If you’re seriously thinking about upgrading your car in 2017, there are plenty of good reasons why you should ‘step on it’, and start looking early in the new year.

And it’s also a good time to be looking around for quality used cars in Oswestry and west Shropshire, because as the new year opens, we’re looking back on a record year for car sales.

The first 11 months of 2016 saw a record number of new cars registered in the UK, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. And taking this to the logical next step, that means more used cars being traded in, as the people taking delivery of a latest 16- or 66-reg car during the year will have swapped their old transport so that they can have the benefit of driving around in something carrying the latest number plate.

The Trickle-Down Effect

Stop and think for a minute of how many cars with these reg plates you’ve seen around on your travels. Of course, that means lots of people have been taking advantage of low interest rates to realise their dreams of being able to travel around in a new car.

But equally, that means similarly high numbers of quality used cars hitting the market, many of them for the first time since they were brand new.

And then, all this has a ‘trickle-down’ effect through the rest of the motor trade, as people buying their first and subsequent new cars trade in their older models. So in turn, trusted local used car specialists, such as Philip Paul, with our fingers on the pulse and keen eye for any great four-wheeled deal, have a wide choice of vehicles to take our pick from.

That’s where we put our decades of experience of working in the motor trade to good use, and combine this with an intimate knowledge of the kinds of vehicles which are top of the shopping lists of buyers around our area.

 

Relying On Our Expertise

We’ve been buying and selling cars for a living for many years now, and that means we’ve made it our job to be constantly on the lookout for examples which we think will uphold our sound reputation for great value and no-nonsense good deals.

It’s far more than just a nine-to-five job - but we do it because we love cars so much, and because we also love the satisfaction of bringing together keen buyers with the car they’ve been looking for, and putting together a deal which means owning it is a pleasure.

Because we’re independent, we can take our pick from any cars we’re offered for sale, through our extensive contacts in the trade and private sellers. There’s no pressure for us to sell any individual make of car, so we can concentrate on hunting down the best of every category - from people-carriers, through sporty models, to the myriad of small and nippy city cars now out there.

So whether you’re in the market for a Mercedes, are tracking down a trusty Toyota, or have a particular penchant for a Peugeot, we aim to make it easy for you to find what you’re looking for.

Keeping a strong turnover of cars is very important to us - but that certainly doesn’t mean that we cut any corners in presenting every one at its best. We take time to carefully check over every car before it’s put on sale, then spend plenty more making sure that it looks the business.

More Than Just Skin Deep

Of course, you don’t just get a car you can trust from Philip Paul. We also shopped around carefully before deciding on which provider to partner with for our customers’ extended used car warranty packages.

We eventually settled with Warrantywise, a company whose main product has been enhanced by the involvement of former Top Gear presenter Quentin Willson. He wanted to take much of the chance out of buying a used car, by putting together a range of warranty and used car service plan products which are based on solid, real-life experience of the kind of cover which will be most useful to buyers.

You can take advantage of a Warrantywise service plan even for a car which doesn’t have a full service history, and such plans are a great way of controlling your budget for car servicing, because you pay for the warranty up-front, and can still have it serviced at a local franchised dealer.

All this, and Warrantywise products are also very extensive, covering most eventualities, and come with several valuable features which aren’t automatically included in competitors’ policies. These include the cost for parts to be replaced in pairs, such as shock absorbers, brake discs and suspension springs in the event when only one part has failed, but replacing a matching pair brings important safety benefits. The policy also does not impose any compulsory excess, but leaves it up to you whether you’d like to meet a portion of the cost of any claim, and gives you a substantial discount on your premium should you take up this option.

 

Finance For Your Big Purchase

Applying for any kind of finance can be a fraught business. You can easily find yourself being asked to jump through many hoops, and give a huge amount of personal information, even before your application will be considered.

At Philip Paul, we aim to steer you towards the right car finance for your needs, and will guide you sensitively through the approved Financial Conduct Authority procedure for pre-qualifying you for a loan to suit you.

Just as our cars are unique, so we realise that all our customers are individual, with their own distinct circumstances and needs from a car finance package. So we will work alongside you to establish those needs, and then match them with products offered by the members of our lenders’ panel.  

 

Why Is 2017 Your Year For Buying A Used Car?

To sum up, here are the seven biggest reasons why you should make this the year in which you make the move up to a better used car:

• Great finance deals available, due to interest rates being at historic lows.
• Incredible choice of cars as the thriving market for new cars feeds down vehicles into the used car sector.
• Best-ever warranty products available, as competition increases.
• It’s easier than ever to track down specific cars as the internet makes it possible for you to search for the exact one you want, or narrow down your choice by zeroing in on the exact criteria you want.
• Unparalleled selection of vehicles catering for every sector of the used car market, as it reflects the increasing choosiness of buyers of cars of all ages.
• Intense competition between used car outlets, meaning the best ones, such as Philip Paul, are constantly upping their game to keep the trust of customers.
• As a final factor, consider this - 2017 is the year in which all the millennium babies (i.e. children born in the year 2000) will reach the legal age for driving. And as they all start to pass their driving tests, it’s sure to drive extra traffic to many used car showrooms. So if you’re one of these lucky now-teenagers - or even if you aren’t but are still keen on swapping your car this year - it will pay to keep a close eye on what’s available, because potentially, as many as 679,000 people celebrating their 17th birthdays in the UK this year will be doing so by looking for their first car.

From our base in Oswestry, one of the most historic towns in Shropshire, Philip Paul strives to fulfil all these criteria, with a regularly-updated website giving extensive details of all vehicles on sale at any one time, backed up by a range of other products and services, all designed to take the stress and uncertainty out of choosing your next used car.

Close to the town centre, but also easily accessible from the main trunk roads which bypass the historic heart of Oswestry, our site is large enough to enable buyers to wander around unhindered, take a really close look at as many of the 100-plus cars we have in stock as they wish, and narrow down their choice at their own pace.

So browse our website to get an idea of the range of cars we always have in stock, then come and have a drive down to see the latest selection available. We’re also happy to talk you through the options available for financing your car, using products from two of the leading specialists in car loan products in the UK.

You can always be sure of having a great selection of quality used cars to choose from at Philip Paul in Oswestry. Start by browsing our website to narrow down your choice, then come down and see our cars close-up, and to test drive the ones which tick off all the items on your list of requirements.