Getting ready for 60-reg: five ways to a top deal

11/08/10

Thinking of buying a new car in time for the change to the ‘60’ registration plate, which comes in on Sept 1? It’s a good plan.

And if you haven’t placed an order yet, don’t worry, because there are still plenty of great deals to be had, writes Ray Castle of motors.co.uk. There are so many, in fact, that choosing the one that works best for you can be hard.
Relax, though. Here we’ve sifted out some of the best deals for you and backed them with sure-fire buying tips, using our trade insider’s knowledge. Here’s our guide:

1 Go for older, run-out models
Nissan’s faithful friend of a supermini, the Micra, is one such. The current one’s been with us since 2003. And with its replacement due in showrooms by the end of the year, Nissan is offering a meaty £2000 off list price. To qualify, all you need is a car at least seven years old to part-exchange, and in return a new Micra will be yours from £6500. Buying an ‘old’ model like this mixes good things and bad. It’s good because you buy a proven design at a low price. But the drawback is that it’ll lose value rapidly from new and so won’t fetch much when the time comes for trade-in.
All main dealers offer the £2k trade-in provided that you sign up before the end of September.

2 Think about an all-in-one package
These bundle together the costs of buying and running a car into a single monthly payment. They’re great for young drivers who have spare cash but don’t have much savings (to use as a deposit). It can also be a way to offset the huge car insurance bills they often face. A 21-year-old living in London can easily pay £239 a month for comprehensive cover on a small car, where a scheme such as Peugeot’s ‘Just Add Fuel’ puts them at the wheel of a 107 for £197 monthly. This package provides the car, insurance, road tax, breakdown cover and servicing.

3 Settle for delivery mid-September, or even later
It’s great to have the fun of driving a new car fresh on Setpember 1, the day that the plate changes. But unless you really need to get one up on your work-mates or neighbours, it’s wiser to delay delivery for a couple of weeks. Typically, more new cars join the UK’s roads on September 1 than at any other day of the year except for March 1, which marks the first of the annual plate changes.

Even with the best-laid plans, dealers can struggle to deliver so many cars at once. So, for a more leisurely handover and an immaculately checked and cleaned car, leave it until later. And, looking ahead, all those cars will need servicing at about the same time and, after three years, will be due a MoT test, too. There’s even a chance that the dealer will reward you with a keener price then he or she would give for Sept 1 delivery.

4 Get an in-demand car, cheaper or quicker
Set your heart on a Mini Cooper, Fiat 500, an A3 cabrio or another model that’s a favourite right now? Dealers’ order books may be bulging. Most buyers are fixed on the paint colour/cabin trim combo they prefer and have a list of must-have extras, too. But if you’re not fussy about paint and have ready cash, it’s possible to pick up a cancelled order at a bargain price.

To put yourself in line for one, prepare to put in some legwork: visit dealers and explain your position. It mayn’t come to anything but you could strike lucky. Take a shrewd look before you buy, though. Oddball colour choices and a lavish, throw-it-all-on approach to extras could make for a bad investment come trade-in time.

5 Buying a 60-plate, pre-registered
This will work only if you’re patient, then move fast. Pre-registered cars are effectively ‘new’ except that someone else’s name appears first on the owner’s documents . If past years are anything to go by, 60-reg cars will turn up for sale within days if not hours of September 1. Car supermarkets and dealers specialising in pre-registered cars are the places most likely to have them.

Check motors.co.uk in the week after Sept 1 for details of such cars, pop down to the selling dealer and...job done! A new 60-plate car at a big saving. And, apart from your insurer and the DVLA, no-one else need know that it wasn’t anything other than spanking new when you bought.

For more great car buying advice and to view and buy new and second-hand cars, click on to motors.co.uk. Surf the web using your mobile phone? Go to motors.co.uk's mobile site or text ‘motors’ to 65056 and we’ll send you a link. If you’ve an iPhone, you can download the motors.co.uk app for free. Go to the ‘utilities’ section of the iTunes store.