UNDERSTANDING THE UK CAR MARKET - Traditionally, purchasing a
new car in the UK has always been an expensive pursuit.
Manufacturers have been able to restrict the means by which we
buy new cars in the UK - they have been able to dictate who can
sell a particular brand of car to you and where they can be
sold. While in recent times the prices of new cars in the UK
have been falling, they remain well above those in other
European countries - this means that it’s possible to save a lot
of money on cars if you’re prepared to do some research and buy
your car from a source outside the UK. This may seem like a
hassle, but with several thousands of pounds to save it can
prove to be more than worthwhile - and if you have a thing for
travelling then buying from abroad can help satisfy your
wanderlust while saving money on your new vehicle.

WAYS OF CUTTING THE COST OF YOUR NEW CAR - As we saw above, we
can really save some cash by purchasing our new car from Europe
- an option that we’ll investigate in more detail shortly.
However, first we’ll take a look at ways to cut the cost of your
new car within the UK itself. Research - Approach the purchase
of your new car as you would if it were a home. If you were
going to buy a new home you would probably consider several
different ones, perhaps in different areas before making your
choice. Similarly, you may have a preferred make and model but
do not stop yourself from considering other models. If you are
on a budget ask yourself what t is that you’re looking for from
your auto - is space important because you have a family?
Whatever your requirements write them down and then list all the
makes & models that fit your criteria. You’ll probably notice
that there may be savings of a couple of thousand between 2
different cars that both fit your requirements. When researching
which is the cheapest & best possible option for you, this
process of identifying close substitutes to your preferred
choice is vital. You will need to investigate the car’s
“platform”, compare to its rivals and then make a choice based
on this. So what do we mean by looking at the cars “platform”?
Simply a platform is the very basic structure upon which the car
is structured - the core upon which the fittings and body are
structured. Many different cars are actually derived from the
same platform. For example Ford uses the Mondeo and Fiesta
platforms to produce a wide variety of individual cars from the
Puma to the Probe and much more. So lets say you really like the
look of the Ford Galaxy - you should then investigate other
similar cars built on the same platform. Once you have done this
look at the offerings of your rivals - get hold of some car
magazines and see which cars are listed next to your preferred
choice. There may be some big price differences that you can
expose to your advantage. Tip - Avoid paying high prices for
“special editions” - this is rarely little more than different
seat covers or some other small changes. What you’re actually
paying for here is the “exclusive” factor. Buy An “Ex Fleet” Car
And Make Some Serious Savings - The Ex Fleet market in the UK is
huge and certainly worth considering if you wish to make some
significant savings. Ex fleet cars are commonly sold at
http://www.global-ebooks.com/UKGovAuctions.htm , car
supermarkets, and used car dealerships. Typically, the mass
sellers such as Ford, Vauxhall, Nissan, Peugeot and others all
sell to the ex fleet market. Buy A Pre Registered Car & Save
Money - Pre registered cars are classed as “sold” by
manufacturers, mostly to make their sales figures look better.
Usually the cars have only a few miles on the clock but because
they are classed as “second hand” they tend to be much lower in
price. In effect you will enjoy a car that is practically new at
a seriously reduced cost. Franchise dealerships and car
supermarkets are the places to find these gems. A lot of pre
registered cars also come with a manufacturers warranty which
makes the deal all the more sweet. Buy A Car From A UK Auction -
Thousands of cars are sold at very low prices through auctions
that are held in the UK. This includes liquidation sales for
companies that have gone bust as well as government held
auctions where all kinds of items including cars are sold off at
very low prices. For more details on auctions try the
http://www.global-ebooks.com/UKGovAuctions.htm

CUTTING THE COST OF CARS BY PURCHASING OVERSEAS – Importing cars
from overseas has never been a more viable option - and it’s a
great way of saving a lot of money on a brand new car without
having to compromise on features or status. It’s possible to
either do this yourself or use an agent. Using an agent does
cost slightly more of course but is a good option if you can’t
spare the time to actually go abroad yourself. DIY Importing -
There are several factors you need to consider if you wish to
import a car yourself - for a start you need to ensure the car
you purchase fits British specification. Finding a dealer that
will sell to you can also be an issue though this is less of a
problem than it used to be. Some Factors To Consider - Remember
that you’ll need to factor in a longer delivery time for your
purchase. The deposits required from European dealers also tend
to be much higher than in the UK (up to 30%) and be wary of
foreign exchange fluctuations in currency that can alter the
final price of your car. You will also have to insure the car
for delivery to the UK - phone some UK insurers or the
dealership itself and see what your options are. A survey of
http://europa.eu.int/comm/competition/car_sector/can be very
useful and this site also links to various manufacturers that
will sell directly to the UK. Using An Agent - Agents that
specialise in providing discounts for UK buyers are becoming
more and more common. Typically these services will tailor the
extent of service you require - from giving you a list of
foreign names to actually handling all the paperwork & delivery
of the car. Try the following sites that offer discounted cars:
http://www.broadspeed.com/ http://www.broadspeed.com/
http://www.virgincars.com/default.asp http://www.jamjar.com/
Shop around to see where you can get the lowest agency fees
although they do tend to be fairly static.

More Tips, Tricks, Strategies, Contacts & Websites - We’ll now
look at other ways that you can try and hunt down some auto
bargains. Lets start off with car supermarkets - these are
absolutely huge dealerships, generally located at motorway
junctions outside major cities. These supermarkets have huge
amounts of stock and operate on wafer thin margins which means
you can save a significant amount by shopping about a little. A
list of good car supermarkets is given below:
http://www.autolink.co.uk/ http://www.carland.co.uk/
http://www.gtccar.co.uk/ http://www.motornation.co.uk/
http://www.motorpoint.co.uk/ http://www.trade-sales.co.uk/ Car
supermarkets sell both pre-registered and ex fleet cars so the
chances of hunting down a bargain are fairly good, particularly
for more mainstream brands such as Ford and Vauxhall. Remember
in the car industry a lot of premium goes toward the badge that
a car has - so if you’re not too fussed about the make you can
save thousands of pounds simply by taking advantage of this. The
other thing about car supermarkets is that unlike dealerships
there is very little pressure or badgering from salespeople.
Niche Operators - The second hand car market has plenty of niche
operators - smaller lots who specialise in selling very cheap
cars for example. If you have a good knowledge on cars you can
probably pick up a bargain by going to various niche operators.
Buying Online - Purchasing online is becoming increasingly
popular although some would argue that buying an auto online is
only for the very brave-hearted. Along with online options we
have already talked about (such as Jamjar, Virgin etc) there are
other online sources to buy from including
http://www.autobytel.com/ and http://www.autotrader.co.uk/ . The
car market is certainly more open and competitive now than it
has ever been. As the internet and online options to buy
continues to grow so will your chances to purchase your dream
car for less. As always, being prepared and doing research will
go a long way toward getting the car you want at a much lower
price. Find hundreds of dirt cheap car wholesalers & government
auctions at http://www.my-online-powerpack.com Subscribe to my
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