BMW M3 and M5

The BMW M3 and M5 are true sports cars in the guise on something slightly more practical than a coupe or convertible thus their popularity. A day to day car that is sporty, fast and makes it’s mark but can carry more than two people and some luggage, We’ve seen a rush in people looking to buy a BMW M3 or BMW M5.

With less and less used stock in the market than ever, these cars are going thick and fast and once they hit a forecourt they aren’t around that long. Unless you know where to look!

The toughest to find our sub 24 month old cars with low mileage, typically these cars are kept for longer either by outright buyers or on 3 or 4 leases from contract hire companies.

Filed under: BMW, General Buyers Advice

Left Hand Drive Savings

Ever thought about driving a left hand drive car? Well you probably have driven one on holiday, what about owning one and driving it in the UK? Many people would turn their nose up at doing this but stop and think…. why?

Ok the steering wheel and gear stick are on the other side but it’s the same technology, engineering and quality built by the same people, warranty’s remain the same and parts are the same parts but you just sit on the other site of the car.

So interested in buying a left hand drive car? Well you should be, you can save thousands and thousands if you buy a left hand drive car. At Insignis we have developed a great new left hand drive import service, so if you’re looking for a left hand drive vehicle give us a call.

Filed under: General Buyers Advice, Land Rover

Buying from Auction

The buzz of the auction is unparalleled, the busy hustle and bustle, the anticipation, auction fever and a mecca to cars and car buying but it’s also a hazard for those that are unsure what they’re doing or what they’re looking for.

We regularly talk to customers who ask whether or not they should look to buy a car from an auction. They have seen the cars in a catalogue and believe it could be a route to a very cheap car and yes in principle you would enjoy a saving on a forecourt price or private sale however there are certain things you should be aware of.

You have to be careful what you bid on and buy you can’t test drive the car more often than not you can’t turn the engine on until you hear it pull into the auction area. You can’t get in the car either. All you can do is walk round it prior to the sale.

The trade accept this and are also experts in buying cars and looking for faults, spotting bad paint work and just hearing a mechanical problem.

You should consider using a car sourcing company just to cover this liability, there is no comebacks, no consumer credit act and most of all that few thousand pound saving can soon become a loss when you add replacement parts or panels on a luxury car.

Filed under: General Buyers Advice

Find a Luxury Car?

When it come to buying a luxury car there the most important thing to do is do your homework. This is critical, you are about to buy one of the most expensive items you own after your house and it is also your dream car and you don’t want any bitter realities to hit home.

Buying a prestige car needs time and plenty of questions, it’s got to be right or it could disappointing and costly. Our top tips would be:

1. Inspect the car or have the car inspected thoroughly, mechanically and cosmetically. Take nothing to chance.
2. Ensure the car has been MOT’d within 6 months and serviced by specialist dealers. Check the service agents out.
3. Track ownership where you can, find out who had it and what it was used for as best you can.
4. Contact the registering dealer to make sure they did register it.
5. Carry out HPI clearance checks for finance interests, write off details and police alerts.

Apply these rules along with the normal rules of buying a car and you will be well on your way to having a great car prestige car on your drive way.

Filed under: General Buyers Advice

Time to buy a luxury car?

The credit crunch has done no favours for anyone and the automotive sector has suffered more so than any other industry. High value goods are the last thing on any person or businesses list. However, the surge in used car purchases coupled with reductions in late plate cars has seen the used car valuation crash of the end of 2008 has been replaced with rising used car values as we see a growing drought of second hand cars.

However, this has still not been felt at the prestige and luxury ends of the market. People still find it difficult to spend £60000 plus on a specialist car given the current climate and as such there is a growing number of used prestige luxury cars in the market as people try to liquidate the assets.

Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, Bentley, Maserati and Ferrari have seen a growing used market and consumers can grab a bargain. This is the best time to buy a car like this, they’re cheaper than ever for example a £75000 Bentley can now be bought for £10000 less! A stunning saving.

And it won’t be long before prices return again. As new sales continue to reduce and used sales grow and the recession subsides people will want their luxury prestige sports cars. We predict it’s only 6 to 9 months away!!

Filed under: General Buyers Advice, Motoring Issues

The best way to buy a Mercedes!

Here at Insignis Cars we love to find all those great little ways that the prestige car buyer can get the car that they want for the best money possible. Mercedes is a brand we all know and love and in these modern times where you have Mercedes Car Leasing and plenty of nearly new product alternatives to cash hungry brand new car purchases are a thing of the past.

Put simply you can get a Mercedes CLC from £249.00 plus VAT on a 2 year contract hire. You can find a 9 month old Mercedes E Class in dealer stock that has lost the worst of its depreciation already. But the real gems in our eyes are some of the convertible, coupes and sports cars within the Mercedes range. There is some great 18 to 24 month old Used Mercedes cars out there. Owning a CLK or SLK for example you can pick up with very very low mileage, sub 20000 miles in fact for very sensible money. Well worth looking out for.

In our mind it’s well worth buying a used Mercedes Benz like this, it’s great value and you don’t have the massive cash outlay or have to suffer the depreciative hit in the first 12 months!!

Buy Used Mercedes Cars >>

Find me a Mercedes Car >>

Mercedes Car Leasing Deals >>

Filed under: General Buyers Advice, Leasing and Contract Hire, Mercedes

BMW: A Sound Investment

BMW has some of the strongest residual values in the market making a dream car for many owners when it comes to not losing a fortune throughout their life when compared to similar Mercedes products. When it comes to a great saloon car the BMW 3 Series saloon can be picked up at great price at 3 or 4 years old.

For example we recently sourced a BMW 320D SE for a customer for £14500 with 35000 miles on the clock. The car was an 06 plate and in all likelihood in another 2 years time with a further 20000 miles on the clock it will still have a retail value of £10000 to £11000. Not bad for £188 a month worth of depreciation!

So for very little investment over the whole life of your ownership you have a premium prestige car, incredibly reliable German engineering, warranties in tact and the overall enjoyment of running a BMW.

Filed under: BMW, General Buyers Advice

What is my car worth?

The credit crunch has hit and the economic crisis is worsening! Well believe the media hype or not there has been a distinct impact on the worldwide automotive market. Unfortunately there we have suffered from an initial impact of pending recession by certain trade pricing companies exacting a negative impact of used car values.

The fact of the matter is, this does not only have an unnecessary impact on used car pricing but also wipes £1000′s off of dealers balance sheets. On the more positive side, money is cheap to borrow again if you can get it and from a simple cost of asset point of view – a used car is much better news than a new one.

So what is your car worth or what should you being paying? The reality is that a lot of the guides are out of bed and valuing outside of what is actually happening in the market. Good used cars are fewer and further between mainly because people are replacing their pending new car purchase with a new used car.

So when you hear about Bentley‘s and Aston Martin’s dropping tens of thousands of pounds – take heart – no one is buying new ones at the moment so in 12 month to 24 months time there will be less in the market and your car will sell at premium.

Want to know what your car is really worth or advice on when to sell, why not email us at info@prestige-car-sales.com

Filed under: General Buyers Advice, Motoring Issues

Can I Claim back the VAT on my lease car?

This is a question that often confuses many but really the answer could not be made simpler. Despite although complicated “Accountant” speak websites out there it works like this:

If the vehicle is 100% for the purpose of business use, you can claim 100% of the VAT back on your monthly rental.

If the vehicle is subject any private use you can claim 50% of your VAT back on your monthly rental.

If you are charged any additional services such as maintenance you can claim 100% of the VAT in both instances.

 

To find out more about lease deals click here.

Filed under: General Buyers Advice, Leasing and Contract Hire

Weak Pound makes for bargain cars for Europe…

With the British pound as weak as it is as the moment UK cars and vans make a seriously attractive propostion to our Euro wielding neighbours. Ok you need to be able to put up with a right hand drive car but the potential savings are massive. In the last 4 of 5 months alone interest from Southern Irish buyers has grown massively and in a difficult car sales market being able to buy a car either cheaper or at a price advantage is a major plus point for both private buyers and the trade.

In simple terms you can really feel the benefit in buying prestige product. The higher price tag means that the savings are greater in percentage terms particularly in the smaller EU countries. There has been a marked increase from the spanish islands and Malta to name but a few and especially Cyrus, who drive right hand drive cars are reaping the benefits.

Filed under: General Buyers Advice, Motoring Issues