Banger for your bucks...

In addition to the hordes of three year old Ford Foci (is this the correct pluralisation of a Focus?!), German machinery and other fine motoring specimens that you find on http://www.theinternetcarlot.co.uk/, there is another - dare I say it - almost dirtier side to our business.

Before you ask, nothing illegal, nothing sinister and certainly nothing that would involve a visit from those splendid civil servants at HMRC.

I am talking about the world of the 'banger'. To me, a 'banger' can be defined as a car which may be old or mechanically infirm but is definitely cheap.


We generate many cars in part exchange which fall into one if not all three of those categories. In order to maintain good relationships with franchised dealerships, we also take many of their cheaper cuts. Think of us as a Hilton hotel with a youth hostel in the basement.


These make there way either to http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/internet-carlot/ or through a 'spares/repair' advertisement on Autotrader.

Many dealers do not relish getting involved in this end of the car market but I - as has been said by many - am different to the rest.

My affinity to the banger started in 1998 when I joined the trade. As a reward (sic) for working many long hours, the sales manager agreed to let me use whatever delightful beasts we had lying around the back instead of using my own car.

One of my best mates Alec was already into this form of car buying. Recently he bought a 1985 BMW 316i for £800 from a man called Cheeki who lived in Wembley. The two hour journey to go ten miles on various TFL services meant he was somewhat committed to the purchase before he arrived. On the test drive Alec noticed that the speedo was not working. 'Cheeki', he said, 'how do you know how fast you are going?' Alec enquired, 'I imagine.' Cheeki replied casually...


I drove some serious sheds that summer including a Rover 820i that broke down as I put it back in the compound to such an extent that it had to be scrapped the next day, but none of them let me down......significantly.......or at least at rush hour.


When I worked at BMW, I often left my company car behind so that I could drive the 30 miles home in one of our part exchanges. You could say it was like choosing the Golden Girls over Girls Aloud.

The difference between then and now is that the bangers are ours and as a result I get more pleasure from the experience.

Yesterday I bought a 1998 (R) Mercedes C220CDi estate in doom blue (read 'the money of colour' post for a description) with dark blue cloth. It has only done 203,000 miles and is as square as Gordon Brown. OK, so an atomic cloud appears every time the old girl fires up but when she is running she purrs like a kitten.....with asthma. OK, when we are driving the dash is lit up like Oxford Street at Christmas but none of those warning lights are severe enough to worry about. It would be bad form to disclose how much I paid for her but suffice to say in true motor trade fashion it involved a small hairy primate.

Searching for the perfect banger is like searching for the perfect partner. You have many bad dates but keep coming back for more. To push this woeful metaphor to the dangerous edge, you could describe me as having Mormon-esque values when it comes to bangers.

The banger allows you to scratch any motoring itch. £1000 can buy an old MR2, a classic (although no doubt rusty as an anchor) Mini or an old Landie, the list is endless.

So am I here advocating that everyone should save their hard earned money and go and buy a banger?

No and not just because I sell some more expensive cars.

The banger can be a fickle friend.

Many are the time I have been stood up in a pub with a pint in my hand by a banger. Many are the times I have lent the banger some money only for the banger to disappear. Many are the times I have gone on holiday with a banger and we have fallen out.

You get the picture.

I am a great friend though and cannot help coming back for more.....

Jamie

Remember remember to buy in November

Sometimes you cannot help when you need to change your car.

The sight of people stranded by the roadside with their arms folded staring demonically at a hazard light flashing car is not uncommon.

Exasperation leads to the purchase of a new car. Ironically in most cases it follows a large bill to fix the catalytic problem which in our experience rarely manifests itself again but once that seed has been sown it is very hard to ignore.

There is also the circumstantial need. A lady with a bump, a set of L plates and a puppy are all welcome sights at any car dealership as these are sure signs of a new car requirement.

Emotional factors conspire to drive (excuse the tacky pun) other people to a car change. I once sold a Rover 216i cabriolet to a couple on a glorious Sunday morning. Not unusual in itself but the fact they were wearing paint splattered overalls, had a car full of paint and the fact our dealership was next to Homebase suggested it may have been something of an impulse purchase.

Some people however have the steely resolve to look for a car when they feel the market is ripe for the best deal.

It was often considered that the best time to buy a car (new or used) was in August when dealers were chasing new car targets and many more used vehicles hit the market. The motor trade forced a change eight years ago to March and September plate changes so the significance of these dates has been reduced.

I now believe November is the best month to buy a used car specifically. Why?

Primarily it seems the retail public hide away in November. The looming expense and lack of holiday before Christmas has a massive impact.

The seasonal change of reduced daylight and colder weekends can also affect the psychological prospect of going to examine used cars.

The supply of used cars increases as many large fleet operators and dealer groups try to reduce stocking levels before year end so the disposal process starts in November.

Manufacturers are starting to review their year activities and pressure is applied to their dealers to hit targets which has a knock on affect to their used car buying activity.

All of these factors outlined above conspire to force an abnormally higher reduction to both wholesale and retail prices alike.

Be warned though, mid December normally heralds a return for car buyers as they reconcile their Christmas expenditure with the purchase of a new car.

Many savvy dealers are also very active with purchasing as they aim to counter the strong wholesale prices often seen in January so supply can dwindle.

Jamie