Last month I promised to explode a few myths which plague the world of future residual values. And what better way to start than with the simple and dangerous way of setting residual values as percentages of list price.
Carmakers and dealers are braced for a dramatic market decline this month as the official January registration figures reveal the true effect of a March plate change on annual buying patterns.
Although the past 12 months have been quite disastrous for many used car people, a more positive mood emerged ahead of January. Used car buyers returned during December and although they were inevitably cherry-picking, they were leaving with cars.
The latest Astra is hardly a thing of beauty and dealers report private new sales can be stimulated only by substantial discounting.
Although demand for Mazdas and Mitsubishis is hardly on fire, medium sector Japanese imports are generally faring well in the used market.
