BUYING A CAR - THE CHOICES

Where should you go when buying or changing your car?

These days the choices open to a prospective car buyer are far better than they used to be. Gone are the days when the only options were your local second hand car dealership or the manufacturer's franchise outlets for new cars.

For new cars, the main franchise dealerships are still a force in the market but with the introduction of the block exemptions rules from Europe, they have had to up their game some what in order to remain competitive. New cars are now available from a variety of sources such as large car supermarkets, independent traders, specialist firms and even the Internet. Manufacturers have been quick to recognise the changing markets and marques such as Vauxhall also offer their new cars direct to the public for a discount through their website. The overall effect of this increased competition has worked in the car-buyer's favour as prices have tended to fall across the board.

This revolution in the car trade started slowly as buyers, frustrated with high prices in the UK started to look to the continent to source their vehicles. Many entrepreneurs saw an opportunity and set themselves up as agents to handle the negotiations and paper work for clients. As prices remained high in the UK, the practise of importing new cars flourished. The inevitable consequence was that the manufacturers and dealerships had to react and by reducing prices they have largely eliminated this method of...