September 30, 2011
AutoeBid New Car Sales Round-up September 2011
Welcome to the first AutoeBid monthly round-up. We’ll be bringing you the latest on our sales of new cars, as well as highlighting some of the most useful aspects of our website. You’ll also be able to see what other customers have been saying about AutoeBid recently.
Bestselling new cars from AutoeBid
The Skoda Yeti is our top seller of September – though the Nissan Juke Hatchback runs it a close second. The Skoda Yeti also continues to top our list of bestsellers among all buyers for 2011. It’s outstripping nearest rival the Nissan Juke Hatchback by more than two to one.
The Ford Fiesta Hatchback has been a consistent seller on AutoeBid over the past four years, so it’s no surprise to see it among the favourites for our female buyers in 2011.
Have a look at the kind of deals you can get on a new Skoda Yeti by using AutoeBid’s unique reverse auction process.
If you’re not sure yet what make or model you want, the AutoeBid buying a vehicle page gives you a bite-size guide, with handy links to all the different makes.
In the news on AutoeBid this week
We’ve introduced some chances to our home page to make if even easier for you to find the best deals and take advantage of our range of blogs and features.
This week on AutoeBid you can read about:
- The healthy performance of the UK used car market, with overall sales of £35 billion last year.
- Plans by Controlled Power Technologies (CPT) to create a 48-volt version of its electric supercharger
- Our motoring blog has highlighted the best time to buy a new car and talked about some rather old-fashioned attitudes towards women drivers.
What AutoeBid customers are saying
At AutoeBid we bring you new car reviews to help you make the most informed choice. But we know that feedback from recent buyers is even more important. Here’s a quick recap of what you’ve been saying to us about your new cars:
- “At least 4 ½ star rating” says a satisfied Skoda Yeti customer, who also talks about the amount of room and the versatility of the car.
- “Great sporty hatchback with every bell & whistle you could wish for” enthused a Ford Fiesta Hatchback buyer earlier this month.
- “The engine noise is higher at lower speeds” said a Nissan Qashqai Hatchback buyer.
Making AutoeBid work for you
It’s not just the cars that get reviewed here on AutoeBid. We want to hear what you think about us, too.
Our buyers come from all walks of life and all parts of the country, but we know you’re all looking for the best possible deals. Have a look at how some recent buyers have reviewed our service.
Remember, whether you’re in the market for an SVU, a green car, or help with car insurance, AutoeBid has everything you need.
Before you leave the house, why not check out our dealer directory.
Don’t forget you can call us on 0800 033 6022 9am-6pm Monday-Friday, and we’ll do our best to help.
September 27, 2011
Women drivers still battle sexist attitudes
“When a woman’s at the wheel, Polyglas means more than mileage.”
It’s probably exaggerating to say that this Goodyear tyres advert from 1967 is the most sexist of all time. After all, there’s so much competition for that dubious accolade.
Leaving aside that dodgy spelling of Polyglas, this 60-second commercial isn’t just an amusing museum piece in terms of its attitudes and production. With more than a million hits on YouTube this advert is still right at the cutting edge of the debate about attitudes towards women drivers.
I use the word “debate” with some hesitation to describe what takes place on forums like YouTube and Twitter these days. I should warn that if you’re of a sensitive disposition many of the comments posted under the Polyglas video are highly offensive to women — in any decade.
“Dear Goodyear, please place this commercial back on the networks. But not from 5pm-6:30pm because that’s the time women are cooking dinner.” (anonymous poster, 2011)
Is it naive of me to admit that I can’t believe how many of these “women belong in the kitchen” comments I’ve seen on message boards recently?
Putting the outrage aside, though, it is interesting just how quickly and how easily some male commenters fall into the same lazy and misogynistic patterns when the subject of women behind the wheel is raised.
Some might claim that joking about old adverts is just harmless fun and that any woman who objects to being ridiculed is simply lacking the humour gene. Wrong. It is good to be able to laugh about sexual stereotypes — sometimes — but the debate has to move beyond that playground level.
I’d like to think that these chauvinists are in the minority. But it really doesn’t help women drivers in 2011 to feel that there’s still this groundswell of sexist opinion circulating on the internet and permeating into the “real” world.
On a positive note, there are some great websites out there now, like the FOXY Ladies Drivers Club in the UK and Women-Drivers.com in the US. These sites help put women drivers in touch with female-friendly dealers and services, as well as providing a safe and non-sexist environment for ladies to discuss motoring issues.
In an ideal world, women drivers wouldn’t have to seek out women-only sites for their motoring needs. They should know that every site is like AutoeBid — a place for information and not denigration.
September 26, 2011
The best time to buy a car
When is the best time to buy a car? If your drive to work this morning ended in a tow to the garage, you may already have the answer to that question. Yes, sometimes the timing of your biggest purchase of the year will come down to necessity rather than choice.
After eight years of operating our highly successful reverse car auction process, AutoeBid knows a thing or two about getting you the best deals. So whether you’re a first-time buyer or a seasoned negotiator, here are some of our top tips for picking the best time to buy a car.
Buy your car in the "low" season
It might sound counter-intuitive but summer isn’t the best time to buy that convertible you’ve had your eye on. Wait until barbecue season is over and dealers will be hungrier and more open to negotiating. Call it delayed gratification, but your bank balance will look healthier for it. At the other end of the scale, if you’re in the market for an off-roader — then summer is the best time to buy a car. You’ll be in a better position to get a great deal — especially if you buy through AutoeBid.
Buy your car later — buy cheaper
Good things come to he or she who waits. If you’re someone who regularly books their holiday just days before departure, you’ll know that timing is everything. So before you head off to your local car dealer, check your calendar and try to hit:
- The end of the quarter
- The end of the month
- The end of the week
That’s right: Friday afternoon is a great time to choose the car dealership over a lingering lunch in the pub. You’ll get the dealer’s attention and you might get a bargain.
Remember, salesmen live and die by their targets. You want to be approaching them at a time when they’re keen to "close". That’s usually when a month or quarter is drawing to a close and they’re under pressure to make their figures look as good as possible.
Autumn car bargain or early Christmas present?
Think of it as early Christmas shopping or getting a jump on the sales, but October-December is often the best time to buy a car. You’ll often find that dealers are offering generous discounts then because they want to clear stock before the new models arrive in January.
If you can drag yourself off the sofa, that "dead" post-Christmas period will also find dealers full of seasonal good cheer. They want to keep those order books ticking over and you’ll be welcomed with open arms.
Here are a few more tips to bear in mind:
Wait until the new plate vehicles are released and you might pick up a great deal on a previous plate model.
Consider buying the previous generation car at the time the new model is first launched.
Above all, be flexible!
Of course we think the best time to buy a car is when AutoeBid’s network of more than 1,500 registered suppliers have had a chance to compete for your business. So why not give it a try?
September 19, 2011
Are UK online car sales failing to wow women buyers?
“Women, for pity’s sake don’t drive” concludes Harry Enfield’s public service announcement spoofing the bad old days of male chauvinism. Has anything changed? Every new survey about women car buyers in the UK suggests that they’re still confronting old-fashioned attitudes on the forecourt and beyond.
For many UK consumers the internet is now their first choice for grocery shopping, DVDs or even a new TV. When it comes to buying cars, British motorists are happy to do their research online. But they still favour traditional dealerships over UK online car sales through sites like AutoeBid. Bridging that confidence gap is an even bigger issue for female car buyers.
In June 2011, research by Mintel revealed that 200,000 new and used cars were bought online in the UK during 2010. That sounds like a big number — until you put it in the context of 8.1 million total car sales during the period.
The problem isn’t down to a lack of options. The choice for UK online car sales ranges from car supermarkets, online brokers and eBay Motors to AutoeBid’s award-winning reverse car auction process.
In 2008, a survey by the FOXY Lady Drivers Club of 332 of its members showed that respondents wanted access to more unbiased information from dealers before the hard sell kicked in. The Club’s Director Steph Savill felt that female buyers were caught between the pitfalls of the local dealership and “online websites where the deal might look better but the service less personal, regardless of gender”.
UK online car sales will continue to grow steadily as more buyers make the leap from web-based research to actually handing over their money. At AutoeBid we think websites should be part of the solution for female car buyers seeking a better deal. After all, women account for almost 50 per cent of the UK’s driving population.
AutoeBid is committed to making this site attractive and user-friendly to male and female buyers of all ages. We’d particularly like to hear from women who’ve recently bought a car through this or any other online site:
- How did your experience compare with buying a car through your local dealer?
- Are there any changes you’d like to see to the AutoeBid site?
- Would you recommend us to your friends and family?
You can get in touch through this website or via our Twitter account or Facebook page.
May 11, 2011
Watch AutoeBid’s new 2011 Advert
Watch our new Ad…
May 11, 2010
Auto eBid announce sponsorship of Chris Pye Motorsports
Auto eBid are pleased to announce that we have become the latest sponsor of Chris Pye Motorsport.
If you haven’t heard of Chris Pye Motorsport here’s a summary. He is part of family that have petrol running through their veins.
Not only does 36-year-old Chris race in the Oval Track Legend Car Series. His family have a legendary racing status, which was started with his Father Ian Pye who started rallying in the 70’s.
He took over the team over from his inspirational father and now the whole family is involved. His son and daughter are both racers in the junior mini’s.
Chris and his family have been dedicated to racing for many years and Chris will return to the Legends Cars formula in 2010, in his 1937 Chevy Coupe. The Yamaha XJ1200 lightweight “Pocket Rockets” have been a big hit since arriving in the UK in the mid 90′s.
And now Auto eBid is the proud sponsor of Chris Pye Motorsport and we wish him and his racing family every success in the future.
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