"The market this week has continued along the same lines as last week, with sales remaining very mixed.  Some sales have been good and others have been very hard work but in particular, manufacturers sales have suffered the most with both conversion and attendance rates down on past months.  I expect this trend to continue through August and into September.

The pattern of good quality, low mileage cars selling well has also continued and I see no reason why this should change with the majority of buyers always looking for nice saleable stock.   But it is very noticeable that the 100,000 mile plus cars are virtually unwanted at present and really do need to be at 'give away' money to sell them.

As we approach the end of July it is quite refreshing to see that, on the whole, the used car market is quite stable for the time of year.  But having seen signs over the last two weeks that the market for buying power is easing off, vendors need to be aware and alert on the rostrums during August if they are to maintain high percentage disposals.

The awareness of the new registration plate and new car sales is certainly having some affect on the used market. It is quite visible in the auction halls that many of the main franchise dealer buyers are missing as they concentrate on their own sites in an effort to 'move on' their used stock in readiness for September 1st."