Britain's obsession with the motorcar
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by: Harvey Williams
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Word Count: 1993
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 2009 Time: 11:53 PM
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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 happened? How did motoring habits change over the years without the British motorist realizing it? In the 1950's motorcars like everything else were built to last, people bought products such as cars, ovens and fridges and expected them to last a lifetime and they usually did. The cars built today, although they have a lot more safety features, are really quite flimsy compared with the cars of the Fifties; then they were heavy and solid. Nowadays a dented wing can be pulled out with a suction pad, in the fifties getting a dent out, was more like a Blacksmith's job. 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. That however is exactly what people in the UK do today, particularly with anything that is electronic, or that has electronics incorporated within it. If it goes wrong, just buy a new one it's simpler and possibly a less expensive option and this approach has also changed the motorist's attitude towards cars; the experience of
contract hire companies is that motorists now generally prefer a contract hire term of two rather than three years and some even seeking out twelve month contracts. During the last war the British learned to repair things if they went wrong and this culture continued long after the war; many motorists used to maintain their own cars, cars had the potential to last forever. A toolbox in the boot of the car was considered an essential item for many motorists. The better off would use the AA or RAC who would patrol on motorcycles and sidecars. When they spotted a member who would have an AA or RAC badge on their grill, they would salute. Nowadays heath and safety would have something to say about them taking the hand off the handlebars to salute. So how did they call the breakdown service if their car went wrong? Strategically placed at the roadside were boxes with a telephone inside, so that the motorist could phone for help. But of course only those who were members could use them; they would have a key to open the box, how the world has changed. 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. These new multi colour American looking cars that came out in the late 50's early 60's had the effect of making the cars around them look rather boring. Mostly they had the American style bench seats, which were favoured by the young, and column gear change. 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. At first the new registration appeared strange and then the penny dropped for many motorists; there was a way they could set themselves apart from other motorists and show them by their registration plate that they had the latest car. They had fallen into the trap of having the latest registration, only to find the following year that someone else was making their car look out of date. 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. Manufacturers discovered that with the number plate changing each year and more frequent model changes, motorists who otherwise would have stuck with their car, where being persuaded to change them. The new registration date wasn't ideal, the 1st of August was chaos; everybody wanted their new car delivered on that day. Although in those days most motorists were expected to turn up at the dealership to collect their new car, rather than have it delivered. 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. The manufacturers however were one step ahead of them and were introducing "facelift" models, this was far less costly that introducing a brand new model but could still have the effect of making the owner of the pre "facelift" model feel that his or her car was out of date. It usually involves relatively small changes such as different style headlights, a different grill or some other form of minor remodelling. Changes in design, that would be small enough so as not to be too expensive for the manufacturer, but noticeable enough to prompt motorists into buying a new car. 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. There will however always be some smaller workshops that specialise in a particular marque such as BMW; they will have the tools and the diagnostic equipment and will survive after other small garages have gone out of business. Their charges reflect the fact that they have had to invest in special tools and diagnostic equipment but they are nevertheless, less expensive than the main dealership. Once a vehicle is outside its warranty, it can certainly be worth considering a specialist garage. Sometimes it means travelling to find the nearest one but the savings can make travelling worth while. The marque they have chosen to specialise in is generally the cars they love, so they are often real enthusiasts and still know how to repair, rather than just replace items. Another problem facing owners of cars that are outside their warranty is electronics; Manufacturers have increasingly made cars that are very dependent on electronics. Although they would probably deny it, this is a very clever way of getting people to dispose of their used car; as they worry about electronic problems developing outside of the warranty and they are quite right to worry. Electronic problems can often be extremely difficult to cure; many motorists have experienced these problems whilst their car has been under warranty, returning the car to the dealership time after time, with the dealership apparently unable to cure the problem. Suggesting perhaps that diagnostic equipment is not the instant cure that many thought it to be. 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. The motor industry has been very smart in the way they have changed how we buy cars; It is now quite unusual for someone to chose a 4 year term when taking a car on contract hire .Gradually they have changed our perception of what is an old car from 15 to20 years to 5 or 6 years old, without us noticing it was happening. 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.
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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. vehicle hire purchasecar finance
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