Graham Hill's Newsletter

& Deal Of The Week For Readers Of IFA Bonus!

Important!  We have the first of our executive cars this year on a great deal. At close to half the rate I was quoting at the end of last year this amazing BMW flagship is fantastic value for money with some great features on it. The car now has improved fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are now down to 178 g/km. The car in question is the BMW 730d SE 4Dr Saloon auto. I had one myself before the facelift and whilst it was an amazing car it has a couple of niggles which have happily been resolved. What Car says the car is 'technologically advanced, beautifully made, fully equipped and spacious' it goes on to say that the car has the lowest CO2 emission and best economy in its class. So there you have it. As I always point out I'm not sure how long this deal will last so don't hang about get your finance application in immediately. Unfortunately this deal is only available to business users but it includes self employed, partnerships and limited companies. If your budget supports it make the most of this deal - you won't regret it!

BMW 730d SE 4Door Auto + Metallic Paint

Business Contract Hire Only

Based on 3Years(3+35), 10,000 miles per annum and do not include maintenance

730d SE Auto                                     £599 + VAT per month

Please Note:

You keep the car for the full term. You pay an initial payment equivalent to three times the monthly payment followed by a monthly payment for each month to the end of the term, all figures are plus VAT. If you would like to fund the car personally or you are not VAT registered simply add the VAT to the monthly figure. If you exceed the contracted mileage you will pay an excess mileage charge at the end of the agreement.

Other mileages are available if you feel you will cover more than 10,000 miles per annum.

We still have available:

Citroen C3 1.1i First 5Dr Manual in White or Metallic

Metallic                                      £155 + VAT per month

THE IMPORTANT STUFF

From the 1^st April 2010 the new showroom tax is being introduced to severely penalise the most polluting cars. In addition the annual road fund licence (tax) increases also. In essence the showroom tax includes the first year’s road fund licence. The bandings run from A to M with A representing cars with CO2 emissions of less than 100 g/km with M representing cars emitting 265 g/km or more. For vehicles emitting 256 or more g/km of CO2 (the top band) the showroom tax added to the price of the car is £950 with the annual road fund licence thereafter increasing to £435 per annum. At the very low end the showroom tax is free as is the road fund licence thereafter. As a result of the changes many manufacturers are continuing any promotions until the end of March by which time all vehicles must be delivered. New rates will then be announced with effect from the 1^st April to take account of the showroom tax and future road fund licence. But beware, if you are considering a low emission car and feel that you would benefit by holding on to wait for a reduced road fund licence to take effect on the monthly rate, you may be in for a surprise as manufacturers move their bonuses around and into the larger, less fuel efficient, cars in order to soften the blow of the showroom tax and subsequent years’ road fund licence. My continuing advice remains: if you see a car that looks good value and it fits your budget then go for it – you may regret taking no immediate action.

According to tyre provider, Protyre, pothole damage is increasing whilst local authorities are unwilling to carry out repair work until the bad weather is over, for fear that any work done now will be wasted if the cold weather continues and re-pops out the filler. Protyre suggest that 300 new potholes are being identified in Britain every day with hundreds of pounds of damage being caused to tyres and suspension. Duncan McClure Fisher, MD at potholes.co.uk said ‘We know that the average repair cost to axle and suspension damage, caused by hitting a pothole, is £360’. Due to the high level of snow falling in February there has been a 40% increase in potholes and a 250% increase in insurance claims made as a result of the hazards according to the AA.

Toyota finally looks as though it is seeing some light at the end of the tunnel after what must have been the worst start to a year in its history. So far this year 188,500 cars have been recalled, the majority of which require replacements to their accelerator linkages (180,000) and 8,500 Prius require modifications to their braking systems. The accelerator linkage repairs take about 30 minutes to complete. Whilst Toyota were slow to react to the original problems their speed and honesty to correct cars has earned them brownie points with retail buyers as well as fleet managers. Whilst Toyotas are off the list of car options offered by many companies to their company car drivers most see this as temporary not permanent. Toyota have long had a reputation of reliability and will be working incredibly hard to repair that reputation. Toyota repair centres are virtually working round the clock to have all repairs completed within their target of 8 weeks. Many believe that the dissatisfaction will disappear quickly once all the cars have been modified although there are others that believe that there has been some long term damage caused but only time will tell who was right.

Whilst the number of new cars fitted with Electronic Stability Control (ESC), also known as Electronic Stability Program (ESP), is increasing, following a push by inventors Bosch and the Association of Car Fleet Operators (ACFO), to inform car buyers of the benefits, more private buyers are having the safety device fitted than fleet buyers. Department for Transport research suggests ESC equipped vehicles are 25% less likely to be involved in a fatal crash than those without the technology. EU rules state that from November 2011 all new cars and vans must have ESC as an option and must be compulsory from November 2014 so business users must take it seriously given the higher mileages covered by business vehicles than private. By selecting only vehicles with ESC the manufacturers will be forced to ensure that they bring their fitting of ESC as standard forward. If you value safety and you are changing your car soon look for ESC or ESP, it saves more lives than ABS.

The new car market is in total confusion. As the extended scrappage scheme finally comes to an end I have predicted that the manufacturers will turn their attention to the fleet market and offer incentives to fleet buyers and leasing companies. Unfortunately experts don’t share my optimism, they feel that manufacturers will still be cautious and unlikely to offer more incentives than are already available with increased registrations expected to come from the daily rental market. With an expected increase in demand this year, as a result of the anticipated improved economy and extended leases coming to an end, it is unlikely that manufacturers won’t see the opportunity to improve upon market share and improve incentives. Time will tell but in the meantime we must take account of the suggestions by the experts and if you see a great deal take it. It may not return.

There has been an increase in the number of employees who have either opted for cash for cars or been expected to use their own cars for business in exchange for a cash payment. Either way there is a responsibility on the employer to ensure that the vehicle is roadworthy and properly maintained as well as properly insured for business use. There is a grey area for employers who, in the event of an accident, in which an employee is involved whilst on business, could end up being sued. In order to cover this exposure and ensure that employees are properly covered for business use employers can now take out an Occasional Business Use (OBU) Insurance policy. This covers any corporate liability arising from private car drivers being involved in an at work accident. OBU is useful if the third party pursues a claim against both driver and employer, especially if problems surface with the driver’s own insurance. Many insurers provide an OBU policy including Axa Insurance. If you are an employer and have employees driving their own cars on company business it would be very wise to consider OBU insurance.

From the middle of 2011 all new cars must have tyre pressure monitor systems fitted as standard. No clear indication has been given as to what the systems must consist of but currently there are systems that monitor each individual tyre with a display showing any drop in pressure down to the most basic which sounds a warning buzzer if the tyre pressure drops on any individual tyre, you then have to check them all – not a bad thing! Of course this will add a cost to the car but it could help to save fuel and even a life.

If you would like more information, a quote on a higher annual mileage 

or finance application form please contact me on:

ifabonus@ghafinance.co.uk

Telephone: 01444 235132

Do you understand all there is to know about car finance?

Is a personal loan better than HP?

Do you know where to find the cheapest guaranteed used cars?

Why can leasing a new car be cheaper than owning a used car?

Answers to these questions and many more are in my ebook:

Click the book title to link to the sales page

Thank you for your time, I look forward to hearing from you soon. Oh and feel free to 'forward to a friend'.

Sincerely,

Graham Hill

01444 235132

P.S. If you would also like some free car finance training videos and a guide to avoiding identity fraud, click here: www.videotrainingonthenet.com