Affordable Supercar

Just arrived, 2004 Renaultsport Clio V6 255 in Iliad Blue. 11800 miles and in excellent condition inside and out. Supercar performance but regular car maintenance costs. More details are here, offered at £16995

Resurfacing

Back from a few days blog hiatus with some new stock just arrived that’s definitely worth a mention:

2004 04 Plate Renault Clio Dynamique 1.2 16V Hatchback with 14000 miles and one lady owner. In the must have Black Metallic, usual Dynamique Sportiness evident in alloys, subtle spoilers, leather steering wheel, sports seats and suspension settings. But all still only Group 3 insurance! £5995 and here next week.

2004 04 Plate Renault Clio Dynamique, but this time the sought after and sporty 1.5 litre dCi diesel with 100 BHP. This one’s in silver metallic and also has the climate control option and an electric sunroof (tbc) 36000 miles and offered at £6995. Here next week

On the more performance front a 2001 51 Plate Honda Civic Type R 2.0 VTEC. This one is finished in Satin Silver and has covered 58000 miles with two owners. Previously sold as a Honda Approved Used Car it’s a very well cared for example, in true Honda tradition as smooth as silk engine and mechanicals. It has that very Japanese interior fit and quality too. Full Honda service history with a service book bristling with stamps. Offered at £7995 with a new MOT and 12 month Platinum Warranty – that’s a great offer for an affordable Type R. This car has also had a recent Honda service as well as four new Bridgestone tyres.

A very good month for sales so far as well as some very interesting customers who have bought cars or sold them to me, the only gloss being taken off by circumstances beyond my control which at least seem to have been resolved now.

Drop me a line if any of the above are of interest, or surf by my website.

Not only MINIs have an S model!

Last week I neglected to mention the great looking Renault Clio Dynamique S model (still only a Group 4 Insurance rating) in my Clio critique. Thanks to Mr HP who recently bought one for the reminder! His was Black Metallic and looked great with the standard semi-tinted privacy glass in the rear windows. So what do you get extra over the standard Dynamique specification? Here’s a short list of the upgrades: 16″ Canasta Alloy Wheels, Sports Front Wings, just a little wider a la Ford Escort Mexico if you’re old enough! and those extra tinted rear windows already mentioned. But in for a penny… many order Dynamique S with the optional City Pack, Comfort Pack, Cool Pack and Handling Pack, the details of which you can find here at carbuyersinfo or by contacting me at my usual website address.

They Lost Their Chips, But We’re Paying

Last week’s news from the US that the US Government with it’s Neo-Conservative and Christain Right bias had managed to squeeze the prohibition of US banks and credit card companies from being involved in online gambling transactions caused me some severe angst, being an armchair economist with one eye on my own future it does that to me! Within forty-eight hours something like three billion pounds had been wiped off the share value of the likes of 888.com and Party Gaming. That’s real money people, your pension fund is likely to be smarting as a consequence. It’s also no good thinking that this can be recovered by pound cost averaging, whereby the fund managers buy back even more of the (now) cheaper shares expecting them to recover - the net result being an improvement over the original position. Because these shares are unlikely to grow in value for the forseeable future. The online gaming companies were making big bucks out of the US punters and their raison d’etre was to be based here and service gambling over there.

What has made me angry is the ambivalence of the fund managers post-legislation. Yet again these over paid and over here city fund and investment managers have made a duff choice at our expense. There have been few if any apologies and nobody has lost their job that I’ve heard of. When, I ask, will these people not be collecting record bonuses – the same record bonuses that drive up the prices of homes in London that we therefore cannot afford – the effect of which has spread as far as these parts I can assure you. The signs were there for all to see, company directors locked out of bonuses that became available to them just days before the debate in the House of Representatives. Directors of these companies were also entitled to bonuses once they had floated these companies on the London Stock Exchange, their net worth making them immediate entrants to the FTSE 100 and therefore an immediate investment in which certain pension funds are obliged to invest.

Basically the balloon should have gone up long before our money was lost. Highly paid analysts who earn in a year what we earn in ten or more simply missed this. The Government also allowed these shakily founded companies to be admitted to the Stock exchange despite the threat of a significant income stream being wiped out at any time. Party Gaming even flagged this up in their flotation prospectus.

£3.3 Billion is also about what was estimated we lost as a nation on Black Wednesday in 1992, when we were forced to withdraw from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. Allegedly Chancellor Norman Lamont sang in the bath… Seems nobody in the financial services sector is particularly bothered nowadays either. It’s always easy come easy go in the square mile.

You can find out about all this stuff here

Renaultsport Megane 225 2.0 Turbo Available

Due in the next few days this superb Renaultsport Megane 225 2.0 Turbo high performance hatchback. Finished in the lovely traditional Renaultsport colour of Artic Blue metallic this car also has the optional orange belts and seat stitching to compliment the exterior colour and add to it’s sporty appearance. Factory optional Panoramic Sunroof, 6 CD Changer and Climate Control Air Conditioning are also fitted. Just one owner and Full Renault Service History to cover the 24000 miles. In superb condition throughout it drives beautifully and with a 0-60 in around 6.5 seconds and a maxmum speed of in excess of 140mph (in Germany of course!) it represents huge performance value per pound. Drop me a line if this car is of interest, usual part exchange and finance facilities are available.

Always good news both new and second-hand!

Since it’s introduction when the last model Clio was facelifted in 2001 the Dynamique model has been the small sporty hatchback du jour of the Duran Duran generation, the twentysomethings who want a safe good looking car with a sporty feel that’s packed with extras at an affordable price. And I’m not just saying affordable to buy, but affordable to own, i.e cheap to insure, reliable, economical and with good second-hand values. On every count the car has stood up well, low group three insurance makes it one of the best looking cars in that bracket, I have rarely had any real problems whatsoever with any age of Clio Dynamique and we have run them in the family on and off since launch. The five speed gearbox linked to a modern sixteen valve 1.2 litre engine delivers 47.9 mpg, just what’s required with today’s fuel costs! Finally on the ticking all the boxes front, second hand values. You only need to go to a Renault branded car auction at (say) BCA Blackbushe to see just what these cars are capable of making on the day. A clean, actually even a superficially damaged car will go on to make what would be expected of a car a whole year younger – they are t h a t sought after. A black Clio in particular, if you are prepared to keep it clean and fairly supermarket mark-free will always be a highly desirable proposition.

So whether it’s the sporty suspension settings, the sporty look of the interior or exterior spoiler and alloy wheel appendages, or the feel of the car when you sit in the comfortable supportive sports seats and begin to appreciate the tactile steering wheel and other controls – the amazing specification per pound of this model will always impress.

But of course I’ve been describing the last model Clio, still available (for the time being) but as a similar specified car called a ‘Campus Sport’, the latest model Clio launched about a year ago is now even safer having gained the coveted 5 Star NCAP Safety Rating, and is fitted with a slightly more powerful 1.4 litre engine. the styling as is always the case brings the car right up to date, the combination of which I am sure will continue to ensure that it’s future values will be just as impressive as it’s predecessor.

Full details of the new model Clio Dynamique can be found here along with other car buying and ownership articles. In the meantime here’s a picture of the latest model Clio Dynamique, compared to many of the other Euro-boxes out there it’s a great looking little car isn’t it! 

Better late than never…

It’s been a few days since I made a journal entry of some description. Four days have gone by as fast as four hours. Met some really interesting people who have become customers and have bought and sold some really nice stock, both to trade and retail customers. Sales have been so good that I am really low on stock and I would be wise to keep the momentum going. The problem is that the cars have sold because they were exceptionally good value in one respect or another. it may  be number of owners, it may be mileage, it may be condition, colour or desirability. But in conversation with another dealer friend, neither of us are going to compromise just for the sake of it. The replacements have to be the right model, right engine, transmission, colour and price! I am close to buying a Renaultsport Megane 225 and have had verbal confirmation that a very nice and highly desirable Renault Clio Dynamique dCi 100 bhp is heading my way. I’ll add more to the site once they are confirmed and or photographed.

My co-defendant in this site, currently being developed, has written this great piece about ESP, not extra sensory perception, but the mechanical equivalent Electronic Stability Program – I would second his tip within the conclusion but add that if you talk to me before you buy your next car you may not have to compromise your metallic at the expense of safety!

  

Black Clio For Sale

Four words that seem to get first time buyers in a frenzy! Clean two owner and 25400 mile 2004 Renault Clio 1.2 16V Extreme 3 in Pearl Black Metallic. This is the special edition model based on the Clio Dynamique that has designer adjustable sports seats and a JVC CD Tuner with face-off front. Further features include: Glass Sunroof, Electric Front Windows, Leather rimmed steering wheel and gear knob. These are only Group 3 Insurance hence the desirability of a car that has a great look and is very reasonable to insure and run. The 1.2 engine has good performance and is economical too with a five speed gearbox. Light controls and power steering, ideal to learn in too.

Just in and offered at £4995, that’s a good competitive price compared to other cars researched. Affordable finance schemes are available subject to status from my usual funders. Renault warranty and AA Cover until May 2007 

I can be contacted here, and more pictures and details of the car are here.