com, explains: ‘The inability to interact with dealers can make searching for cars on the web a very impersonal experience for buyers.

‘It’s no surprise that the car industry has not really taken advantage of the opportunities online affords as yet.’ But he has a solution, which could help drive real business to you in 2010. Findsyou.com is the first online ‘wanted’ noticeboard that helps put car traders directly in touch with car buyers.

‘Findsyou.com provides an environment in which, simply put, all dealers, irrespective of size, can compete on product, price and service alone.

This is in stark contrast with the large number of aggregation websites and search engines out there, that display results heavily biased towards the dealers that pay the most in advertising or search engine optimisation.’

How does it work? Well, instead of potential car buyers having to trawl through hundreds of listings on aggregation sites and search engines, they can instead simply post details of the exact

car they’re seeking on the findsyou. com noticeboard.

This then does all the legwork for them. It contacts suitable traders, to hunt out cars that meet these exact requirements, saving time, money and frustration for all concerned. The traders who have these cars in stock are then invited to directly contact those potential buyers.

‘It’s a more personalised and effective service for potential buyers,’ said Leighton. ‘By joining us, dealerships are showing that they are committed to extending the personal touch beyond their showrooms and into the online marketplace.

‘We’re confident that this additional sales channel, with the ability to better screen and proactively target potential leads, will help them tap into a lucrative new customer base.’

Indeed, if you haven’t yourself, you may at least know a car dealer that’s signed up – Leighton reports that more than 2,500 have joined, with Mercedes Retail, Mitsubishi, Citroen, Renault and some of the larger franchised groups all

represented. There’s also a sizeable collection of independent car dealers too, he adds.

The proof is in the pudding. ‘It’s working – sales are being made through the site!’ Could this more efficient internet search solution provide the money-making marketing alternative that will help you win big in 2010?

ar.

You’ve got thee ic n Silver, up

da Civic Typ R I’m looking for a Hon ack leather ual. Must have bl to 5 years old, man s, Sat-Nav trol, alloy wheel interior, climate con 12 months Service History and da n Ho l ul F . us pl a ,000 on the d no more than 50 M0T is required, an o £11,000 bonus. I have up t clock. One owner a me... to spend. Please contact

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Call 020 7255 5145 or email for more information.

CALL 020 7255 5145 EMAIL jonathan.easton@findsyou.com 52 | CarDealerMag.co.uk &DU 'HDOHU KDOI SDJH $G Y LQGG

CarDealerIss22.indd 52

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Run by dealers for dealers Est 1999

22,323 prime used cars offered on Autotrade-mail last month A FEW FRANCHISED DEALER QUOTES LAST MONTH “We have found Autotrade-mail to be very useful and it has strongly added to our yearly success. This year alone we have bought and sold 80 vehicles through the system using the system for sourcing and disposing equally.”

Brett Haigh, Copley Halifax Land Rover November 09

“I wish I had subscribed to Autotrade-mail years ago.

Since doing so in August I have been able to source extra stock at a time when it is hard to come by. Long may it continue!”

Reg Thompson, Reg Thompson Cars, Proton November 09

Franchised Dealers & Non Franchised If you aren’t already a subscriber to Autotrade-mail we’re certain we can help you make more profit!

“I have been using Autotrade-mail.com since it was launched and still find it one of the most effective tools that assists me daily in doing my job. It pays for itself ten times over and more. In these particularly hard trading times it is one of the last things I would ever consider doing business without.

Keep up the good work Autotrade-mail.”

Ian Struthers, Ingram VW November 09

Call us on 08444 702513 for a FREE two week trial to experience the full range of Autotrade-mail subscriber benefits.

The UK’s leading online real time used-car trading network CarDealerIss22.indd 54

4/12/09 10:38:58

d

R

9

right click

...in association with Gforces

A recession is not the time for scatter-gun marketing Gforces’ Tim Smith says cutting your promotional spend in these tough times is not a wise move

I

n September 1991, civil defence organisation The Royal Observer Corps was formally stood down, its work done and deemed no longer necessary thanks to the end of the Cold War and government cuts.

This branch of the RAF had served its country since 1925, first with eyes to the skies for enemy aircraft then, during the Cold War, monitoring nuclear activity from underground.

While the ROC’s posts are now filled with soil, its motto ‘forewarned is forearmed’ is one that should be carried forward, particularly in marketing and for automotive dealers looking to survive and thrive during these challenging times.

Marketing intelligence is vital to any business looking to succeed online. As competitive a marketplace as the internet is at the best of times, during a recession it’s doubly so. Even with the media estimating a growth in car production by the end of 2010 and a healthy-looking FTSE level, now is the worst time to bury heads in the sand.

In fact, a glance at current predictions will reveal that now is the time to prepare arms.

January will see the VAT level return to 17.5 per cent and, sooner rather than later, the scrappage scheme will expire. Add to that the predicted ‘second dip’ of the recession and an imminent election and maintaining the level of business currently enjoyed by automotive dealers is set to prove a battle. If we’re to learn from history, now is the time not to give up on marketing but to market harder and more effectively.

Those companies that increased their marketing activity during the recession of the 1990s saw an increase of 4.3 per cent in return on capital employed post-recession. Those that ceased

Are you missing the target when it comes to marketing?

‘Now is the time not to give up on marketing but to market harder and more efficiently.’ marketing saw a decline of 0.8 per cent. In order to increase return on marketing investment, it’s vital for dealers to make use of marketing intelligence and use it to target their campaigns.

A recession is no time for ‘hope marketing’.

Right now, the audience is online; global internet users clocked up 27bn hours online in September (source: comScore). Online marketing spend grew by 4.6 per cent in the first half of the year, overtaking more traditional methods such as television advertising – which shrank by 16.1 per cent (source: Internet Advertising Bureau) – for

the first time. Given that our automotive clients see far lower cost per leads online compared to offline (£5.42 online to £85.40 offline, according to our LeadBeast software), this is no surprise.

In order to get such an impressive online return though, automotive dealers need to make use of the latest knowledge. Our clients see those results because they’re supported by teams that monitor market intelligence – from the latest changes in search engine algorithms to the fact that social media sites are now second to search engines for traffic generation – and act. It’s being armed with that knowledge that means they’re able to create a web marketing campaign that gets their digital dealership seen where it matters, when it matters.

When the market gets tough, arm yourself with the latest marketing knowledge and push your digital dealership forward to thrive during and beyond the recession.

.

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We are delighted to announce that our Underwriters, QBE, is the insurance partner of the Guinness Premiership.

TEAMWORK C

M

It’s amazing how successful you can become when everyone in your business is moving in the same direction.

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

Have you noticed how much better you perform as a business when the whole team is behind you and focused on the same objective?

We have over 2000 dealers across the UK and our team effort is helping them to increase their profits from our excellent range of innovative warranty and protection products. It is important to play the right people in their strongest positions to achieve optimum performance.

We have a team of dedicated regional managers who can help with your game plan and provide real value to your business at no cost.

K

If you would like to talk tactics then why not call our Business Development Director Eric Stone on 07789-682502

Vehicle Warranty | RTI | GAP

0844 477 4909

sales@warrantymanagementservices.co.uk www.wmswarranty.co.uk

CarDealerIss22.indd 56

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...in association with Really Good Domains

dot com

...in association with Really Good Domains

Why you need to think about media multi-taskers They see the advert on the TV, then surf the web for information – but will buyers find your website?

W

e love to bring you news of the latest reports and research about how the internet continues to change all our lives. This month is no different with a new report from the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA) which shows how integrated marketing has a crucial role to play in communicating to your customers.

While famously it’s said how women are better at multitasking than men, it appears this latest research, published in November, is showing how the population as a whole is beginning to consume multiple channels of media at the same time! More people than ever are choosing to devour TV and internet simultaneously (a 38 per cent increase since 2006 to 22 per cent) and the report even coins a new phrase for these people – the ‘Media Multi-Tasker’.

While currently the majority of media multi-taskers are under the age of 35, the report also highlights that ‘Silver Surfers’ (aged 55+) is a demographic which is also showing signs of increasingly meshing their media. If you’re currently thinking that these media multi-taskers sound like teenagers and students you’d be very wrong – 75 per cent of this new breed of consumer is over the age of 24! We can expect the media multi-tasker to become even more prevalent in the coming 12 months.

A further revealing find in this study suggests that the media multi-tasker is much more likely to change their mind about a product or brand and make more purchases following in-depth web research.

Think about the potential situations this throws up – a media multi-tasker, thinking about changing their car, is sat at home

Watching TV while surfing the web is not uncommon – more and more people are doing it chance of capturing this interest which leads to ‘We can expect the media more enquiries, and in turn more sales. multi-tasker to become even Websites such as ContractHireAndLeasing.com, and CarSupermarkets. more prevalant in the coming SaveMoneyOnCars.co.uk, co.uk sit at the top of thousands of relevant high volume search terms.

12 months.’

watching the television, while also surfing the internet using their laptop.

The inevitable ad break arrives when a glamorous, sexy advert from your marque hits the screen, it pushes all the right buttons, so what does the media multi-tasker do? They immediately start using Google to search for more information about the make and model that interests them, and this key time is where you need to ensure you expose your brand to them.

By marketing with popular websites that appear at the top of natural search lists you have the best

This means when the media multi-tasker is looking to approach obtaining their next car – whether lease or purchase, new, nearly new, or used – they will be using those sites to search for that vehicle.

Finally, if the media multi-tasker is not as far down the purchase cycle to actually be searching for the specific car deals then no doubt they will be researching a number of potential options, this is where a website such as RoadTestReports. co.uk plays a key role in providing a comprehensive car research database, with strong cross promotion to the rest of the Really Good Domains portfolio.

It’s been a year of highs and lows for everyone...

T

he year has been something of a rollercoaster for the whole automotive industry, from the lows of the early part of the year to the scrappage scheme-induced highs of the summer – it’s one we’ll all remember!

But how has the contract hire market faired?

Much like the rest of the industry it’s been an up and down year. We saw Lex pull out of the personal contract hire market, while Lombard vehicle management made the decision to pull out of the broker market completely.

However, like most things, these significant changes to the contract hire industry have led to

opportunities for other businesses to expand in the space left by others – several large funders remain committed.

So, what about the highs of the year? Audi and Volkswagen, traditionally very strong in the sector remain incredibly popular, in fact doing so well that one of the biggest issues surround the stock levels of certain models.

It’s not just the traditional contract hire big hitters that have enjoyed a fruitful year, Citroen during 2009 has paid particular attention to the opportunities available, with the C1, C2, C5 and commercials all performing very well on ContractHireAndLeasing.com.

The make up of businesses operating in the sector has also radically changed throughout 2009, more car dealers are starting to switch on to the potential of the business and personal contract hire market out there. In fact dealer market share is rapidly increasing as they choose to pro-actively sell the metal direct to the customer. No doubt 2010 will continue to see this shift in the market.

ContractHireAndLeasing.com is the backbone to the contract hire and leasing industry in the UK. Hundreds of dealerships enjoy the benefits of advertising to 500,000 monthly users. For more details phone 0161 482 7650

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 57 CarDealerIss22.indd 57

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servicing

in association with the Motor Industry Code of Practice

Codes strengthens its top-table team Two new non-executive directors join the management team at Motor Codes

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otor Codes’ management team has been further strengthened with two new non-exec directors. Car Care Plan CEO Tim Heavisides and Unipart marketing director Wendy Williamson will both help guide Motor Codes’ strategic plans.

They will sit alongside the current three board members: • Alex Murray – former RMI chairman • Paul Willcox – Nissan GB MD • Terry Barcham – Snap-On Tools MD This gives Motor Codes serious high-level direction and expertise, and will help further the independent garage sector’s New Car Codes scheme.

‘I firmly believe in the aims of Motor Codes and am keen to support the effort to raise customer service standards across the industry,’ said Wendy Williamson. ‘The service and repair sector has had a bad name for long enough, and I believe that Motor Codes can turn around an unfair reputation.’

99 per cent of all new models are covered by the New Car Code – and Heavisides said he’s committed to playing a part in making the Service and Repair Code every bit as successful.

‘Delivering maximum customer satisfaction

Board member: Nissan GB boss Paul Wilcox and support is what these Codes are all about, and their success will be hugely beneficial for customer confidence and the reputation of the industry.’

‘The appointment of our two new non-executive directors, both from industry-leading companies, marks another important chapter in the development of Motor Codes,’ said Chris Mason, Motor Codes director.

And this will help ensure 2010 becomes a pivotal year, he added. We look forward to many big new developments from Motor Codes over the next few months!

Why I signed up... Motest Ltd

J

He hasn’t been in the scheme long, but already reports that several surveys have been carried out on his sites.

He passed all these no problem, but did report that each assessor made interesting comments on how procedural workings could be improved. ‘It’s all change for the good, and we can certainly see the benefit,’ he said.

He clearly rates Motor Codes highly: ‘Such a code is necessary.

There should be a standard the

ohn Ball is MD of Motest Ltd, a nine-site independent garage chain in Surrey. All of his garages are subscribed to Motor Codes.

His company has also recently taken on Toyota official service and repair at one of its sites – and, he says, a key part of getting this was previously attaining Motor Codes status.

‘During initial discussions, they mentioned it. This, to me, shows that manufacturers are aware of, and value, the Code,’ said Ball.

public can see garages display, and understand that it will ensure they get good value, workmanship – plus, should there be a problem, a clear route to solve disputes.’

Here, Ball praises in particular the Office of Fair Trading backing Motor Codes has achieved.

Ball is also chairman of the RMI MOT Group, and is clear of the advantages and routes for development it potentially has for all garages. ‘This is long overdue,’ he added.

Cracking the Code Chris Mason, says the Code is vital for what is set to be a tough 2010

C

ustomer confidence, satisfaction and loyalty will play a key role in the performance of service and repair garages in what will be a tough year in 2010.

If a customer has confidence that a service and repair garage will provide honest, fair and friendly service, that garage is far more likely to win new business over a competitor that can’t offer the same reassurance.

Motor Codes garages benefit from the combined support of government, industry, trade bodies and consumer groups, providing motorists with confidence in the business.

Satisfaction comes when the customer’s initial confidence in a service or repair centre is rewarded, this process should then result in allimportant loyalty.

Motor Codes research shows that customers appreciate factors such as jargon-free explanation of work carried out and seeing old parts that have been replaced on their car. The Codes’ website – motorindustrycodes.co.uk – explains to motorists that subscribing garages offer this sort of satisfaction-boosting service.

Taking time to develop customer loyalty paysoff in the long term as it is far more likely that a garage will generate new business through recommendations, win repeat work and be able to up-sell additional services to regular and trusting customers. The Motor Codes website’s MOT and service reminder function builds on loyalty.

Subscribing garages should focus on encouraging customers to complete the ‘Consumer Satisfaction Survey’ as once 25 have been completed their business will receive an official Motor Codes Garage Rating, displayed in the garage’s online profile, that quantifiably displays the business’ qualities to existing and potential customers.

Becoming a Motor Codes garage by signing-up at motorindustrycodes.co.uk will provide you with the opportunity to tell those searching for a garage that your business can provide confidence and satisfaction, and should result in a direct benefit to you – increased custom and all important loyalty.

‘Taking time to develop customer loyalty pays off in the long term.’

Good for customers, good for our industry, good for your business.

58trade_ad190x30a.indd | CarDealerMag.co.uk 1 CarDealerIss22.indd 58

For more information see motorindustrycodes.co.uk

Find out more about the new Service and Repair Code at motorindustrycodes.co.uk

19/12/08 16:58:00

4/12/09 10:39:03

online

...in association with Motoring.co.uk

...in association with Really Good Domains

Don’t gamble on marketing Spending cash on advertising doesn’t have to be a gamble anymore – Motoring.co.uk has devised a new pricing structure that lets you pay when the results start rolling in...

A

t this time of year, companies reflect on their activity to date, and are planning for the next 12 months. Every business plan is a gamble, so what can you do with your marketing spend to stack the odds in your favour?

When you look at above the line media such as print and TV, it takes serious planning to ensure a return on your investment.

There is no guarantee of profitability, and every line you sign up to is a flip of a coin. How do you know the advert in the paper worked? Did the TV advert really send any conversions, or was it ‘just a good weekend’?

It can be the same online too. Classified advertising models take your money upfront, and then you are left to hope that your spend works. The ‘classified’ drug always used to work, and it’s hard to kick the habit. When prices increase, you don’t sell any more cars and get the high of over-achieving on plan, but the thought of doing without the market-leading classified sites is a little scary.

Motoring.co.uk has been working with several manufacturers and large dealer groups to ‘de-risk’ their spend and help them reduce their reliance on the traditional sites. For 2010 we are launching a new ‘pay on results’ pricing structure.

Essentially, this leaves us with the risk, and the dealer with the reward. By paying only for enquiries or website visitors, marketing teams can go ‘cold turkey’ in their own time, and slowly reduce their reliance on the hit and hope classified approach.

Google and the other search engines have used this approach for years, and been incredibly successful at taking market share from newspapers and other print media. It all makes sense when our collective ability to track results online increases over time, allowing dealer groups to rightly become more pro-active and demanding.

Every marketing plan needs a good mix. There is no point doing only one activity to gain results, as the spread of risk is unacceptable, especially in PLC environments. We recommend that you use a clutch of good sites, search engines and offline to ensure a good result for both brand and transactions.

And remember, you don’t have to gamble every time, there are some safe bets out there.

To find out more about this amazing offer get in touch with us using the details below.

You no longer have to gamble with your marketing spend, says Motoring.co.uk

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Call us on 0844 245 1556 WR ¿QG RXW ZK\ (PDLO WUDGH#PRWRULQJ FR XN

'RZQORDG EURFKXUH ZZZ PRWRULQJ FR XN EURFKXUH CarDealerMag.co.uk | 59

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auctions SEAT signs deal to flog cars at FLAG SEAT Approved used car dealers will see their sources of cars bolstered by a new deal with a big auctioneer.

Fleet Auction Group will host 12 closed SEAT auctions, each trading up to 140 cars.

The deal is an expansion of a previous 50:50 contract with Manheim – now, FLAG will host all the auctions at its Coalville HQ. SEAT used car manager David Adrern said it was an impressive performance from FLAG that encouraged the marque to extend the deal: ‘SEAT has had excellent support from FLAG over the past year and the conversion rates and residuals achieved have been exceptional.’

FLAG’s Guy Pearce added: ‘We always achieve a good attendance from around the country, obviating the need for multiple regional sales.’

Auction site on the up Fee-free Auction4cars website attracting 30k visitors a month all looking to bag bargains

WHAT a difference a year makes!

Auction4cars is well on its way to transforming the way in which the trade buys its vehicles. Launched last year by Motorpoint, the fee-free website has sold more than 10,000 of the company’s most sought after The Auction4Cars Burnley team part-exchange vehicles. a five-strong team. With Motorpoint’s The brainchild of the Motorpoint strong following in the East Midlands directors, Auction4Cars was formed and news spreading among the trade, in the summer of 2008. The concept it was quickly selling more than 100 was simple: a trade-only website with cars per week. no auction-fees that allows buyers to ‘The idea behind Auction4Cars was view vehicles from the comfort of their simplicity itself and probably the reason office or home 24/7. why the website has taken off so Auction4Cars was initially launched quickly,’ said Prescott. ‘The price people in October 2008 from Derby by Neil Prescott, group disposals manager, and see is the price they pay – there are no

auction fees to worry about.

‘What’s more, registration is quick and easy. Users simply need to provide an email, username and VAT number. Once they’ve been received, they can bid.’

Buoyed by the success of Derby, Auction4Cars was rolled out to Peterborough at the end of 2008, Newport in spring 2009 and most recently Burnley in summer 2009. Collectively Auction4Cars now sells 300 cars per week and employs 20 people.

‘It’s amazing to see how things have grown over the past year,’ says Neil. ‘From a standing start, we now have more than 3,000 users, including a number of major dealer networks and car supermarkets. The website gets 30,000 visitors per month, and with more than 170 listings at any one time, Auction4Cars is well on the way to becoming the fastest growing auction house in the UK today.’

Peering into the lives of the motor trade...

On The Spot

Name: Shaun Harratt Age: 45 Job: Harratts MD How is your business made up? We’re a family-owned Yorkshire motor group and have just opened our 11th dealership.

We sell Nissan, Renault, Peugeot, Mitsubishi, Volvo and now, for the first time, Honda.

Owned by? Myself and my parents, Derek (chairman) and Stella (financial director).

First job? Car cleaner at Harratts.

What made you get into the car trade? My family.

What was the first car you ever sold? A Morris Marina which I sold for around £175.

It was my first job, I bought it from a trader, had it cleaned and done up, and then I put it into auction in Brighouse, Yorkshire.

I think I made a decent profit.

What would be your best tip for someone starting out in the motor trade? Build good What do you hate? Apart from relationships with manufacturers, doing interviews and having my suppliers, people from finance picture taken, what really winds companies and, of course, with me up is when my staff don’t do customers. the basics. Something as simple Who do you look up to? I like as forgetting to ring back a customer could be the difference to learn from anyone who is successful, regardless of what to closing a sale. job they do or sector they’re in.

Best sales tip? Find out as What is the biggest threat much as possible about the facing car dealers? A lack of person you’re dealing with – investment in your own people really get to know them. and customers.

What car would you buy for What’s your ring tone? No £30,000 and why – and it idea – whatever the standard can’t be one you sell! As a one is on the Apple iPhone. play thing it would have to be a used Porsche 911 Targa, the What is the most expensive best value sports car on the thing you’ve bought after market. your house? Excluding cars, all the alterations to my house.

What car would you buy if money were no object and Finally, what’s your motto in why? A Bentley Continental life and business? Treat others GTC Speed – it’s the ultimate as I expect to be treated. family man’s sports convertible. people. Be that staff, customers or suppliers.

What’s your best ever deal?

I’d been selling cars for only six months when I sold five cars to the same guy in one day. It wasn’t all in one sale either, he returned two or three times the same day and bought something else. He became a very good friend of mine and still is to this day – he must have got a good deal!

How many cars do you sell a month? Around 750.

What do you love about your job? Aside from cars, the

Want to face the Car Dealer questions? It’s not as bad as it sounds. Email james@blackballmedia.co.uk for details

@

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@

automation

Get your processes right In an ever-changing industry ensuring how you track and deal with customers is vital, explains WinWin World

I

n this industry, process is everything.

Staff come and go, manufacturer standards change and update, marketing programmes rebates and bonuses get rethinks and model ranges renew. All the while government red tape, delivery times and even the VAT rate seem to be in a constant state of flux.

Nothing appears to be really stable or dependable. Unfortunately, that can also include your customers who among all this chaos simply ‘wander off’ between the gaps. Most dealers or retailers are too busy or short staffed to maintain a joined up processes for holding on to their customers and prospects in any consistent manner.

Many seem to prefer raising advertising budgets to keep attracting new ones. The old adage that it costs many times more to get a new customer than to keep an existing one could never be more relevant. So what is the dream solution?

Simple lead management that just sells cars; deal management that just makes more profit; an automated process through from handover to a fully tailored after-market experience and on to the next purchase – every contact perfectly timed for maximum effect.

Processes so simple that just about anyone can understand and implement without extensive training or product knowledge. A process underpinned with IT to create accountability and stability.

No re-keying or on-going intervention – everything connected keeping everything alive.

A live, widescreen dashboard showing sales, profit, in fact the whole thing, in real time.

WinWin World can show you how their systems work in a dedicated ‘showroom’ at their HQ

‘The old adage that it costs many times more to get a new customer than to keep an existing one could never be more relevant.’

There are many solutions currently available to our industry and there-in lies another problem, as the best solutions are often provided by specialist niche providers.

Specialists can provide showroom control systems, lead management, deal optimisers, service and MOT contact systems, heath-checking processes, CRM, and so on. All have their own databases, their own training needs, their own fans and reliance on the memories of sometimes transient, ‘multi-hatted’ and busy users. Not the best way to guarantee your customers a complete and consistent joined-up experience.

Your dealer management system provider will argue that they can deliver all of this in one simple, fully connected package. Well, yes, technically that may be true, but in reality dealer management systems are built from an accounting or IT background with screens and functionality designed with this in mind.

They are difficult to train, inflexible and very costly when they charge by the user. How can you get the most out of all of your staff using IT-underpinned processes with an ongoing cost that could spiral as more and more staff members require access to the system?

There are very few (if any) system providers outside of WinWin World that can provide a complete solution to this problem. A solution based around increasing sales and profits. A trip to the WinWin showroom suite can provide all the answers as there is a simulated dealer showroom with the firm’s systems running in real time. Simply call 01442 800039 and book yourself in, with no obligation whatsoever.

When Car Dealer met WinWin World for a demonstration W

inWin World is described as a ‘complete software solution’ to all aspects of running a profitable car dealer. It recently held an open day for dealers to visit its Tring headquarters and check out its systems running in its own ‘car showroom’.

There, customers are quickly able to get a very clear idea of what WinWin do.

The computer-packed, LCD screen-filled

WinWin World’s Nigel Pates

showroom has a bold racing theme, to fit in with the WinWin World ethos of the sales process as a series of ‘laps’.

Rather than being a simple DMS-style offer, WinWin World encompasses all areas of the business – and the showroom reflects this, with separate ‘desks’ for sales, finance and aftersales.

These are colour-coded to match the prominent map on the wall.

The idea is that each computer laptop represents a job and a ‘person’ in the business. It’s thus very easy to get the idea behind the system. MD Nigel Pates says that the diary is chocka with interested parties hot-footing it to Tring for his demonstration. ‘Only here can we fully demonstrate the full capabilities of our systems,’ explained Pates. Car Dealer was very impressed, and you will be too…

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[classifieds] Top car jobs call 01493 721119

TOP CAR RECRUITMENT

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WinITShowroom lead management TrackITDeal optimisation KeepITAwardorwinning CRM

by luck e” “You can win choic y b n i w n a c u yo Call NOW 020 7538 6688 service_and_repair_code_ad:188 X 130 30/7/09 16:20 Page 1 callmenow@winwinworld.co.uk   

www.winwinworld.co.uk

“Building the future the time is now”

If you already do this: honest and fair services open and transparent pricing work completed as agreed invoices that match quoted prices competent and conscientious staff

You would benefit from signing up to this:

The Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair commits garages to an open, fair and responsible way of doing business. It is a voluntary Code that has the backing of the whole of our industry and delivers the benefits of self regulation to garages and their customers. It’s likely your business already meets the standards required by the Code so by subscribing you can easily benefit from being part of an initiative designed to benefit the industry as a whole.

Be part of this industry wide initiative and register now at www.motorindustrycodes.co.uk

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Don’t be left out! Call Car Dealer on (023) 9252 2434

suppliers guide

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A MOTOR TRADE SUPPLIER YOU CAN FIND THE DETAILS OF SELECTED COMPANIES HERE ACCIDENT MANAGEMENT WINN Solicitors T: 0800 917 8177 W: winnsolicitors.com E: solicitors@winn solicitors.com

ACCOUNTANTS Baker Tilly T: 01284 763311 W: bakertilly.co.uk E: ross.bartholomew @bakertilly.co.uk

AUCTIONS Auction4Cars W: auction4cars.com BCA T: 0845 600 6644 W: british-car-auctions.co.uk Paragon Remarketing W: paragonremarketing.com E: Contact@Paragon Remarketing.com

CALL RECORDING VoiceSafe T: 0845 421 5050 W: voicesafe.co.uk E: enquiries@c-a-solutions. co.uk

FINANCE Bridford T: 0844 815 8888 W: Bridford.co.uk E: sales@bridford.co.uk Black Horse Motor Finance T: 02921 386 338 W: Blackhorse.co.uk E: michael.mcpartlin@ blackhorse.co.uk Info: Black Horse is the market leader for point of sale motor finance in the UK and has been supporting the industry for more than half a century. To find out what Black Horse can do for you contact us today.

Car Finance Company T: 0800 023 2440 W: thecarfinance company.co.uk E: Via website Clements Car Credit T: 08444 142100 F: 08444 142200 W: clementscarcredit.com E: tony@clementscar credit.com Info: Motor finance broker for car dealers, prime

W: aawarranty.co.uk E: paul.hanna@ aawarranty.co.uk Info: AA Warranty offers peace of mind to customers, with comprehensive cover for mechanical and electrical breakdown lasting up to three years. Full training is given to ensure you add value to your profile and profits. A range of products are available, including mechanical breakdown, GAP, tyre, Key and MOT insurance. We provide telemarketing, data services and dealer finance.

LATEST ENTRY...

Any Text T: 0845 638 1421 W: anytext.co.uk E: info@anytext.co.uk Info: See listing.

ANY TEXT are the latest firm to be included in our not-to-be-missed guide. It’s the most affordable way to get your company in front of thousands of car dealers every month.

To find out how your company can be included call the number at the top of this page.

and sub-prime.

First Response T: 0115 946 6370 W: frfl.co.uk E: Via website

KEY TRACKING Keytracker T: 0121 559 9000 W: keytracker.com E: sales@keytracker.co.uk

OILS Mobil 1 W: mobil1.com E: Via website

ONLINE ADVERTISING Compucars T: 0845 667 6000 W: compucars.co.uk E: Via website Motors.co.uk T: 0845 265 5502 W: Motors.co.uk E: sales@motors.co.uk Really Good Domains T: 0161 482 7650 W: reallygooddomains.com E: sales@reallygood domains.com Skupenet T: 020 8610 6103 W: skupenet.com E: info@skupenet.com Vansunited.co.uk T: 0845 265 5510 W: Vansunited.co.uk E: sales@ vansunited.co.uk

Online Trading Autotrade-mail.com T: 0870 2000 848 W: autotrade-mail.com E: sales@autotrademail.com Info: The UK’s leading online real time used-car trading network. The fastest place to buy and sell trade prime stock.

The most active site of its type. Over 4,000 dealers subscribe. The professionals choice. Run by dealers for dealers. The original and the best. Call for your FREE two week trial.

PROVENANCE CHECKS HPI T: 01722 435444 W: hpi.co.uk Apply at CarDealerMag.co.uk and register in the fold down corner tab

SOFTWARE Dragon 2000 T: 0845 838 2000 W: Dragon2000.co.uk E: sales@dragon2000.co.uk WinWin World T: 020 7538 6688 W: winwinworld.co.uk E: callmenow@winwin world.co.uk

TEXT SERVICES Any Text T: 0845 638 1421 W: anytext.co.uk E: info@anytext.co.uk Info: Established 1994, AnyText specialises in text SMS

services. Keep your customers informed by text from your PC. Send full vehicle details, including pictures.

MOT reminders, service follow ups. Customer satisfaction surveys. Free account set-up. No minimum billing or monthly charges. Full, free support. Just buy bundles of texts as needed.

TRADE BODIES Motor Industry Code of Practice W: motorindustry codes.co.uk

WEB DESIGN

TRAINING Rapport Training T: 07793 612401 W: rapporttraining.co.uk E: rapporttraining @fsmail.net Info: Specialising in car finance and insurance sales training for managers, owners and sales executives.

Our realistic and interactive approach to the learning experience helps increase both skills and profitability in these key business areas.

VALUATIONS HPI Valuations T: 0845 300 8939 W: hpi.co.uk Apply at CarDealer Mag.co.uk and register in the fold down corner tab

WARRANTY AA Warranty T: 08707 559 614

Warranty Management Services T: 01844 290536 W: warrantymanagement services.co.uk E: sales@warrantymanage mentservices.co.uk Info: Warranty Management Services offer a full range of unique products designed to increase profits. Bespoke programmes to suit your requirements and fit electronically into your sales process. With over 2,000 supporting dealerships throughout the UK, supported by 30 dedicated field managers delivering sales and FSA compliance training.

Autotorq.com T: 020 7384 8501 W: autotorq.com E: enquiries@autotorq.com CDWD T: 0844 880 1630 W: CarDealerWeb Design.co.uk E: info@cardealerweb design.co.uk Info: Fed up paying web designers to do a job you can do yourself?

CDWD can help. We’ve collaborated with HPI to offer a unique product.

Codeweavers T: 0870 443 0888 W: codeweavers.net E: enquiries@code weavers.net G-Forces T: 0845 055 9040 W: digitaldealership.co.uk E: info@gforces.co.uk

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 63 CarDealerIss22.indd 63

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used cars HPI Valuations Top Ten Volkswagen’s California is a hot favourite for MPV lovers

T

he MPV sector is based more on practicality than any other sector. It’s less about turning heads on the road and turning neighbours green with envy, than having enough room for the kids, dog and the kitchen sink.

Volkswagen’s California and Caravelle, plus the Mercedes Viano are the top three when it comes to percentage of original cost new retained. However, they are three of the MPVs most likely to put a strain on your wallet.

In contrast, Ssangyong’s Rodius, the Hyundai i800 and SEAT Alhambra are the top three when judged by monthly depreciation cost. But they all come in favourably when it comes to price, hitting the low end of the MPV market.

For all-round performance the Seat Alhambra, Hyundai i800 and Ssangyong Rodius are the winners, providing that allimportant combination of space and value for money without a huge price tag at new.

The average three-year 60,000-mile forecast for all cars is 32.5 per cent and the sector average is at 27.6 per cent, so only the top eight model ranges are above average. This sector is not the best in terms of value but practicality is the main sell here, so when it comes to MPVs it’s all about function and space.

First signs of frost hitting dealers HPI’s Valuations expert Martin Keighley warns of a hard winter ahead

D

ecember is seeing a decline in used retail demand, leading to small falls in values, particularly on high mileage and less than perfect vehicles. In truth many buyers have lost the enthusiasm and confidence in what’s on offer for the time being, as it becomes increasingly difficult to find good clean examples with sensible mileage.

The rare beast that is ‘ready to retail’ stock continues to make strong money. There is increasing evidence that some traders are prepared to ‘buy work’ as long as they can buy it cheap enough.

In the glow of Christmas the idea of changing their car has dropped off the radar for most consumers. In addition, the spectre of rising unemployment still looms large, while the state of the economy both in the UK and worldwide continues to be a major news story and a worry for many.

Fuel duty is also set for another hike in April 2010, which will see almost everyone cut back on their miles. Added to this, VAT increases return to 17.5 per cent in January, which will stifle the new car market by pushing average prices up by £300-400, not to mention the additional cost of fuel, parts and servicing – hitting consumers where it hurts.

...in association with HPI Valuations

MPV sector Rank

Model

Ranked by residual value % 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Ranked by monthly depreciation cost 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Meanwhile, it looks like the scrappage scheme has peaked. A shortage of the requested new cars, long lead times and the imminent VAT increase have all combined to stall the initial impetus.

All this leaves us asking once again, what impact will all this have on used values in the coming months? The desperate shortage of prime retail stock will ensure that values remain very strong. The rest of the market has suffered from reduced demand, so we can expect a slight drop in values for the rest of December.

Trade activity usually declines during the festive season, but there is still plenty of profit for those who are prepared to adjust and go looking for it. Vehicle condition is vital. There are a lot of scrappy high mileage ex-fleet vehicles about. These are generally a few months older and higher mileage than in previous years and in some remarketing arenas this has led to a fall in average sale values.

So, the big question is what will values do in the new year? Traditionally, used car values would rise four to five per cent in January and two to three per cent in February, but this may be unrealistic in the current climate. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

Models in range

Average new price

Average RV 36(60) £

Average RV 36(60) % Monthly depreciation cost £

Volkswagen California Volkswagen Caravelle Mercedes Viano Hyundai i800 SEAT Alhambra Chrysler Grand Voyager SsangYong Rodius Kia Sedona Mitsubishi Grandis Ford Galaxy

4 14 19 1 4 5 4 5 2 20

£38,925 £31,916 £29,943 £19,830 £21,148 £30,760 £17,620 £21,855 £20,979 £26,135

£16,113 £11,443 £10,141 £6,675 £6,306 £9,025 £5,050 £6,095 £5,775 £7,011

41.4 36.1 34.1 33.7 29.9 29.6 28.8 28.0 27.6 26.8

£634 £569 £550 £365 £412 £604 £349 £438 £422 £531

SsangYong Rodius Hyundai i800 SEAT Alhambra Mitsubishi Grandis SEDONA Peugeot Expert Tepee Volkswagen Sharan Ford Galaxy Peugeot 807 Mercedes Viano

4 1 4 2 5 10 12 20 5 19

£17,620 £19,830 £21,148 £20,979 £21,855 £22,200 £23,382 £26,135 £25,255 £29,943

£5,050 £6,675 £6,306 £5,775 £6,095 £5,868 £5,890 £7,011 £5,635 £10,141

28.8 33.7 29.9 27.6 28.0 26.4 25.2 26.8 22.2 34.1

£349 £365 £412 £422 £438 £454 £486 £531 £545 £550

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...in association with HPI Valuations

Revived market edges towards two million mark

S

MMT figures show November car registrations were up 57.6 per cent on 2008 levels – in line with 2007 sales for the same month.

This has led SMMT chief Paul Everitt to predict the market will exceed 1.975 million units. Could the 2009 UK new car market defy all odds and hit the two million mark?

So far, the 2009 new car market is down 8.8 per cent on 2008 levels, standing at 1,844,063 new car sales for the year-to-date. This is a big improvement on the picture six months ago.

Scrappage once again accounted for more than

a fifth of new car registrations. Everitt admits: ‘The increase in new car registrations in November reflects the positive impact of the Scrappage Incentive Scheme, customers avoiding the VAT increase in January and the very difficult conditions we experienced a year ago.

‘But more needs to be done to ensure momentum is continued into 2010,’ he added.

‘SMMT is urging government to use its Pre-Budget Report to sustain the recovery and generate business confidence by stimulating demand in key parts of the new vehicle market.’

Overall, the new car market has grown for each of the past five months – volumes have risen 11.2 percent, which equates to more than 110,000 units.

Encouragingly, the SMMT points out that ALL sales volumes rose in November. Still, though, superminis and small cars continued to do best.

Interestingly, petrol cars also clocked up a notable sales rise.

Other notable top-10 performances include the BMW 3-Series in fifth place, and the Nissan Qashqai in ninth place. The Oxford-built MINI rounds out the top 10.

SMMT sales data November / year to date

Figures supplied by SMMT

November Marque

Abarth Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Cadillac Chevrolet Chrysler Citroen Corvette Daihatsu Daimler Dodge Fiat Ford Honda Hummer Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Kia Land Rover Lexus Lotus Mazda Mercedes-Benz MG MINI Mitsubishi Nissan Opel Perodua Peugeot Porsche Proton Renault Rover Rover MG Saab SEAT Skoda smart Ssangyong Subaru Suzuki Tata Toyota Vauxhall Volkswagen Volvo Other British Other Imports Total

2009

137 640 43 6,595 44 8,547 10 1,248 168 5,558 0 60 0 183 6,014 22,107 5,447 0 5,634 9 1,467 192 5,369 2,474 370 32 3,762 5,963 37 3,097 1,014 7,214 7 84 7,562 473 50 8,163 0 0 186 2,328 2,841 623 36 265 2,157 0 8,427 15,664 11,911 3,656 81 133 158,082

Year to date (YTD)

% market share

2008

% market share

0.09 0.41 0.08 4.25 0.03 4.76 0.00 0.65 0.15 3.82 0.00 0.06 0.00 0.10 3.89 13.88 2.66 0.00 4.25 0.00 0.78 0.10 3.33 1.53 0.23 0.04 2.01 3.54 0.03 1.85 0.55 4.13 0.11 0.08 0.04 5.37 0.33 0.04 4.99 0.00 0.00 0.20 1.43 2.44 0.34 0.04 0.14 1.22 0.00 4.82 11.46 6.97 2.70 0.07

7 251 39 5,775 68 5,785 4 949 130 4,230 0 146 3 166 2,566 18,562 3,632 7 852 0 972 118 1,571 1,034 378 20 2,600 2,560 87 1,723 362 2,928 0 32 5,854 236 113 3,012 0 0 641 1,597 1,764 453 20 180 686 0 4,443 12,151 9,475 2,014 26 111 100,333

0.01 0.25 0.04 5.76 0.07 5.77 0.00 0.95 0.13 4.22 0.00 0.15 0.00 0.17 2.56 18.50 3.62 0.01 0.85 0.00 0.97 0.12 1.57 1.03 0.38 0.02 2.59 2.55 0.09 1.72 0.36 2.92 0.00 0.03 5.83 0.24 0.11 3.00 0.00 0.00 0.64 1.59 1.76 0.45 0.02 0.18 0.68 0.00 4.43 12.11 9.44 2.01 0.03 0.11

% Change

2009

%market share

2008

%market share

1,857.14 154.98 10.26 14.20 -35.29 47.74 150.00 31.51 29.23 31.39 0.00 -58.90 -100.00 10.24 134.37 19.10 49.97 -100.00 561.27 0.00 50.93 62.71 241.76 139.26 -2.12 60.00 44.69 132.93 -57.47 79.74 180.11 146.38 0.00 162.50 29.18 100.42 -55.75 171.02 0.00 0.00 -70.98 45.77 61.05 37.53 80.00 47.22 214.43 0.00 89.67 28.91 25.71 81.53 211.54 19.82 57.56

1,268 8,468 1,114 86,158 725 90,817 115 17,144 2,499 65,850 36 2,247 17 2,464 54,878 294,637 70,773 46 53,391 41 16,727 2,185 45,779 27,132 7,019 455 43,218 65,593 360 36,007 10,538 71,640 193 580 95,812 4,920 896 57,966 0 0 7,177 27,510 32,375 7,334 762 3,242 26,867 0 96,517 222,920 146,189 31,393 844 1,225 1,844,063

0.07 0.46 0.06 4.67 0.04 4.92 0.01 0.93 0.14 3.57 0.00 0.12 0.00 0.13 2.98 15.98 3.84 0.00 2.90 0.00 0.91 0.12 2.48 1.47 0.38 0.02 2.34 3.56 0.02 1.95 0.57 3.88 0.01 0.03 5.20 0.27 0.05 3.14 0.00 0.00 0.39 1.49 1.76 0.40 0.04 0.18 1.46 0.00 5.23 12.09 7.93 1.70 0.05 0.07

95 5,693 1,518 96,092 1,514 106,767 169 17,643 5,505 77,409 12 4,666 32 3,739 52,267 304,326 80,398 173 26,756 0 19,422 3,887 30,155 31,275 9,716 625 47,692 69,803 123 38,419 15,231 64,399 0 605 113,489 5,731 1,469 86,431 2 3 15,188 28,003 35,447 6,980 593 4,512 24,782 1 101,275 279,854 168,720 31,655 911 1,932 2,023,104

0.00 0.28 0.08 4.75 0.07 5.28 0.01 0.87 0.27 3.83 0.00 0.23 0.00 0.18 2.58 15.04 3.97 0.01 1.32 0.00 0.96 0.19 1.49 1.55 0.48 0.03 2.36 3.45 0.01 1.90 0.75 3.18 0.00 0.03 5.61 0.28 0.07 4.27 0.00 0.00 0.75 1.38 1.75 0.35 0.03 0.22 1.22 0.00 5.01 13.83 8.34 1.56 0.05 0.10

% Change

1,234.74 48.74 -26.61 -10.34 -52.11 -14.94 -31.95 -2.83 -54.60 -14.93 200.00 -51.84 -46.88 -34.10 5.00 -3.18 -11.97 -73.41 99.55 0.00 -13.88 -43.79 51.81 -13.25 -27.76 -27.20 -9.38 -6.03 192.68 -6.28 -30.81 11.24 0.00 -4.13 -15.58 -14.15 -39.01 -32.93 -100.00 -100.00 -52.75 -1.76 -8.67 5.07 28.50 -28.15 8.41 -100.00 -4.70 -20.34 -13.35 -0.83 -7.35 -36.59 -8.85

Get these figures first every month! New car sales figures revealed at CarDealerMag.co.uk on the fourth working day of every month.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 65 CarDealerIss22.indd 65

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tail light

Sub-Prime Time W

e’re entering a new decade, and I think we’re also entering a very different market to the one that’s prevailed for the majority of the first 10 years of this century. So the question is: Are you ready for it?

In June of this year I wrote an article which stated that we were seeing the ‘start of the end’ and not the ‘end of the start’ of this recession and while I could see an end in sight, I believed it would be mid-2010 before we could truly say that the credit crunch had ended.

It’s six months on, and my views haven’t changed about when we’ll see an end and what the upside opportunities will be. But to maximise these opportunities, you need to be prepared.

As many of you know, I’m preparing my business for the huge increase in the non-standard population that is occurring; having agreed terms on a new building and having already started taking on new staff.

I need to do this now so our new people are well trained and prepared just ahead of when our opportunity will really start to take off. This year our volumes are fairly similar to last year because you don’t lend strongly going into a recession but you can coming out.

The non-standard population has already grown beyond 30 per cent of the adult population, and I think this is likely to get closer to 40 per cent over the next couple of years. Putting it bluntly, at least one-in-three of your future customer prospects will not be able to get prime finance.

If you want to service this population (and I strongly suggest you create sales strategies that include 30 to 40 per cent of the population!) you’ll need to make these customers feel comfortable in the way they are being dealt with and confident that they can buy one of your cars.

‘Handle these new non-standard customers with care and respect and you’re likely get a satisfied customer, positive sale and a strong future prospect.’

Of course there are many areas to consider to ensure that you capture your piece of the non-standard market including stock, sales processes, finance provider relationships, marketing, etc. But if you prepare for and handle these ‘new’ non-standard customers with care and respect, you’re likely to get a very satisfied customer, a positive sale and a strong future prospect.

I know that a number of dealers have actively avoided non-standard business in the past but I want dealers to consider my market and get ready now for the opportunities ahead.

The best way to do this is to start working with a decent non-standard finance provider and find out what works for you, for them and for your local market. So I’d say there’s six months before we’ll start to see a significant uplift in business volumes, and that’s six months of preparation, learning, and relationship building for those dealers who want to service a significant portion of our country’s population in the decade ahead.

is chief executive officer of First Response Finance. For Who is Don Brough? Don more information visit www.frfl.co.uk or call 0115 946 6370

CarDealer.

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Car Dealer is published Contributors

by Blackball Media Chris Jervis, Mike Askew (not Ltd (Company No 6473855) and printed Big Mike!), Dave Timmis,

by Warners. All rights reserved. Conditions of Simon Evans, Will Baggott and sale and supply include the fact Car Dealer shall not, without our consent, be lent, resold, hired Neill Watson out or otherwise disposed of in a mutilated way or in any unauthorised cover by way of trade or Commercial Manager Thanks to... affixed to or as any part of a publication or advertising, literary or pictorial matter whatsoever.

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66 | CarDealerMag.co.uk CarDealerIss22.indd 66

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0115 946 6370

Many Happy Returns 17% of our business comes from returning customers – and we always encourage people to visit the same dealer for their next vehicle (or point them towards a supporting dealer from our network).

To help your business benefit from our many returning customers, join our dealer network by calling 0115 946 6370 today.

First Response Finance Limited, Chetwynd Business Park, 5 Regan Way, Chilwell, Nottingham NG9 6RZ

CarDealerIss22.indd 67

4/12/09 10:39:15

$ATABASE #LEANSING 3TAY CLOSE TO YOUR CUSTOMERS

*2+ & # (4'' @S@A@RD *D@KS VHKK HC GBGDB DMSHEX J @QD@R XNT BN VGDQD TKC AD

S G Q N VHMF LNMDX @V@X )S YOUR MARKETING ACTIVITY COSTING YOU MORE THAN IT SHOULD )F YOU ARE MAILING CUSTOMERS 7HO HAVE CHANGED THEIR VEHICLE 7HO HAVE PASSED AWAY 4HAT NO LONGER LIVE AT THE ADDRESS YOU HAVE FOR THEM 4HAT APPEAR MORE THAN ONCE ON YOUR DATABASE

4HE ANSWER IS 9%3

#ALL TO ARRANGE YOUR &2%% (0) $ATABASE (EALTHCHECK #UT OUT UNNECESSARY WASTAGE FROM YOUR SALES CAMPAIGNS #ALLS WILL BE CHARGED AT LOCAL RATE AND MAY BE RECORDED AND OR MONITORED (0) AND THE (0) LOGO ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF (0) ,IMITED (0) IS A 3OLERA COMPANY % /% (0) PURSUES A POLICY OF CONTINUOUS PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT 0RODUCTS SPECIFICATION AND PRICING MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE #$?$#!$?

CarDealerIss22.indd 68

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