My 9 Most Popular Medium Sized Cars

This class of car is supposed to be the car for everyone. The idea is you don’t really need an estate, MPV or 4×4. These cars claim to accommodate most of your lifestyle at an affordable price. That’s why they’re the biggest selling sector in the UK.

Of the 9 I’ve had to remove 3 because it’s impossible to calculate their value. You can view my method in the previous post. There’s no doubt the Audi A3, A4 and VW Golf are 3 of the most searched cars on the internet. But Audi, Skoda and VW devalue this because you can simply go to their site and freely download brochures and price lists.

Free brochures and price lists may not seem that important. However it complies with the original concept of the internet as a place to freely share information. If you want to be, do or have something not immediately available to you, you should be able to freely find the answers on the Internet – get a brochure and price list.

Google insist publishers go further with pages that not only provide this content on the landing page but do so openly with the minimum of navigation. Audi, Skoda and VW do this and there is no value in visiting any other product related site to get the answers you want.

Think of the advantages to the user:

• They don’t have to spend time and petrol to drive to a dealer.
• They don’t have part with their details so it’s private.
• They don’t need to answer questions from salespeople or on online forms.
• They can virtual shop which – I’m told – is enjoyable.
• They can place the full picture in their own minds rather than a third-party place it there.

I should make you aware there are 2 website models.

1. Free information but you pay with your attention being interrupted by ads as on my carbuyersinfo.co.uk site.
2. You pay for information without advertising.

Sellers who understand this by-pass both with free downloadable PDFs.

Having said all that it doesn’t distract from the -

Ford Focus being the most popular car in the UK both new and used. There’s now been a Ford Focus for sale for a long time, building a huge fan base and a global reputation for durability and reliability. It has dynamic styling, space, sweet driveability, economy and safety. You can download free information from Ford without exchanging your details – with a little navigation.

#2 is the larger more expensive Mercedes-Benz C-Class which has all the attributes of a Focus with a touch of prestige we wish we could afford which makes for a strong second-hand market.

#3 almost on a par is the Vauxhall Astra for exactly all the same reasons above. There’s been an Astra for sale for over 30 years and their list of loyal customers continually grows.

#4 BMW 1-Series may not be a top 10 seller and too expensive for most but huge demand for a used BMW 1-Series supported by enthusiastic BMW dealers brings the 1-Series back into the market.

#5 is the even more expensive BMW 3-Series which can appear in the top 10 new car best sellers when repmobile sales are good. It’s the huge and continuous demand for used BMW 3-Series that ratch it up the rankings

Here’s where I’d place the A3 and A4.

#6 is the Nissan Qashqai. It’s different. Spacious but not as much as its style promises. Comfortable to drive. Reasonably economical and safe. The fact is we like Nissan in the UK and the Qashqai has captured peoples’ imagination in away we’ve not seen for some time.  It’s been a real success story…

Like the VW Golf.

All the above cars are of a very similar size with similar space. They’re all good to drive and are economical and safe.

What sets them apart is the demand for them both as new and used cars. Most importantly over the years they have built a long list of loyal customers. If their web sites become trusted sources of information they’ll win in the future as the best supplier of information which is what our age is about. Check out the above websites and you’ll discover one is at risk for informative content, transparency and navigation.

The handful of remaining contenders don’t figure because the don’t pump enough volume of cars into the market place. The French have had more than enough owners on their books and many remain loyal franchophiles but not enough stick to figure in my rankings for popularity.

Regards
Ralph

The Best Way to Save Car Fuel Costs

Car fuel prices are biting hard to the point of having to think twice about making a trip in the car.

There are a good dozen tips on how to save car fuel mainly concerning driving styles, carrying unnecessary weight and keeping your car in good repair.

The biggest saving to be made is to buy a more economical car when you’re planning to change. It’s not worth rushing out to change your car now as the cost to change will buy many years of motoring in terms of fuel costs. So best wait until you’re due to change.

When the time comes you’ll have to look a lot deeper than the fuel economy data. It’s not simply a case of your old shed averaged 34 mpg and your intended purchase has a combined 57 mpg. When you compare new cars for sale there’s more to consider than fuel economy data.

Your choice is confused by petrol, diesel, hybrid or coming soon electric. It’s not just a straight choice between a diesel Ford Focus and hybrid Lexus CT 200h. What about Ford’s EcoBoost petrol engines? It’s not just about comparing car fuel costs. What about the comparative price of the cars to buy?

You might come across stats saying near 60% of new cars sold are diesel and accept it as social proof you should do the same. It’s not a simple as that. Near the same percentage of new cars are sold to businesses who in the main are higher mileage drivers who get quicker savings on mpg to pay-back the added cost of the car and diesel fuel. You can see reps running about in their new Mercedes but there’s more to it than it being a Mercedes C Class CDI these cars are fitted with advanced fuel saving technologies and the business owners are profiting from the calls they make on very long journeys. It will work out differently for a private owner.

Diesel and hybrid cars cost more than petrol cars to buy. So you need to compare the costs of running each to find out at what total mileage you start to make savings.

Diesel cars cost between £1,000 and £2,000 more than petrol cars. Petrol fuel costs £6.22p today compared with diesel at £6.45p. As a general rule it takes some 45,000 miles with a small or medium size car before you save on fuel costs. With some small cars it can take 100,000 miles. In other words several years down the road. Diesel works better with large cars and in some cases you can only buy a SUV with a diesel engine, some manufacturers do not offer a petrol option.

Another consideration is fuel saving technology. Some cars are saving fuel with reduced rolling resisting tyres, stop/start, weight reduction and energy recuperation. Again this comes at an extra cost at present with a more expensive car or as optional equipment. Eventually they’ll become standard like ABS, ESP, PAS and increasingly air con. So it’s worth comparing the value in this area. Also look out for cars making leaps forward with energy recuperation technology we haven’t heard of yet.

Petrol power is nowhere near dead. Petrol cars and fuel are cheaper to buy. Turbo technology means more power per litre and smaller more economical petrol engines.

One thing you’re pretty certain of is when you do change your car the new car will be far more economical than the one you part exchange.

After you’ve considered your options there’s still the issue of emissions. Diesel cars have lower CO2 emissions but emit particles. Hybrid save on CO2s and tax. With electric cars there are concerns about the environmental cost of producing the electricity. There are a good number of hybrids on the way from Audi, Chevrolet/Vauxhall, Porsche and Volvo.

So the message is when you are due to change your car compare all factors with a calculator in hand and not just go on fuel economy data.

Regards
Ralph
carbuyersinfo.co.uk Car Comparison Website to find the best car for your purpose and purse compare their differences and similarities