I don't think I need to comment:

SMMT - Detailed Article

Registrations stall in stormy September

SMMT figures show weakening in consumer confidence

* New car registrations fall 21.2% in September to 330,295 units.

* Year-to-date volume is down 7.5% to 1,794,419 units.

* Diesel market share increases to 42.8% in September, but volumes fell.

* SMMT urges government to take immediate action to restore consumer confidence.

“New car registrations have fallen for the fifth consecutive month and represent the most difficult economic conditions the industry has faced in 17 years,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive. “Government action is now needed to restore consumer confidence and boost demand in the real economy. The chancellor's pre-budget report should set out a package of measures to boost demand for new fuel-efficient cars and scrap plans for unfair increases in car tax.”

But you think dealers would be more willing to make deals, but instead it seems they want to make more out of the deals they do make, i suppose they have margins to maintain like the rest of us though.

But you think dealers would be more willing to make deals, but instead it seems they want to make more out of the deals they do make, i suppose they have margins to maintain like the rest of us though.

I just got offered a cracking deal from my local Ford dealers, without even asking I got a offer a great discount and PX offer and everytime I pondered over the deal they chucked something else in.

So there are dealers out there willing to do a good deal.

Edited 6 October, 200817 yr by Blade404

What Fordyou buying, im after a Roomster though, someone on here is being very helpful, should try closer dealers though, my local one is closing down soon apparantly. Maybe theyd be willing to do a deal.

What Fordyou buying, im after a Roomster though, someone on here is being very helpful, should try closer dealers though, my local one is closing down soon apparantly. Maybe theyd be willing to do a deal.

I'm looking at another Focus...

Sub-inflation pay rise, wife on maternity leave, more economic shocks than i can shake a ****ty stick at, I think I'll sit this one out.

Sub-inflation pay rise, wife on maternity leave, more economic shocks than i can shake a ****ty stick at, I think I'll sit this one out.

Sell the little nipper (you can always make another).. blackmarket child trade is booming.. or so I'm told..

Sell the little nipper (you can always make another).. blackmarket child trade is booming.. or so I'm told..

Unfortuantely this ones quite a high spec so he's a keeper. If he was faulty or a B-grade product (a girl for instance) I could have been tempted to trade him in.

I feel sorry for the dealers. If they have manufacturer backing to flog cars at rock bottom prices OK, but if they have to do it off their own backs I can see a lot of businesses going to the wall sadly. BMW are pouring hundreds of millions into the Dealer networks to shore up the fall in business (their second hand sales are going very well I am told).

I feel sorry for the dealers. If they have manufacturer backing to flog cars at rock bottom prices OK, but if they have to do it off their own backs I can see a lot of businesses going to the wall sadly. BMW are pouring hundreds of millions into the Dealer networks to shore up the fall in business (their second hand sales are going very well I am told).

I didn't even go in there to drive a hard bargain at all, it seems I get the best offers when I'm not trying.

I feel sorry for the dealers. If they have manufacturer backing to flog cars at rock bottom prices OK, but if they have to do it off their own backs I can see a lot of businesses going to the wall sadly. BMW are pouring hundreds of millions into the Dealer networks to shore up the fall in business (their second hand sales are going very well I am told).

One of the big problems for dealers must be arranging finance for their customers. Even with manufacturer backing, there doesn't seem to be as many 0% or low% finance deals around as you might expect.

Given that all financial lenders are getting more picky about who they lend money to, this must affect car finance and hence car sales.

Skoda's current finance offers are all 8.9% whereas when I got my car 18 months ago it was only 5.5%. Seat though are doing quite a few 0% deals, which suggests their sales aren't holding up too well.

The car trade, like estate agents, are being hit by peoples reluctance to commit to big ticket items and the lack of credit - not good times for either industry.

I didn't even go in there to drive a hard bargain at all, it seems I get the best offers when I'm not trying.

Could you "not try" on my behalf at the local Lamborghini dealership

One of the big problems for dealers must be arranging finance for their customers. Even with manufacturer backing, there doesn't seem to be as many 0% or low% finance deals around as you might expect.

Given that all financial lenders are getting more picky about who they lend money to, this must affect car finance and hence car sales.

Skoda's current finance offers are all 8.9% whereas when I got my car 18 months ago it was only 5.5%. Seat though are doing quite a few 0% deals, which suggests their sales aren't holding up too well.

The car trade, like estate agents, are being hit by peoples reluctance to commit to big ticket items and the lack of credit - not good times for either industry.

I expect that the credit scores that people will need now, will be even higher. This causes a problem for people who go searching for quotes as after 5+ hits their credit score will automatically go down. In other words the more searches against your name, the harder it will be for you to get a good deal. Catch 22:(

One of the big problems for dealers must be arranging finance for their customers. Even with manufacturer backing, there doesn't seem to be as many 0% or low% finance deals around as you might expect.

Given that all financial lenders are getting more picky about who they lend money to, this must affect car finance and hence car sales.

Skoda's current finance offers are all 8.9% whereas when I got my car 18 months ago it was only 5.5%. Seat though are doing quite a few 0% deals, which suggests their sales aren't holding up too well.

The car trade, like estate agents, are being hit by peoples reluctance to commit to big ticket items and the lack of credit - not good times for either industry.

My local Ford dealers are offering 4.9% atm... not sure on the terms though.

Car sales at showrooms are desperate at the moment, I think there is a cover up as to how bad things really are. I am hearing of more and more people loosing there jobs too its only going to get worse! Frankly I think you would have to be mad to buy anything at the moment with perhaps the exception of property at the right price.

Leave your money in the bank and wait for it to be worthless as the banks collapse!! The End is Nigh!!

In the current economic climate the average person will put off any luxury expenditure. So if the car doesn't need changing they will wait until things improve. For the dealers they have the problem of too many cars & not enough customers, so if they lower their margins on less cars sold it won't be long before their overheads outstrip their sales. 'Experts' on the news warn us of a recession, well I believe we are there already. A lot of my customers in the manufacturing industries are starting to see a downturn in sales & some have started to lay off staff, the building industry is in decline, the high street sales are down, unemployment is on the rise..etc etc.:(

We're all doomed captain Mainwaring.

In the current economic climate the average person will put off any luxury expenditure. So if the car doesn't need changing they will wait until things improve. For the dealers they have the problem of too many cars & not enough customers, so if they lower their margins on less cars sold it won't be long before their overheads outstrip their sales. 'Experts' on the news warn us of a recession, well I believe we are there already. A lot of my customers in the manufacturing industries are starting to see a downturn in sales & some have started to lay off staff, the building industry is in decline, the high street sales are down, unemployment is on the rise..etc etc.:(

We're all doomed captain Mainwaring.

You'll talk us into a recession with all that negative jibber-jabber. Don't you know that tractor production figures have never been higher?

All of those city traders must be buying tractors with their million pound bonuses then.

September New Car sales figures with % difference to last year in brackets.

Alfa Romeo 796 (-44%)

Aston Martin 216 (-15.2%)

Audi 16,355 (+1.38%)

Bentley 153 (-48%)

BMW 17,860 (- 25%).

Cadillac 61 (-61%)

Chevrolet 3,416 (-11.66%)

Chrysler* 467 (-69%)

Citroen 12,284 (-22%)

Corvette 1 (-50%)

Daihatsu 1,077 (-(-18.5%)

Daimler 3 (-66.67)

Dodge* 598 (-19.65)

Fiat 9,818 (-10%)

Ford 44,631 (-23%)

Honda 12,460 (-39%)

Hummer 15 (+25%)

Hyundai 4,970 (-11%)

Jaguar 3,608 (+3.5%)

Jeep* 660 (-61%)

Kia 4,875 (-5%)

Land Rover 4,907 (-50%)

Lexus 1,894 (-44%)

Lotus 88 (-19%)

Mazda 9,506 (-1.6%)

Mercedes-Benz 14,777 (-9.1%)

MG 9 (+800%)

MINI 7,116 (-18%)

Mitsubishi 2,482 (-32%)

Nissan 12,417 (-15%)

Perodua 70 (-13.5%)

Peugeot 18,057 (-27.52%)

Porsche 561 (-33.3%

Proton 149 (-65.9%)

Renault 10,454 (-50%)

Saab 2,186 (-46%)

SEAT 4,072 (-40%)

Skoda 5,099 (-15%)

smart 1,015 (+9.26%)

Ssangyong 53 (-56%)

Subaru 652 (-40%)

Suzuki 5,868 (-19.37%)

Toyota 18,840 (-10%)

Vauxhall 42,727 (-16.5%)

Volkswagen 27,176 (-10.92%)

Volvo 5,453 (-6.5%)

Other British 92 (-4.17%)

Other Imports 210 (+12.3%)

Total Industry down by over 23%.

So far in the first 9 months of the year Skoda have sold 31, 222 new cars, only 201 down on the same period last year.Market share has increased to 1.74% from 1.62% last year.

September New Car sales figures with % difference to last year in brackets.

Hummer 15 (+25%)

It's difficult to believe there would be 15 people in one year that would want to buy a Hummer, let alone in one month!

MG 9 (+800%)

I think I'll get me some of those MG shares