Parkers Car Guide - Company details

Those looking to buy a car in the current climate should press for discounts of up to 20 per cent, said Kieran Puffett, editor of Parker’s Car Price Guide. “A year ago you could have expected to get about 10 per cent off the list price,” he added. “Now, the cheekier the offer, the better.” Richard Headland, motoring editor of Which?, said: “If you’ve got the money, it’s a pretty great time to buy cars. Dealers are actively having to encourage people to come in and buy. ... read more

Buying a new small car in future could more of a guarantee of stable depreciation than ever. Parker’s depreciation studies over the last few years have shown that small cars are invariably the safest bets to minimise the amount of cash lost in car ownership. Not only do they sip fuel, but in outright cash terms, they depreciate the least. In the March budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an overhaul of the road tax system beginning next year. Ultimately people who choose the ... read more

Tempting as it may be to dash out and snap up one of the ‘08′ registration cars, motorists should think carefully about how quickly new cars lose their value. Car supermarkets are also a good hunting ground for secondhand motors and will often include ex-demonstrators, ex-fleet cars and other used cars. To find one in your area, log on to www.car-supermarkets.com. Take with you a guide such as Parker’s Car Price Guide or What Car? to help you compare prices and watch out for ... read more

Car manufacturers find valuable economies of scale by sharing ‘platforms’ or sets of components. One such project is the Saab 9-3 which, with some different bodywork and interior trim, is the Cadillac BLS. Cadillac has now launched the BLS Wagon. Cadillac has also said there is to be parity of pricing between petrol and diesel and between saloon and Wagon. And BLS models will only be available as one high-spec model with leather and satellite navigation as standard. This means a 180bhp ... read more

Smaller cars experienced the biggest growth during 2007, which could mean buyers are downsizing, perhaps encouraged by car dimensions ‘up-sizing’. More small cars are being fitted with fuel-saving technology – although at a price – which should reduce running costs in the long term. Several cars on sale in 2008 now exceed more than 70mpg in the officially recorded average, better than anything petrol-electric hybrids (which use an electric motor and a conventional petrol engine) have ... read more

The Lexus IS is the most reliable car in the UK, according to research carried out by Parker’s car price guide. It is followed by the Honda Civic, Toyota Yaris, Honda Jazz and Honda Accord. As usual, the Japanese marques dominate. ... read more