Our automotive money-saving guru Mike Rutherford writes about a Ford dealership offering a huge 37pc off a new Ford Focus 1.8i Zetec five-door.
According to a slightly scary media organisation which monitors such things, I've written about BMW, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Government, Labour, London, Toyota, VAT and Vauxhall more than anything else in recent years.
Apparently, of all the firms in the world, Uncle Henry's Ford Motor Company is the one I mention most. I didn't know this until the monitoring experts informed me.
Ford is still, in terms of sales/registrations at least, Britain's number one car company. However, that's very different from saying it's the biggest car maker in Britain. Fact is, it's not even a small one, because no Ford-badged cars have been made here for years.
That's worrying, but of even greater concern is Ford's official but bizarre pricing philosophy, its absurdly optimistic published price lists, and the colossal discounts the retail customer must secure before he or she gets the desired car at the appropriate price.
I don't believe there are prospective buyers in Britain who genuinely think that a modest family car such as the five-door Ford Focus 1.8i Zetec with a few added extras is appropriately priced at - wait for it - just under £21,000. Such an official price isn't just excessive, it's an insult to the consumer.
But what sort of discount is appropriate... and achievable? A couple of months ago in this column I advised Telegraph readers to haggle for discounts of about 28 per cent (the "going rate" at the time) when negotiating for a new Focus.
Within the last few days a leading franchised Ford retailer, Evans Halshaw, has blown my suggested percentage discount out of the water by loudly claiming that it will give buyers of the Focus 1.8i Zetec five-door a full 37 per cent off.
Better still, this colossal price drop represents a saving of precisely £7,721 which is enough to buy a brand new supermini as an additional urban runaround.
There are strings attached to this deal, the main one being that the car must be bought on finance over 24 months. But the required deposit is low (£3,129) as is the interest rate (3.9 per cent APR) and therefore interest charges (totalling just £621 over two years) are not excessive. With those loan repayment fees added, the car costs £13,619, and this vehicle at this all-in price is tempting.
As is the same dealership's offer on the Fiesta 1.25i Zetec three-door at about 24 per cent off (I mentioned 23 per cent two months ago) which represents a saving of £3,306 and results in an on-the-road price (again, including all interest charges) of £11,045.
It's good to see a franchisee such as Evans Halshaw (0844 556 1581) getting real by selling new Zetec-engined cars for what they're worth, rather than what Ford's official catalogues say they should be officially priced at.
But don't necessarily assume that this dealership is offering the cheapest Fords in Britain. Rival Ford garages might be even cheaper. And, as always, check out independent outlets such as Motorpoint.
* Armed with the £7,721 saving on the Focus mentioned above, what second car might you consider? How about the Kia Picanto Strike, the first (but almost certainly not the last) football-themed model of the summer? Trouble is, it's £7,777, although my advice would be to try and secure one for a round £7,000 cash.
In case you're wondering about Kia's obsession with the number seven, it relates the the length (in years) of the warranty that comes with every new Kia. No other company offers customers in Britain a longer guarantee.
* "You pay what we pay" was the curious promise being made by the staff at Invicta Ford (0844 856 4129) during the past month. "For the first time ever, all our customers can enjoy the financial benefit of Ford Employee Pricing across a selection of the new range," they said.
But don't assume that a staff discount is necessarily the biggest discount available. I know a senior executive at BMW HQ and he insists that the price cuts being offered by some independent dealers are greater than those he manages to squeezes out of his employer.
* June is Megane Month says Renault, and that means the Hatch Expression 1.6 at £11,995 (saving £3,660) and the Coupé I-Music at £14,595 (£2,860 off).
* The best value 4x4 at the minute? The Jeep Patriot which, for me, is the spiritual successor to the original, slab-sided Cherokee. The Patriot is surprisingly well equipped (with AC, plus an impressive electronic stability programme), and life behind the wheel is more engaging and entertaining that you might imagine.
I achieved about 40mpg in the diesel version. Astonishingly, the Patriot range starts at just £14,995 which puts it in supermini territory. At this price, the Jeep is genuinely unbeatable
According to a slightly scary media organisation which monitors such things, I've written about BMW, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Government, Labour, London, Toyota, VAT and Vauxhall more than anything else in recent years.
Apparently, of all the firms in the world, Uncle Henry's Ford Motor Company is the one I mention most. I didn't know this until the monitoring experts informed me.
Ford is still, in terms of sales/registrations at least, Britain's number one car company. However, that's very different from saying it's the biggest car maker in Britain. Fact is, it's not even a small one, because no Ford-badged cars have been made here for years.
That's worrying, but of even greater concern is Ford's official but bizarre pricing philosophy, its absurdly optimistic published price lists, and the colossal discounts the retail customer must secure before he or she gets the desired car at the appropriate price.
I don't believe there are prospective buyers in Britain who genuinely think that a modest family car such as the five-door Ford Focus 1.8i Zetec with a few added extras is appropriately priced at - wait for it - just under £21,000. Such an official price isn't just excessive, it's an insult to the consumer.
But what sort of discount is appropriate... and achievable? A couple of months ago in this column I advised Telegraph readers to haggle for discounts of about 28 per cent (the "going rate" at the time) when negotiating for a new Focus.
Within the last few days a leading franchised Ford retailer, Evans Halshaw, has blown my suggested percentage discount out of the water by loudly claiming that it will give buyers of the Focus 1.8i Zetec five-door a full 37 per cent off.
Better still, this colossal price drop represents a saving of precisely £7,721 which is enough to buy a brand new supermini as an additional urban runaround.
There are strings attached to this deal, the main one being that the car must be bought on finance over 24 months. But the required deposit is low (£3,129) as is the interest rate (3.9 per cent APR) and therefore interest charges (totalling just £621 over two years) are not excessive. With those loan repayment fees added, the car costs £13,619, and this vehicle at this all-in price is tempting.
As is the same dealership's offer on the Fiesta 1.25i Zetec three-door at about 24 per cent off (I mentioned 23 per cent two months ago) which represents a saving of £3,306 and results in an on-the-road price (again, including all interest charges) of £11,045.
It's good to see a franchisee such as Evans Halshaw (0844 556 1581) getting real by selling new Zetec-engined cars for what they're worth, rather than what Ford's official catalogues say they should be officially priced at.
But don't necessarily assume that this dealership is offering the cheapest Fords in Britain. Rival Ford garages might be even cheaper. And, as always, check out independent outlets such as Motorpoint.
* Armed with the £7,721 saving on the Focus mentioned above, what second car might you consider? How about the Kia Picanto Strike, the first (but almost certainly not the last) football-themed model of the summer? Trouble is, it's £7,777, although my advice would be to try and secure one for a round £7,000 cash.
In case you're wondering about Kia's obsession with the number seven, it relates the the length (in years) of the warranty that comes with every new Kia. No other company offers customers in Britain a longer guarantee.
* "You pay what we pay" was the curious promise being made by the staff at Invicta Ford (0844 856 4129) during the past month. "For the first time ever, all our customers can enjoy the financial benefit of Ford Employee Pricing across a selection of the new range," they said.
But don't assume that a staff discount is necessarily the biggest discount available. I know a senior executive at BMW HQ and he insists that the price cuts being offered by some independent dealers are greater than those he manages to squeezes out of his employer.
* June is Megane Month says Renault, and that means the Hatch Expression 1.6 at £11,995 (saving £3,660) and the Coupé I-Music at £14,595 (£2,860 off).
* The best value 4x4 at the minute? The Jeep Patriot which, for me, is the spiritual successor to the original, slab-sided Cherokee. The Patriot is surprisingly well equipped (with AC, plus an impressive electronic stability programme), and life behind the wheel is more engaging and entertaining that you might imagine.
I achieved about 40mpg in the diesel version. Astonishingly, the Patriot range starts at just £14,995 which puts it in supermini territory. At this price, the Jeep is genuinely unbeatable
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