Women car buyers know what they want!

A new survey from BMW Financial Services has discovered that, when it comes to car buyers, it's women who know what they want!

 

The research showed that;

 

• 71% of women say they don’t choose a car to impress anyone but themselves and only two in ten take their partner’s opinion into account
• 69% of women aren’t afraid to haggle when buying a car

• 31% of women are happy to rent-to-own a car
• Over a third of women would like to be able to change cars or trade up more regularly

 

Women also have a different attitude to their male counterparts when it comes to car finance, with a third admitting to taking at least two days to make the choice over a payment package for the vehicle.

 

The survey also found that women, as a car buyer, are more open to making joint decisions for both the car itself  (50%) and car finance (53%), while men in particular, like to choose entirely independently.

 

The research also reveals that a third of British women drivers are happy to rent-to-own their car, which mirrors the recent uptake in car finance sales.

 

Joe Pattinson, General Manager Sales and Marketing at BMW Financial Services commented, “Finance is the car purchasing model for the future. As women adopt the rent-to-own approach as the more sensible decision, this is less of an indication of the economic climate and more a long term purchasing trend that is here to stay.

Blackadder star cheats death forllowing 'super car' smash

Actor Rowan Atkinson has cheated death following a crash in his high-powered McLaren F1 supercar in Cambridgeshire.

The Blackadder and Mr Bean star is believed to have lost control of the £650,000 vehicle which spun off the road and hit a tree before catching fire.

The 56-year-old walked away from the wreckage and was looked after by another motorist until emergency services arrived at the scene.

Firemen tackled the blaze and an ambulance crew took him to nearby Peterborough hospital where he was treated for a shoulder injury.

A spokeswoman for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Crews brought the fire under control by 8.13pm. They made the vehicle safe and used one hose reel to put out the fire.

"There was one casualty but he was not trapped."

Atkinson is renowned for his passion for fast cars has written numerous articles about different vehicles for specialist car magazines.
As someone who regularly likes to buy and sell a car, his collection changes regularly, he also has a £125,000 Aston Martin Virage, a vintage Rolls-Royce, and an elderly Morris Traveller, which he regularly drives around the Oxfordshire village where he lives in a £1 million former rectory.

Bolton ace quizzed by police after death crash

Alonso: Quizzed by Police in Madrid

Footballer Marcos Alonso has been quizzed by police after a woman died in a car crash in Madrid.

The Bolton Wanderers defender is reported to have crashed a BMW into a wall near Real Madrid's former training complex, not far from the Bernabeu.

One woman suffered fatal injuries and another was seriously hurt. Mr Alonso's brother Miguel and former Real Madrid teammate Jaime Navarro were also hurt.
The emergency services said the car crossed into the opposite lane, overturned and collided with a wall.
Alonso - who was uninjured - allegedly failed a breathalyser test afterwards.
Alonso, 20, has already appeared before an investigating judge at a closed hearing and could face a trial accused of involuntary manslaughter.
In a statement, the court said: "Magistrates' Court number four in Madrid yesterday released the footballer Marcos Alonso Mendoza after naming him as a 'formal suspect' in an alleged crime against road safety, a crime of intoxication, of accidental killing and causing accidental injury.
Alonso, who joined Bolton Wanderers from Real Madrid last summer, was at home in the Spanish capital on a weekend break.
It is understood he had been on a night out with his brother and Mr Navarro when they met the two women.

Webuyanycar.com rapped for 'misleading customers'

Internet car buying company Webuyanycar.com has been slammed by a watchdog for misleading customers with inflated valuations.

An investigation into the company accused the company of offering one price online to lure customers, then offering much less when they turned up to sell.

In all, the Office of Fair Trading found 96% of sellers received less than the valuation and Webuyanycar inspectors were set targets to slash the offer price by as much as 25%.
The OFT investigation covered July 2009 to June 2010.
By August 2010, the company had 114 branches throughout England, Scotland and Wales.
Other concerns highlighted by the investigation included:

• Giving the misleading impression to consumers that their online valuation was only valid for seven days
• Failing to assess customer complaints in a "fair, reasonable, consistent and professional manner"
• Not making it clear that the next working day payment service - which cost customers £24.75 - was optional

The OFT said: "Consumers were given the impression that they would be paid the online valuation if the company's onsite inspection matched the condition entered by the seller online. But once at the appointment, some customers found other factors reduced the price."
Webuyanycar, which made a profit of £5million on latest accounts, insisted it has made changes since "the early days" when "we didn't get it right for every single customer".

Sales of new cars hit the skids in March

New car sales fell by nearly 8% in March – traditionally the motor trade’s biggest month to sell a car.

The new 11-plate helped dealers shift 366,101 vehicles last month according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ which was 7.9% down on March 2010.

In all, registrations in the first three months of the year were down 8.7% compared with the first quarter of 2010, at 558,336.

New car registrations have now declined in each of the last nine months, but the trade body claimed sales would have been up if you strip out sales from last year’s car scrappage scheme.

Chief executive Paul Everitt said: “motorists are buying more fuel-efficient and low emitting vehicles”, with new cars registered in the first quarter averaging record low emissions at 140.3g per km.

US car makers were the big losers, with Cadillac and fuel-thirsty firm Hummer not selling a single vehicle here last month.

Nissan was one of the big winners, with sales up 14%.

Individually, the Ford Fiesta was the best-selling car in the month, followed by the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Corsa.