Why is the type of car we drive so important to us and why do we change our cars so often? It wasn't always that way. As a result of this habit we have developed, massive industries have been built around it; the British motor industry now sells approximately 2,500,000 vehicles a year and contract hire and leasing is an enormous industry wholly dependent on us changing our cars every two or three years.
So what changed and when? In the 50's they were still building things to last; people saved up for years to buy an item that they fully expected to last them a lifetime and the motorcar was no exception. Now hardly anyone saves to buy a car and many motorists cringe with embarrassment if their car is five or six years old.
In the 50's cars were sturdy and definitely built to last. Unlike today, very heavy gauge steel was used in the body panels; it took quite an impact to dent a car panel. Head on collisions were best avoided. The cars were heavy; there was very little give in the panels.
People in England didn't travel much in the 1950's but they heard told of the American throw away culture and it all appeared quite disgraceful, buying products knowing that they would not last, indeed not wanting them to last, so they could acquire a newer version.
It didn't take long however before the British found themselves going down the same road; seeking out the more modern and newer designs of just about everything. Slowly but surely we followed the American consumer in wanting newer and more modern, in preference to durability. All this seemed to reach a peak in the late1980's when something more than a year or two old, seemed to be viewed as a relic. Many motorists today choose a 2-year contract hire term rather than 3 even when all the indications are that a 3-year contract hire term is more appropriate for their circumstances.
In post war Britain people tended to get things repaired if they went wrong and cars were no exception. Cars could run forever; the bodywork was solid and as long as the parts were available motorists could just keep repairing their own cars. The engines were fairly straightforward and there were no complicated electronics to worry about.
Eventually the penny dropped in the British motor industry, along with the manufacturers of many other products. They started to realize that if they continued to build cars so solidly with the same models that ran for years and years, why would someone go out and buy a new one?
The 50's saw the launch of Ford's Mark 2 Zephyr which followed the American design style but of course was a much smaller version of the typical American car. Vauxhall introduced the Cresta, it's style was very American right down to its white wall tyres and tail fins and it appeared to be a copy of the Packard. Two-tone paintwork was introduced with this model, which was popular. Class was not the first word that came to mind when describing this car but there were no shortage of buyers.
This new breed of cars did however make those around them look rather dull; cars had virtually all been black up until this time. Many of these new American design cars were built with much lighter gauge steel than previous models.
A new style vehicle registration plate was launched in 1963 the last digit was the letter A. It was 60 years after number plates were first issued in Britain in1903. At first the new registration plate was only issued in certain parts of the country, but it wasn't long before it became nationwide.
It looked rather odd at first, then some motorists decided they quite liked the idea of showing everyone that they had a brand new car. So they bought a new car and proudly drove around in their smart A registered car but, in what seemed like no time at all, the B registration was introduced and then they weren't so proud and this was the start of the "latest registration" trap that many motorists found themselves in.
This system changed in 1967 when the E registration came out in January but only lasted seven months and was then replaced by the F registration. August was set as the new month for vehicle registrations, which must have been a bit frustrating for the motorist that bought a new car in January 1967 thinking that he was going to have the latest registration plate for the next twelve months.
Manufacturer found that with a combination of changing models more frequently and a new registration plate each year, they had the motorist on the run. The system wasn't without its problems, it caused a massive bottleneck with regard to deliveries; the first day of August was when almost every motorist wanted his or her new car delivered, it was almost impossible to get anybody to take delivery of a car in the months prior to the change of registration. Some motorists seemed obsessed by having the latest registration.
During the 90's it was reported that new cars were being stockpiled in various remote parts of the country, in old farm buildings, aircraft hangers and fields. This was done in preference to manufacturers cutting production levels. Apparently this resulted in some motorists buying a new car to get the latest registration plate, and yet getting an older car than the one they were disposing off.
Having the latest model in everything was very much fuelled during the Thatcher years of the 1980's, when people became embarrassed about owning anything that was more than a year or two old. Some motorists not wanting to feel under pressure to change their car so frequently discovered that a personalised number plate, that had previously been adopted by the rich and famous, or those who would have quite liked to be rich and famous, was a very effective way of disguising the age of the car.
Always one step ahead the manufacturers started to bring out facelift models: This involved making small but noticeable changes to the design. This was a lot less expensive than introducing a new model and still had the desired effect; making those who had the pre facelift model, feel that their car was getting old.
2001 saw another change to the registration system; September and March were to be the months for the new registration plate, the first being the 51 plate in September for example LC 51 GWJ. Nowadays you can not only see the year of registration but also the month. It was felt that this would spread sales more evenly as motorists would be less aware of the registration plate but as any contract hire company will tell you, the peak sales months are March and September. So perhaps motorists continue to be aware of their registration plate.
Gradually other changes have taken place that would encourage motorists to change their car more often; engines have become more complicated, special tools are needed to work on certain cars and diagnostics have started to play a more important role. Motorists have found that it has become more difficult to pop into the local mechanic to get something done, because he doesn't have either the tools or the diagnostic equipment. With some cars for example, without the manufacturer's diagnostic equipment, the only way to check the oil level in the gearbox, is to empty the gearbox and refill it again.
The small garage cannot compete with this as the find themselves, in many cases having to tell the customer to go to the main agent. This is having a major impact on the cost of running a second hand car.
Many years ago many motorists worked on their own cars, for purely economic reasons and although that has reduced significantly, there are nevertheless still many motorists who cannot afford to pay someone else to work on their car. However they are finding that without diagnostic equipment and specialist tools their car cannot be repaired, so cars are now being scrapped much earlier; contract hire release cars onto the market when they are on average, three years old. By making older cars too expensive to maintain, the manufacturers are trying to ensure that there will be buyers for these three year old cars, otherwise they will be in trouble.
The small garages that will survive are those that concentrate on one manufacturer; purchasing the necessary diagnostics and tools to enable them to carry out the same level of repairs and diagnostics as the main dealership. Their hourly rate is normally a lot less than charged by the dealership.
For a motorist who has a car that is outside the warranty period and is fortunate enough to have one of these specialist garages local to them, then they can be a good alternative to the main dealership.
Real worries for motorists whose cars are outside warranty are electronic problems and their worries are not unfounded. Manufacturers wouldn't admit that their motivation is anything other than to build sophisticated cars, however many suspect this is part of a plan to shorten the life of used cars.
Mechanical problems are quite rare nowadays but electronic problems are on the increase and this strikes fear in the heart of many motorists, because they have heard stories of electronic faults that take weeks and sometimes months to cure, or may have experienced them whilst their vehicle was under warranty.
Not unnaturally the motorist starts to imagine what the cost of all this would be if the car were outside of the warranty. One solution would be to take out the manufacturer's extended warranty, although only a minority do so, with many more opting to change their car.
Many motorists would like to attach less importance to the type and age of car they drive and would be happy to change less frequently if others did. But of course others are not going to. It's partly to do with self esteem; many quite illogically, feel inferior if a newer or smarter car drives past them, although interestingly those that drive the more expensive cars do not generally feel superior to those who have a lesser car.
We have to accept that the manufacturers have been extremely clever with their advertising and well thought out strategy to get us to buy more cars. And motor manufacturers and the contract hire and leasing industry are destined remain multi billion pound industries even though many of us would like to get out of the trap we find ourselves in.
Should you have any queries or questions with regard to Fleet Management, Licence checking Contract Hire, Personal Contract Hire, Lease Purchase or vehicle Hire Purchase, please do not hesitate to contact us. Bowater Price plc 01494 536 536. www.bowaterprice.com. - 15224
So what changed and when? In the 50's they were still building things to last; people saved up for years to buy an item that they fully expected to last them a lifetime and the motorcar was no exception. Now hardly anyone saves to buy a car and many motorists cringe with embarrassment if their car is five or six years old.
In the 50's cars were sturdy and definitely built to last. Unlike today, very heavy gauge steel was used in the body panels; it took quite an impact to dent a car panel. Head on collisions were best avoided. The cars were heavy; there was very little give in the panels.
People in England didn't travel much in the 1950's but they heard told of the American throw away culture and it all appeared quite disgraceful, buying products knowing that they would not last, indeed not wanting them to last, so they could acquire a newer version.
It didn't take long however before the British found themselves going down the same road; seeking out the more modern and newer designs of just about everything. Slowly but surely we followed the American consumer in wanting newer and more modern, in preference to durability. All this seemed to reach a peak in the late1980's when something more than a year or two old, seemed to be viewed as a relic. Many motorists today choose a 2-year contract hire term rather than 3 even when all the indications are that a 3-year contract hire term is more appropriate for their circumstances.
In post war Britain people tended to get things repaired if they went wrong and cars were no exception. Cars could run forever; the bodywork was solid and as long as the parts were available motorists could just keep repairing their own cars. The engines were fairly straightforward and there were no complicated electronics to worry about.
Eventually the penny dropped in the British motor industry, along with the manufacturers of many other products. They started to realize that if they continued to build cars so solidly with the same models that ran for years and years, why would someone go out and buy a new one?
The 50's saw the launch of Ford's Mark 2 Zephyr which followed the American design style but of course was a much smaller version of the typical American car. Vauxhall introduced the Cresta, it's style was very American right down to its white wall tyres and tail fins and it appeared to be a copy of the Packard. Two-tone paintwork was introduced with this model, which was popular. Class was not the first word that came to mind when describing this car but there were no shortage of buyers.
This new breed of cars did however make those around them look rather dull; cars had virtually all been black up until this time. Many of these new American design cars were built with much lighter gauge steel than previous models.
A new style vehicle registration plate was launched in 1963 the last digit was the letter A. It was 60 years after number plates were first issued in Britain in1903. At first the new registration plate was only issued in certain parts of the country, but it wasn't long before it became nationwide.
It looked rather odd at first, then some motorists decided they quite liked the idea of showing everyone that they had a brand new car. So they bought a new car and proudly drove around in their smart A registered car but, in what seemed like no time at all, the B registration was introduced and then they weren't so proud and this was the start of the "latest registration" trap that many motorists found themselves in.
This system changed in 1967 when the E registration came out in January but only lasted seven months and was then replaced by the F registration. August was set as the new month for vehicle registrations, which must have been a bit frustrating for the motorist that bought a new car in January 1967 thinking that he was going to have the latest registration plate for the next twelve months.
Manufacturer found that with a combination of changing models more frequently and a new registration plate each year, they had the motorist on the run. The system wasn't without its problems, it caused a massive bottleneck with regard to deliveries; the first day of August was when almost every motorist wanted his or her new car delivered, it was almost impossible to get anybody to take delivery of a car in the months prior to the change of registration. Some motorists seemed obsessed by having the latest registration.
During the 90's it was reported that new cars were being stockpiled in various remote parts of the country, in old farm buildings, aircraft hangers and fields. This was done in preference to manufacturers cutting production levels. Apparently this resulted in some motorists buying a new car to get the latest registration plate, and yet getting an older car than the one they were disposing off.
Having the latest model in everything was very much fuelled during the Thatcher years of the 1980's, when people became embarrassed about owning anything that was more than a year or two old. Some motorists not wanting to feel under pressure to change their car so frequently discovered that a personalised number plate, that had previously been adopted by the rich and famous, or those who would have quite liked to be rich and famous, was a very effective way of disguising the age of the car.
Always one step ahead the manufacturers started to bring out facelift models: This involved making small but noticeable changes to the design. This was a lot less expensive than introducing a new model and still had the desired effect; making those who had the pre facelift model, feel that their car was getting old.
2001 saw another change to the registration system; September and March were to be the months for the new registration plate, the first being the 51 plate in September for example LC 51 GWJ. Nowadays you can not only see the year of registration but also the month. It was felt that this would spread sales more evenly as motorists would be less aware of the registration plate but as any contract hire company will tell you, the peak sales months are March and September. So perhaps motorists continue to be aware of their registration plate.
Gradually other changes have taken place that would encourage motorists to change their car more often; engines have become more complicated, special tools are needed to work on certain cars and diagnostics have started to play a more important role. Motorists have found that it has become more difficult to pop into the local mechanic to get something done, because he doesn't have either the tools or the diagnostic equipment. With some cars for example, without the manufacturer's diagnostic equipment, the only way to check the oil level in the gearbox, is to empty the gearbox and refill it again.
The small garage cannot compete with this as the find themselves, in many cases having to tell the customer to go to the main agent. This is having a major impact on the cost of running a second hand car.
Many years ago many motorists worked on their own cars, for purely economic reasons and although that has reduced significantly, there are nevertheless still many motorists who cannot afford to pay someone else to work on their car. However they are finding that without diagnostic equipment and specialist tools their car cannot be repaired, so cars are now being scrapped much earlier; contract hire release cars onto the market when they are on average, three years old. By making older cars too expensive to maintain, the manufacturers are trying to ensure that there will be buyers for these three year old cars, otherwise they will be in trouble.
The small garages that will survive are those that concentrate on one manufacturer; purchasing the necessary diagnostics and tools to enable them to carry out the same level of repairs and diagnostics as the main dealership. Their hourly rate is normally a lot less than charged by the dealership.
For a motorist who has a car that is outside the warranty period and is fortunate enough to have one of these specialist garages local to them, then they can be a good alternative to the main dealership.
Real worries for motorists whose cars are outside warranty are electronic problems and their worries are not unfounded. Manufacturers wouldn't admit that their motivation is anything other than to build sophisticated cars, however many suspect this is part of a plan to shorten the life of used cars.
Mechanical problems are quite rare nowadays but electronic problems are on the increase and this strikes fear in the heart of many motorists, because they have heard stories of electronic faults that take weeks and sometimes months to cure, or may have experienced them whilst their vehicle was under warranty.
Not unnaturally the motorist starts to imagine what the cost of all this would be if the car were outside of the warranty. One solution would be to take out the manufacturer's extended warranty, although only a minority do so, with many more opting to change their car.
Many motorists would like to attach less importance to the type and age of car they drive and would be happy to change less frequently if others did. But of course others are not going to. It's partly to do with self esteem; many quite illogically, feel inferior if a newer or smarter car drives past them, although interestingly those that drive the more expensive cars do not generally feel superior to those who have a lesser car.
We have to accept that the manufacturers have been extremely clever with their advertising and well thought out strategy to get us to buy more cars. And motor manufacturers and the contract hire and leasing industry are destined remain multi billion pound industries even though many of us would like to get out of the trap we find ourselves in.
Should you have any queries or questions with regard to Fleet Management, Licence checking Contract Hire, Personal Contract Hire, Lease Purchase or vehicle Hire Purchase, please do not hesitate to contact us. Bowater Price plc 01494 536 536. www.bowaterprice.com. - 15224
About the Author:
For more information about contract hire, lease purchase, finance lease or vehicle hire purchase in the UK please contact Bowater Price plc 01494 536 536.
