Some people may have a preconceived idea about what a company car should be and look like in 2019. Within the business world, there is a tendency to converge on German saloon cars for business executives to convey wealth and power.
For small businesses or ones just starting, however, this is often unachievable. The costs associated with these large German cars, such as a Mercedes, Audi or BMW, can be extremely high. One way to work around these costs is to explore the used cars which are available, and the advantages for businesses which come from them.
There is now a massive variety of used cars for sale through a range of different providers. Due to the ever-increasing power of the internet, sites such as AutoTrader and Motors list hundreds-of-thousands of vehicles for sale at any one time. Alongside this, there are used car dealerships which have branches throughout a country, sourcing cars from a variety of locations and having the ability to move these cars around the country to satisfy customer needs. Competing against these national dealerships are local independent dealerships, some still family run and may have been around for generations. The final option is to buy a car privately, and the absolute cheapest deals will often be found when you buy directly from the owner of the car. This reduces the price as the number of parties involved looking to make money from the deal is as low as possible.
While there will be great deals to be found wherever used cars are sold, often it’s the independent dealerships where the best deals can be found. As mentioned, purchasing from a private seller may be cheaper, but you do not have the safety assurances which come from a dealership. Buying from a local independent dealership usually means lower costs than national dealerships while still having the safety checks in place. For a company car which could be doing significant mileage a year, making sure the vehicle is fully functional without any significant mechanical issues is vital. The vehicles sold from dealerships will be checked and tested before they are sold. If there are any serious mechanical issues, the dealership will either have them fixed or will not buy the car from its previous owner in the first place.
While almost all independent dealerships now also have an online presence, simply asking around the local business community can often help locate where a good deal could be found. Also looking a little further afield than your immediate location could bring the price down. If a business is based in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, looking outside the city to find other options is a good idea. For example, looking for the best used cars Aberdeen has to offer could result in lower prices than dealerships within more prominent cities.
There are several advantages to operating used cars as company cars. Firstly, the price can be significantly lower than new cars, even for used cars only one or two years old. Due to depreciation, the moment new cars are driven for the first time, their value starts to drop. While some manufacturers hold their value better than others, some can reduce in price significantly even after a very small amount of use. As such, used cars allow you to pay less for even relatively new cars, meaning you can still access the benefits which come with newer models. You can find used car financing deals on Lending Expert.
Secondly, the range of used cars available is extensive. For company cars, this is a real benefit. The requirements needed for each company car can vary drastically depending on the company. Buying a used car can allow your company to find just the right vehicle for its purpose.
Finally, some may view buying a used car to use as a business vehicle as risky due to the miles the car has already done. There can actually be some advantages to this. Buying a car which has already been running for some time allows any issues to become common knowledge. As a result, a quick internet search can highlight the problems reported with the car, relating to areas such as reliability or design practicality, and can help you avoid cars which may not be suitable to use as a company car. Compare this to buying a new car, where you have no idea what reliability issues may come after running the car for a while, which the manufacturer may not be aware of.
Overall, there are several key benefits to buying a used car to run as a company car which may not initially be apparent. Not only are you going to pay significantly less in some cases, compared to a new car, but the range of choice and the ability to identify the right vehicle for your business needs based on historical reviews can be beneficial.
