http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/ Your questions answered about car leasing, contract hire, hire purchase. en Copyright 2009 Sun, 15 Feb 2009 11:17:00 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss lease one. ]]> http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/great_news_they_work_ok_2.html http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/great_news_they_work_ok_2.html maserati Sun, 15 Feb 2009 11:17:00 +0000 We keep hearing snippets of info about Porsche’s new Panamera which doesn’t go go on sale until12th September and it won’t be available for car leasing until after that date. The latest ‘news’ is about its sumptuous, not to say decadent, interior:- “With a continuous centre console that extends from the fascia to the rear seating area... offers a new spatial concept for the driver ... featuring optimal ergonomic seating with an individual cockpit-like environment ... offers customers countless opportunities for individual interior personalisation... smooth and natural leathers available in a total of 13 colour and material combinations, including four two-tone options that can be combined wherever required with seven optional interior trim finishes including exclusive materials such as carbon fibre and Natural Olive wood.” Does this sound like a Porsche to you? It gets worse, or better:- “The new Panamera is the first Porsche to offer the most supreme standard of in-car audio quality, with the option of a High-End Surround Sound System from Burmester, the renowned Berlin audio specialist...features more than 2,400 square centimetres of 'sound membranes' to deliver an audio experience very similar to that of a live concert...a total of 16 loudspeakers masterminded by 16 amplifier channels with an overall output of more than 1,000 watts provide a unique sound, complemented by an active subwoofer together with a 300 W Class D amplifier.” Yes, yes, but does it actually go? ]]> http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/yes_yes_but_does_it_go.html http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/yes_yes_but_does_it_go.html Sat, 14 Feb 2009 11:17:00 +0000 car leasing becomes much more interesting as monthly payments get more exotic. ]]> http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/new_offroader_comrade_certainl.html http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/new_offroader_comrade_certainl.html Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:22:53 +0000 The Saab 9-3X is described as the ideal alternative to large and heavy crossovers or SUVs. With distinctive looks, a versatile Sport Wagon body, higher stance and advanced all-wheel drive technology, the Saab 9-3X also offers excellent fuel efficiency and functional storage. Saab designers have raised the chassis 35mm higher (20mm higher on the FWD diesel model) than the standard two-wheel drive Sport-Wagon. It is specifically designed for those who frequently use gravel or unpaved roads, without compromising the driving experience on Tarmac. The Saab 9-3X is a car in tune with the lifestyle needs of today's customers. "The 9-3X is an efficient all-rounder for anyone who doesn't want or need an SUV-type vehicle," says Simon Padian, Saab Brand Design Chief. "Simply put, we are offering a vehicle that will do what's required in more comfort and style than a heavier SUV." Sounds like a sensible idea. Saab is a popular marquee in the car leasing market and this model is certain to feature prominently. ]]> http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/the_alternative_to_crossovers.html http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/the_alternative_to_crossovers.html Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:22:53 +0000 Talk is that Peter Mandelson is pondering on a ‘scrappage scheme’ in order to stimulate the ailing UK car market. Scrappage schemes have already been introduced successfully in Germany and France, where owners who trade-in cars of around nine-years-old or more receive a cash incentive of almost £2000 if they then buy a new environmentally friendly car. The UK car industry is, not surprisingly, pushing for such a scheme to be introduced in the UK, and the Government has already asked car makers to supply costed proposals. There are voices who suggest it could subsidise manufacturers based elsewhere in Europe and not the UK. Others see it as just a means of subsiding an industry that should be left to decline with money going into more green transport methods. Mass car leasing would see many more efficient, new cars on the road which would emit less harmful substances – and be regularly replaced. ]]> http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/scrappage_for_uk.html http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/scrappage_for_uk.html Sun, 08 Feb 2009 23:11:26 +0000 The King of the Car Shows is in a spot of bother. Ooh-er. Will he be sacked? Will he be suspended? Who can possibly take over and test all those family cars for us? How will we decide which Ferrrari to buy or lease? But hold on here. Was Lord Clarkson a bit previous with his apology – surely the first he has ever made? Was he perhaps misunderstood? Could a half-decent junior spinner from Blair PR Inc. have handled things better? Let’s have a go. The reference to our prime minister being Scottish is factual, so the only points of issue are the spoken words which have been taken to be ‘one-eyed’ and ‘idiot’. What if Jeremy actually said ‘wan-eyed’? I put it to you that it would have sounded exactly the same. ‘Wan’ can mean rather tired, unhappy and pallid – perhaps lacking in forcefulness, competence or effectiveness. There are people around who would see this as a factual statement too. That leaves us with ‘idiot’. There may be those who see this as offensive. But it seems the origin of the word ‘idiot’ lies in the Latin word ‘idiota’ which means something like layman or private person – most likely ‘ordinary person’ would do. Matter of opinion as to whether Gordon is ordinary, surely. So, what we have is probably a complete misunderstanding. Clarkson was merely giving it as his opinion that our Scottish prime minister is just an ordinary person who is rather tired, pale and a bit ineffective. Is this a bad thing to have said? Well, don’t forget, Gordon rules in a Parliament which has no outstanding alternatives and, as Alfred Hitchcock famously commented, “In the country of the bland the wan-eyed man is king”. I rang Jeremy to outline this interpretation of his remarks. ‘Golly’ was all he said (and let’s be clear he didn’t say Gollywog and anyway you didn’t hear this from me, right?) ]]> http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/golly_jeremy.html http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/golly_jeremy.html Sat, 07 Feb 2009 20:38:55 +0000 The new Mini Cooper S Mk2 convertible will be released in March although several may well escape early. The car is destined to be as iconic as the Mk1 and is just the thing for our globally warmed climate. Key amongst the gadgets is the ‘Openometer’ dial which records how long you have driven with the roof down. You’ll need that information won’t you? What’s more the data is then stored to the trip computer so you can – er – do something with it later. Power comes from a 1598cc turbo charged unit developing 175bhp which takes you from 0 – 62mph in 7.4 seconds. The price for all this madness? Just short of £19K. Are we mad? Course we are. Get one through car leasing and strut your stuff without forking out great lumps of cash. ]]> http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/fun_costly_and_impractical_itl.html http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/fun_costly_and_impractical_itl.html Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:11:19 +0000 Aston Martin will present the most potent production sports car in the marque's 95-year history at the Geneva motor show on 3rd March 2009. Based on the successful V8 Vantage, the Aston Martin V12 Vantage will feature a 6.0-litre V12 engine producing 510 bhp (380 kW / 517 PS), and 570 Nm (420 lb ft) of torque with a top speed of 190 mph (305 km/h) and 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) time of 4.2 seconds. Car leasing is one way to get your hands on this kind of motor and avoids major upfront capital investment.]]> http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/most_powerful_production_aston.html http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/most_powerful_production_aston.html Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:28:37 +0000 Hard to figure how these two ended up here together. Gordon’s idea of casual golf gear is much the same as his beach wear it seems. Perhaps this was a publicity pic for a new environmentally friendly battery car (the new BOFOR – Buy One, Fund Our Retirement). But no, green isn’t a George W colour really. If you do encounter these two selling cars, steer well clear. As for any offers of a nifty car leasing deal – well, we leased two countries to them for some years and they didn’t want the option to purchase at the end of the deal. ]]> http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/would_you_buy_an_ethical_car_f.html http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/would_you_buy_an_ethical_car_f.html Mon, 02 Feb 2009 12:31:59 +0000 Contrary to many people’s perception car leasing is for everyone and not just for business users. It allows drivers to get their hands on their favourite cars which are often otherwise beyond their budgets. The world of car leasing can be unnecessarily complicated with many types of leasing and very many different rules applied by different lease companies. To get over all this my-CarLeasing.com was set up in early 2006. It’s simple procedure has helped thousands get a clear picture of options and best deals. It takes basic details from enquirers and then sends those details to no more than three of the most relevant, and trustworthy car leasing experts in order for them to get back to the customer with exactly what they were looking for. In addition you can get a comprehensive free guide from the site which explains the 8 different types of finance packages, with all the pros and cons including Tax Implications, Cashflow benefits and the most popular question: "Who owns the vehicle at the end of the agreement?" Crucially, my-CarLeasing.com make a promise never to sell or rent your email details and operate a strict anti-spam policy (because they hate spam as much as you do). Try them out – it’s free and there’s no obligation. ]]> http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/what_is_car_leasing.html http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/what_is_car_leasing.html Sun, 01 Feb 2009 13:31:59 +0000 You can place your order for this £132K carplane/planecar now although it hasn’t flown yet and it isn’t scheduled to be available until ‘next year’. The Terrafugia Transition is a two-seater plane that at the touch of a button converts into a road-legal car. It takes its maiden flight next month and is scheduled to hit the showrooms by next year. It takes just 15 seconds to switch between flying and driving and is powered by a 100bhp petrol motor. It's not yet available for car leasing. The company says, “The majority of our customers are retired or near-retired couples who want a fun vehicle to putter around the country in”. Presumably they don’t want to fly then? Not for us to pooh, pooh futuristic ideas. No, all we’ll say is: ]]> http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/the_words_blind_spot_come_to_m.html http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/the_words_blind_spot_come_to_m.html Sat, 31 Jan 2009 13:31:59 +0000 Things were looking rosy for the 100% electric new THINK city car. In the race to get electric cars to market, the Norwegian start-up Think Global AS was one of the front-runners. It snagged big-name venture-capital backing and in 2008 manufactured about 350 of its latest model, a two-seater, plug-in city car. It planned to ramp up production to 10,000 units this year. Then, at the end of October last year, the company took its shiny new model to Downing Street to be blessed by Gordon. Shortly after, in mid-December, Think became one of the green technology world's first major casualties, filing for bankruptcy protection. All is not lost though because, in mid January, the company secured an interim financing commitment and was able to call back the first batch of employees from the lay-off it had to declare. Could this be the first electric city vehicle available through car leasing? Keep away from Downing Street would be my advice. ]]> http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/no_i_know_sir_its_not_as_big_a.html http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/no_i_know_sir_its_not_as_big_a.html Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:19:45 +0000 Are you a taxpayer? Are you a car buyer? Are you a car loan user? Yes to all three? Then maybe you will soon be lending yourself the money to buy your own car. Under a scheme proposed by the government, lenders who provide finance for car purchases would get access to cash from the Bank of England's special liquidity scheme. In effect the people who lend out the money will get state cash – and we know where state cash comes from don’t we. Here’s another novel idea. Instead of paying income tax to the government, why not use it to fund a car leasing scheme for yourself. I feel sure HM Taxman would understand – just say it’s the credit crunch mate. ]]> http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/shes_a_little_darlin_guv_and_j.html http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/shes_a_little_darlin_guv_and_j.html Mon, 26 Jan 2009 19:32:29 +0000 Personal leasing is a great way to get your hands on the new VW Golf and if you do, you’ll be driving the winner of the Best Small Family Car in this year’s What Car Awards presented at the London Grosvenor House Hotel earlier this month. The winning model is the Volkswagen Golf SE 1.4-litre TSI 122 PS 5dr and this is the third consecutive year the Golf has won. In presenting the honour, Steve Fowler, Group Editor of What Car commented: "It takes a special car to win the Small Family Car of the Year award three years running - and the Volkswagen Golf is exactly that. You can thank evolution; this is the sixth-generation Golf, which takes the excellent fifth-generation model as its basis, and polishes every part until its sparkle would make Mr Sheen jealous. Whatever you need your car to do, the Golf does it - and brilliantly, too. That's why we believe it's the best small family car you can buy." ]]> http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/the_winning_golf_six_polished.html http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/the_winning_golf_six_polished.html Sat, 24 Jan 2009 17:24:08 +0000 A new entry-level model in the Clubman range goes on sale across Europe by the end of March. Called Clubman One the new model is powered by a 1.4-litre, four cylinder petrol engine producing 95HP. A short-shifting 6-speed manual transmission is standard, but buyers can also opt for a 6-speed auto with manual-shift capability. The base Clubman achieves a combined fuel consumption figure of 52.3 mpg and prices in the UK have been set at £13,290 OTR. Equipped with a Brake Energy Regeneration system, Auto Start Stop and Shift Point Display as standard the new addition is certain to sell well under the continuing chique appeal of the Mini brand. Although not a traditional high volume car leasing choice, these straightened times could see this model become more popular in this market. ]]> http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/clubbing_in_09_still_fun_but_m.html http://www.my-carleasing.com/car-leasing-blog/clubbing_in_09_still_fun_but_m.html Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:01:06 +0000