2012 Honda Civic Most Talked About Car
In what is being hailed as one of the first studies of its kind, new research from Spectrum Consulting has revealed the most talked about cars in Britain online…with surprising results!
In order to deliver a ‘Car Brand Index’, the purpose of the research was to discover what people really think and feel about cars by tracking online content and conversation via search engines and social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. (more…)
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Those meddling, unelected bureaucrats in Brussels have got Britain’s female motorists tearing their hair out this week!
It follows the bombshell news that, from December 21st, females will no longer be able to access cheaper car insurance rates because of their gender.
The controversial EU ruling – which was based on a case brought by an influential consumer group in Belgium and covers all insurance products – stipulates that insurers can no longer discriminate on the basis of gender when setting insurance premiums.
Of course, until now, female drivers generally benefit from lower premiums compared to their male counterparts as, statistically, women are involved in fewer accidents on the road and, even when they do make a claim, the costs tend to be lower than those made by male drivers.
Early treasury ‘number-crunching’ has predicted that car insurance premiums for women will rise by a staggering 24% following the EU ruling – in other words £362 on average – though younger drivers are likely to see a much bigger increase!
Given that most the recent figures from the AA suggest that women aged between 17 and 22 already pay an average of £1,799 per annum for car insurance, there are real fears that many young female drivers will be simply priced off the road following this latest hike!
Labour transport spokesman John Woodcock said female drivers face an “insurance time bomb” and called on ministers to curb the impact of the ruling.
Woodcock said: “At a time when motorists are already being squeezed by record fuel prices, women will be dismayed that out-of-touch ministers are not lifting a finger to defuse the insurance time bomb heading their way from Europe.”
Though Britain’s male drivers, in general, stand to benefit from the ruling, treasury analysis suggest that costs will only reduce at around 9% on average, resulting in a hefty net loss to UK consumers overall.
Malcolm Tarling, from the Association of British Insurers, said: ‘This gender ban is disappointing news for UK consumers and is something the UK insurance industry has fought against for the last decade.’
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The Government is this week hosting its inaugural ‘Sat-Nav Summit’ in a bid to end the practise of drivers being sent to under-pressure rural roads by their in-car systems.
Hosted by transport minister Norman Baker at the Department for Transport headquarters in London, the summit will attempt to thrash out solutions for drivers following out-of-date directions from their GPS devices.
Other attendees include the highway authorities, mapping providers and satnav manufacturers.
Mr Baker said: “Out-of-date directions mean misdirected traffic – a scourge of local communities.
“The summit will see a plan of action agreed to ensure motorists are given the best possible directions and help prevent huge lorries from being sent down narrow country lanes and through small villages.”
The summit comes at a time when recent research from Confused.com claims that 83% of drivers have admitted to being misled by Sat-Nav systems at some point and that the devices have caused over £200 million worth of damage to drivers on UK roads as result of accidents caused by misleading directions.
The survey claims 45% of British drivers have confessed to feeling angry and frustrated while behind the wheel, which has lead to 31% of British motorists spending between £100 – £500 on Sat-Nav related car damage.
As Gareth Kloet, Head of Car Insurance at Confused.com, said: “Our research has shown that the Sat-Nav is not always the blessing it was once hailed to be and increasingly, motorists appear to be sighting the device as a source of frustration and danger”!
Over the years, there have been various reports of motorists driving into dykes and ending up on cliff edges as a result of following erroneous Sat-Nav directions, but arguably the most famous case of a Sat-Nav blunder involved Syrian lorry driver Necdet Bakimci in 2008.
Gibraltar Point or the Rock of Gibraltar?
The 57-year-old astonished local residents in Skegness by trying to steer his 32-tonne transporter down some notoriously narrow back lanes towards the North Sea, known as ‘Gibraltar Point’, eventually becoming stuck. When confronted, he explained in broken English that he was actually meant to be delivering his fleet of luxury cars to Gibraltar itself, some 1600 miles away off the Spanish coast!
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Throw away those plates...or perhaps not yet!
There were some astonishing figures released by the Department of Transport last week regarding driving tests.
National news ‘snippets’ tended to focus on how the driving pass rate had recorded another year-on-year increase to 47%, and how more women were now taking the test than men (primarily because they have a lower pass rate and therefore require more tests before passing).
Nothing too ‘astonishing’ there you might think.
Well how about this? A Freedom of Information request to the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has revealed that one female alone in the Newcastle area required a staggering 49 attempts to pass her driving theory test!
From a financial perspective, that means that the unknown 27-year-old woman will have blown over £1500 on just taking the exams!
The news has caused quite a stir in Tyneside with both local radio and the Newcastle Chronicle eagerly putting out appeals for anyone to reveal the identity of the mystery lady!
Staying in the North East the same set of figures revealed that there was a 40-year-old from Sunderland who eventually passed her practical test at the 20th attempt of asking.
Equally amazing was the revelation that one lady flew through the practical test at her first attempt aged 82!
Author: Paul Wilkinson
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Whilst you own your car you really should be aware of how much it is worth, you need this information when you are insuring the car, in the event of an accident, when buying a car and when selling a car.
Just because you tell an insurance company you car is worth £10,000 it doesn’t mean this is what they will pay you if the car has to be declared an insurance write off. Insurance companies will look at the value of cars and then make you an offer. They are supposed to offer you the retail value of your car, that’s how much it would cost you to replace the car like for like (make, model, condition and mileage). In many instances the insurers are now offering closer to trade valuations. That is what a dealer would be able to buy your car for, before they add their costs and profit margin.
By checking what your cars trade value is on Free Car Valuations you will be able to make a judgement on whether or not the insurance companies have made you a reasonable offer or not.
Car Value and Additional Information Provided Free
Finding out a cars trade value is also useful when you are negotiating a part exchange valuation when buying your new car. It is also valuable information to have when you are buying a new car from a car dealer. It may give you an indication perhaps as to how much they have paid for the car and how much profit they will have in it. Of course they have to factor in the costs of their advertising, car preparation, servicing, any repairs and warranties so don’t assume the difference between a trade valuation and retail price is total profit. You will be surprised how little net profit there is in some deals.
Also finding out what your car is worth in the trade will help you figure out what you should ask for it if you were to try and sell it privately. A rough guide to private selling prices should be somewhere between the retail and trade value.
Our trade values will provide a guide as to how much you would get for your car in either part exchange or by selling it to a cash for car company such as ourselves. Obviously these are only guide valuations and the price of your car could be worth more or less depending on a number of factors such as:-
- Mileage
- Service History – (full main dealer, independent garages, part history or no history)
- Condition – (bumper scuffs, kerbed alloys, car park dents, scratches and accident damage)
- Number of Owners
- Colour
- Specification – (extras such as sat nav and leather help increase the value of your car)
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As we well know, many celebrities – probably most in fact – have ‘skeletons’ lurking deep in their closet that even millions in the bank and an army of protective publicists can’t conceal.
Take this ‘not so magnificent seven’ for instance…a septet of rich and famous individuals who accidentally killed somebody from behind the wheel of their car.
Howard Hughes
1. Howard Hughes – Largely remembered these days for the eccentricities he displayed as a reclusive billionaire in later life but once upon a time, Hughes was a world-famous movie producer turned record-breaking aviator. It was during his halcyon days working in Hollywood in 1936 that Hughes gained a certain level of notoriety when killing a pedestrian at an intersection in Los Angeles. Originally arrested for ‘negligent homicide’ amid accusations that he had been drinking, Hughes’ powerful legal team ensured that all charges were dropped and a subsequent inquest held him blameless. Accusations of bribery persist to this day.
Ted Kennedy
2. Ted Kennedy – The younger brother of ‘JFK’ and Robert, charismatic senator Ted could well have followed in his brother’s footsteps to the White House if he hadn’t been forever tarnished by the fallout from a shocking driving accident forever known as the ‘Chappaquiddick incident’, which saw his pretty young campaign assistant Mary Jo Kepechne drown to death. On his way home from a late-night party, Kennedy – believed to be blind drunk – veered off a bridge into a deep tidal dyke but was able to swim ashore and save himself, leaving his travelling companion Mary Jo to drown in the process. Shockingly, it emerged that he didn’t report the accident until the next morning, nine hours later! Powerful family connections meant he avoided prison, but his career never truly recovered!
Laura Bush
3. Laura Bush – President George W Bush’s wife, Laura, was one of the most popular first ladies in recent American history, but that might not have been the case if details of a fatal 1963 driving accident were easier to come by. What is known is that in Laura – just 17 at the time – failed to stop her Chevy Sedan at a local Stop sign whilst hurrying to a drive-in theatre, causing a fatal accident which killed her popular classmate Michael Douglas in another vehicle. Official police records of the incident remain something of a mystery to this day, but Laura did finally break her silence over the incident once her husband had left the White House, admitting she was ‘wracked with guilt’ for years.
Keith Moon
4. Keith Moon – The Who drummer is widely-regarded as one of the greatest in rock history, but is more renowned for his wild, eccentric behaviour which bordered on lunacy at times. Even so, behind the zany pranks and endless partying, many close to Moon believe that he was never able to rid himself of guilt pangs following the events of one tragic, alcohol-fuelled night in 1970 which saw his good friend and bodyguard Neil Boland crushed to death under the wheels of Moon’s Bentley. The exact details of what happened that night remain unclear but it is believed that Moon and his entourage were trying to flee a mob of skinheads following a brawl in a pub car park and Boland was killed with Moon at the wheel. Moon he escaped charges after a coroner ruled the death an ‘accident’.
Matthew Broderick
5. Matthew Broderick – Famous for being the husband of Sex In The City actress Sarah Jessica Parker, Broderick was once a big name in his own right, particularly after his starring role in cult 80′s classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’. There is a school of thought in Hollywood that Broderick’s has career never scaled the heights expected because of the fallout from a shocking 1988 driving accident which saw him smash his rented BMW into an oncoming Volvo whilst driving in the wrong lane of a country road near Enniskillen in Northern Ireland, instantly killing the two female women in the oncoming car. Broderick and his then-girlfriend – Dirty Dancing actress Jennifer Grey – were both hospitalised themselves in the crash, but there was widespread outrage when he escaped with a mere $175 fine and a careless driving charge.
Patrick Kluivert
6. Patrick Kluivert – A prolific striker for Ajax, AC Milan and Barcelona amongst others, Dutch striker Kluivert was widely recognised as one of the world’s great strikers during much of the nineties and noughties, but his reputation was always tarnished by a 1996 death smash which saw him convicted of manslaughter. Driving a friend’s car twice over the speed limit and without insurance in a residential area, Kluivert – just 19 at the time – lost control of vehicle and the resulting crash killed a 56 year-old theatre director. Amazingly, and to much disgust in his homeland, he avoided a custodial sentence.
Brandy Norwood
7. Brandy Norwood – Known professionally as just ‘Brandy’, the Grammy-winning singer is one of the best-selling R&B artists in history having sold over 50 million records, but she was arguably fortunate to emerge with her reputation still largely intact following her involvement in three-vehicle 2006 death smash on a Los Angeles freeway. The chain of events which led to the fatality were the result of Brandy ‘rear-ending’ the car in front by failing to break, but she escaped charges due to ‘insufficient evidence’. Even so, a series of subsequent lawsuits filed by the dead woman’s family, ended up with Brandy paying a seven-figure sum in out-of-court settlements!
Author: Paul Wilkinson
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A brief look at some Famous names who came to an untimely end as a result of Car Crashes, many through no fault of their own.
Randy Savage
10. Randy Savage - One of the first true global icons of American wrestling, Savage (real name Randy Poffo) was known for his outrageous flamboyance in the ring and raspy “Oooh yeah” catchphrase out of it. Died from injuries aged 58 in 2011 after his Jeep Wrangler veered into oncoming traffic and hit a tree head-on in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. It was later revealed he had suffered a heart-attack at the wheel.
Carlos Monzon
9. Carlos Monzon - Regarded by many as the greatest middleweight boxing champion of all-time, Argentinian superstar Monzon was one of the great heroes of Latin America in his 1970′s heyday despite a notorious reputation outside of the ring which saw him accused many times of domestic violence by his two wives and plethora of mistresses. Eventually convicted of homicide in 1989 after throwing his wife off a second floor balcony, he died aged 52 in 1995 after losing control of a vehicle whilst on a days ‘leave’ from prison for good behaviour. Even in Argentina, reaction to his death was mixed!
Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez
8. Lisa ‘left-eye’ Lopes - American rapper, singer-songwriter, dancer and actress who is probably best known for her time in successful R&B girl group TLC. Lopes – who was known for her turbulent personal life which involved alcohol abuse and a violent relationship with American football star Andre Rison – died of neck injuries in 2002 when a Mitsubishi Montero Sport she was driving careered off a windy dust road in Honduras. She was just 30.
Marc Bolan
7. Marc Bolan – T-Rex frontman Bolan became one of the most recognisable figures in British rock during the 1970′s due to his extraordinary stage presence and original music which saw him become one of the great pioneers of the short-lived glam rock era. Though his heyday had passed, his death sent shockwaves through the music industry after he died two weeks before his 30th birthday in 1977. He was killed instantly when a Mini 1275GT driven by his girlfriend Gloria Jones crashed into a sycamore tree in southwest London.
Eddie Cochrane
6. Eddie Cochrane – One of the great early heroes of Rock and Roll, Cochrane’s time in the spotlight was relatively brief, but his legacy enormous due to his pioneering guitar-playing and songwriting ability which saw him pen such enduring classics as “C’mon Everbody”, “Something Else” and “Summertime Blues”. When on a British tour in 1960, Cochrane died of serious head injuries sustained after a speeding taxi he was travelling in blew a tyre and smashed into a lamppost in the sleepy Wiltshire town of Chippenham. Fellow songwriter Gene Vincent survived the crash but sustained lasting injuries which would shorten his career.
Jack Johnson
5. Jack Johnson – The “Galveston Giant” was the most famous black person on earth when reigning supreme as the World Heavyweight Boxing champion for seven years either side of the First World War, but was largely despised by ‘white America’ for his perceived audacity in breaking the long-standing taboo of dating (and indeed marrying) white women. Known for his love of fast cars throughout his life, Johnson was killed at the age of 68 in 1946 after an accident just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. Witnesses said he had driven away in a ‘rage’ from a restaurant which refused to serve him on grounds of colour.
Jayne Mansfield
4. Jayne Mansfield – With her astonishing good looks, vibrant personality and torrid love life, Jayne Mansfield seriously rivalled Marilyn Monroe in the Hollywood sex siren Stakes for much of the 50′s and early 60′s only to meet a truly horrific end at the age of just 34 following a tragic accident in 1967. Riding in the front seat of a Buick Electra on her way to a television interview in New Orleans, Mansfield, along with two travelling companions, was killed instantly when their vehicle slid under the back end of a tractor trailer. Widespread reports at the time suggested she had been completely decapitated!
Princess Grace Kelly
3. Princess Grace Kelly – One of the most beautiful actresses of all-time, Kelly was one of the hottest Hollywood stars around when retiring from acting aged just 26 to marry Prince Rainier III of Monaco. There was to be no happy ending to this fairytale, however, as Kelly died at the age of 52 in 1982 after suffering a stroke whilst at the wheel of her Rover P6, causing the vehicle to slide down a mountain side on the outskirts of Monaco. Though pulled out alive from the wreckage, Kelly died from her injuries the next day, unlike her daughter Princess Stephanie who survived.
James Dean
2. James Dean – Though he only had three movie titles to his name, James Dean was widely-regarded as one of Hollywood’s hottest stars before his untimely death in 1955 aged just 24 years old. Road-racing enthusiast Dean was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital having sustained a broken neck from a head-on collision in his Porsche 550 Spyder whilst on his way to take part in a sports car race at Salinas California. His early death helped elevate him to cult status, thus forever preserving his iconic image.
Princess Diana
1. Princess Diana – Lady Diana Spencer entered the royal spotlight when marring Prince Charles in 1981 and – though not without personal flaws – earned wider appreciation for an intense devotion to her children William and Harry as well as tireless ambassadorial work in the face of intense media scrutiny. But it was her controversial death at the premature age of 36 – not long after her divorce – which captured the attention of the world in 1997. Diana, boyfriend Dodi al-Fayed and chauffeur Henri Paul all died from their injuries when their Mercedes-Benz W140 crashed in a Paris road tunnel whilst attempting to flee chasing paparazzi.
Author: Paul Wilkinson.
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The word I am talking about here is most commonly associated with the motor trade and it’s very mention is enough make every vehicle owner shudder.
It’s depreciation!…there I’ve said it!
A dictionary definition goes something like this: “A decrease or loss in value, as because of age, wear, or market conditions.”
Unless you’re lucky enough to have something like a 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa or a weird and wonderful classic Bugatti lurking in the back of your garage, it’s almost certain that your vehicle is currently in the throes of depreciation as we speak! It truly is the “silent thief”.
So what causes it? And if we can’t prevent it, how can we best limit it?
How a Cars Value Reduces Over Time
Well, depreciation “kicks in” the very second a brand new car is driven off the dealer forecourt. The initial buyer has paid the ‘retail price’. From the second it hits the road, it’s down to it’s ‘wholesale price’ (what anyone else would be prepared to pay from that moment). This could be a reduction of anywhere between 15 and 40 per cent.
After that, the general ‘rule of thumb’ is that most cars tend to plateau at losing between 15 and 20 of its value per annum, though the depreciation does slow slightly as the car gets older.
The biggest single factor which determines exactly how much a car depreciates is supply versus demand.
Fleet Cars Released into the Trade
If a car is low in supply but high in demand, it will probably retain its value better and vice versa. For example the cars that depreciate fastest are the mass-produced models sold at big discounts to the rental or fleet market. These models flood the used car market when the fleets start to replace their vehicles.
Another big factor which determines residual value is brand reputation/notoriety; Whether real or not, there is a long-standing perception of quality and value. These beliefs can be cultivated by the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, aesthetics, positive/negative press reports and word of mouth.
Design can also play a huge part. Cars with a current, bold look such as the MINI Cooper are in demand and thus worth more. Once or twice a decade, a manufacturer may completely re-design a model and, in general, the first year of that new-look model will hold its value better than subsequent years, whilst also rendering the pre-existing model less desirable.
When it comes to features or ‘options’, owners should be aware that with things like cruise control, air-con and alloy wheels, it isn’t so much a case of them adding value to your vehicle, but that value is deducted in their absence! The same can be said about service history. As for exterior, an exotic colour may look great to you but not to a future buyer! Popular colours such as silver, grey and black tend to hold their value better.
It almost goes without saying that the mileage a car covers can drastically effect its value. Lower mileage cars may be a little more desirable so hold their value a bit more. Higher mileage cars are often shunned by franchised dealers and so their value is reduced more dramatically.
Finally, the level of depreciation is indirectly affected by areas of ownership cost, namely maintenance, repair, fuel and insurance. Any model with a history of costing an owner big bucks in these areas will inevitably suffer in the re-sale market.
So, in summary, all cars lose money – fact! But, if you want to limit the impact of depreciation, you should follow these guidelines;
Buy a desirable, nearly new/second-hand model (at the right price of course!) in a popular colour with all the essential ‘options’ for its class. This will ensure you have a ready-made audience of purchasers when you choose to sell.
Look after it by cleaning the vehicle inside and out at regular intervals. And keep those service records up to date. Using a reputable independent dealer will invariably carry more clout than a cheap, ‘back-street’ operation. Keep the mileage down as low as possible.
Watch out for new replacement models. If there is an all-new replacement for the model you are currently driving on the horizon, be aware dealers tend to heavily discount the outgoing model which will affect the market value of your vehicle. so, if you are thinking of selling you car, do it well before the new model hits the showrooms!
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ROAD RAGE
Trying to intimidate other drivers
The news last week that Police believe the fatal stabbing of a man in a built-up area of the Wirral was the catastrophic result of a simple ‘traffic altercation’, acts as a salutary reminder that the problem of “road rage” has never gone away.
First coined as a snappy ‘buzz-phrase’ in America during the late 80′s to describe an apparent rise in physical confrontations between motorists, the term only truly entered the British consciousness when notorious gangland boss Kenneth Noye was convicted of stabbing to death a 21-year-old off an M25 slip road in 1996. From that moment on, Noye became known as the “road rage killer”.
Later the French started using the term “rage au volant” (translated: rage behind the wheel). At the same time, many other European countries began using similar phrases, with the Turkish referring to the expression as “your demon behind the wheel”. We’ve seen many celebrities ranging from Mike Tyson to Russell Crowe charged with ‘rage road’ incidents while British alternative rock act Catatonia even garnered a top five single on the subject. In short it has become a global phenomenon!
So what tends to cause ‘road rage’? Well, extensive research by the RAC on the subject unearthed some interesting results, with tailgating and sudden breaking being the biggest root cause. The research also found that the morning rush hour appeared to be the most common time for a ‘road rage’ incident, with attackers most likely to be in their 20′s or 30′s. Hardly surprising you might say, but the most common aggressors tended to be drivers of sports utility vehicles or ‘white van man’.
So, how can we combat it? Well, whether you are a would-be aggressor, or a likely victim…follow these five tips and you won’t go far wrong;
1. Reduce stress by allowing more than enough time for your journey – listen to traffic reports, be aware of possible delays. When time isn’t your enemy, it’s unlikely other drivers will be either!
2. Remember, you cannot control other drivers around you, but you can control how they effect your well-being. Stay calm, and drive carefully.
3. Never take the other drivers personally. If annoyed by their driving, ask yourself, has he/she just made a mistake? If confronted or gestured at, remember he/she is only reacting at a driving incident, not you personally. Don’t retaliate, it’s not worth it!
Getting stressed whilst driving
4. Try to avoid eye contact with an angry driver – one ‘wrong’ look is all it requires for the level of anger to escalate and the situation to worsen. Slow down, let him/her pass and, if necessary pull over and regain your composure.
5. Do not endanger yourself by attempting to evade a ‘road rager’ – remain within the speed limit at all times. If you are genuinely worried that you are being followed, do not drive home – drive straight to the nearest police station!
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To some, especially those who have carried out a Car History Check, this will seem like a ridiculous question.
Would you buy a house without purchasing a survey….my guess is 99% of people wouldn’t dream of buying a house without paying a few hundred pounds for a survey to check their new house wasn’t going to fall down. Those that don’t carry our a survey are quite frankly fools!
The same applies to buying a used car. Often the only thing you will buy in your lifetime more expensive than a car is your house, yet very little consideration is given to the background of a car. You may be spending five, ten or even twenty thousand pounds on a second hand car. Don’t you think it is worth spending an extra £5 to check you’re not quite literally throwing your hard earned cash away.
People who are selling a car are only legally obliged to tell you if the car has been an insurance write off if they are aware of it, but that is difficult to prove. If you ask the question has the car been involved in an accident many sellers will reply “not to my knowledge” their get out of jail free card.
Don’t take a chance, with your money. Make sure you carry out a car history check on any car you are thinking of purchasing. The check Free Car Valuations provides via my Car Check provides the following information which is guaranteed to various levels so you can be certain you won’t be out of pocket even in the unlikely event the date proves to be inaccurate.
Stolen (Police and Insurers) Check
Total Insurance Loss (Write-off) Category
VIN (Chassis Number) Check
14 fields of vehicle information from the DVLA
You can also upgrade your check to verify the mileage if it has been recorded.
Go to our Car History Check now for that added piece of mind..it could save you thousands of pounds.
A useful, free tool is an MOT check provided by the government. Here you can enter the V5 (log book) Document Reference Number and the vehicle registration number to check all the previous recorded MOT’s. This may help you identify any mileage discrepancies. Government MOT Information.
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