I’m sorry who are the government kidding with this lousy scrappage grant. Let me paint a picture for you, you’re driving a 2000 Ford Fiesta worth in the region of £1000, if you wanted to get a new Ford Fiesta it would cost in the region of £10000. Now stop me if I’m being a total fool, but what makes the government think that someone who is driving an old motor can suddenly afford to splash out £10000 for a new one. The funniest thing about all this is that, I could trade in a fairly low polluting one litre car and buy a Bentley probably one of the most polluting cars in the world and still get the £2000 grant. The government appears to have abandoned any notions that the scrappage scheme is an environmentally-friendly plan. It has probably not imposed a maximum…

January has been an odd month really, here at A1 we have found it difficult to source run of the mill cars and stock levels at our suppliers have been dwindling. There are a few reasons we think for this situation. Firstly dealers had let stock levels run down throughout the later part of 2008 and January has seen replenishment of their stock levels. Secondly due to the credit crunch all the major hire companies have decided to run their vehicles for longer meaning less stock between 3-12 months old. This has kept prices from falling at such rates as we have seen last year, in fact if anything prices on some models could have seen a slight increase from November last year. We do however expect the situation to change throughout February and into March, with more nearly new vehicles becoming available and…

Here at A1 we love Fords, they are great cars and have come along way since the dark days of the late eighties to late nineties. They were of course complete pants back then and if you bought one then shame on you. Since the launch of the first Focus back in 1998, Ford have been going from strength to strength. In my opinion they have the best overall range of cars, better than any other manufacturer in the world. There is one thing that really lets them down though and that is styling. The new Mondeo is ok, but take a look around the range and you will find some painfully ugly motors. The current Fiesta, Fusion, Focus and C-Max’s are total pigs, aesthetically hideous in every way. If you buy one, it will be because of the view and feel from inside, certainly…

New car sales have fallen to a 17 years low, according to the official SMMT figures. Registrations may have plummeted by more than 21 per cent decline in September and the figure could well be as much as 25 per cent, The Times newspaper has learnt. This would be the quickest decline in sales since 1991 and we all know what was going on with the economy then. This downturn is affecting every new car sector, especially larger vehicles or cars with high running costs. Every sector has been hit with people scared off by buying new, instead preferring to find a better value for money option. This decline is yet another kick in the teeth for an automotive industry currently ravaged by the credit crunch. Many British manufacturers and retailers are announcing massive layoffs or complete closures. When will we see this trend…