Thank you to our local business leasing customer, an existing customer of 10 years(!!), for collecting their third VW Scirocco from us this week. Due to the location of our business, we are ideally located for customers who are situated in the Warrington, Wigan and St Helens areas and, as some need a more bespoke and personal service, our premises allows for customers to visit to organise a new vehicle with us.
The phenomenal growth of online activity has meant that businesses like ours have flourished; dealing with personal and business customers from Northern Scotland to the South of England.
That being said, there is still a significant demand for more in-depth service for vehicle procurement and fleet management particularly for smaller businesses running their micro fleet (no more than 5 vehicles).
Each transaction is absolutely critical and they need to ensure the decision meets the requirements of the company – this could include considerations pertaining to company car tax, whole life costs, insurance, servicing/maintenance and remediation.
We are not just a credit broker, we also work within the general motor industry and so can often provide a plethora of other solutions or suggestions which ensure our customer makes the best decision (and hopefully becomes a long term part of our business!).
The customer here, an experienced business trainer, is typical of many of our local business customers. They are time-poor and require quick/assertive decisions to be made to minimise cost and disruption. Circa 2-3 months before the vehicle was returned, we contacted the customer to a) discuss the condition of the existing vehicle; and b) to discuss replacement options. Handing back a lease vehicle can be daunting to some customers. At the start, review your vehicle in conjunction with the BVRLA fair wear and tear guide to get some idea as to what damage/marks are going to raise issues for you. To confirm, cars do not need be returned in a perfect condition; this is a complete misnomer in our industry. The emphasis is on returning the car (or van) in an appropriate condition for the age and mileage. For the customer here, this involved some minor remediation including:
1. Alloy wheel repair – if you curb your alloys and this has cause visible damage, you need to repair this. Depending on the size of the alloy, a smart repair will cost between £40 – £100 per alloy. This can all be done by a mobile repairer;
2. Dent repair – any dents in the body work which are larger than a 20p piece will almost certainly need rectification. Where the dent is placed on the vehicle will determine its ability to be fixed. In many cases a mobile dent repair person will be able to manage this for you. However, in more serious cases, you will need to visit a bodyshop;
3. Tyres – ensure that the tyres are in a proper condition before returning the vehicle. While the legal tread is 1.6mm, many leasing companies expect the tyres to have at least 2mm of tread. Do not return the car if there is visible damage to sidewalls.
All of the above was actually carried on our premises to minimise inconvenience to the customer (as we work with trusted mobile suppliers for the above). That being said, we can introduce you to these parties to ensure you have comfort that the vehicle is managed properly.
In terms of the car shown here, the Volkswagen Scirocco Petrol Coupe 2.0 TSI 180 BlueMotion Tech GT 3 Door Manual, this is based on the following configuration:
· Deep Black Pearlescent Paint
· Alcantara/Cloth – Titan Black
· 18″ Interlagos Alloy Wheels with Anti-Theft Wheel Bolts
As standard the car includes carpet mats, hill hold function, Bluetooth, front/rear parking sensors, discover navigation, auto dimming rear view mirror, electrically heated and folding door mirror, media control, body coloured externals, front fog lights, LED lights, climate control, 18” alloys, steer spare wheel, alarm, immobiliser, sports seats, aluminium pedals and heated insulate glass. In terms of additional factory options, consider the 90% insulated glass, cruise control, panoramic glass sunroof and the winter pack.
On the technical-side, company car and business drivers can note the P11d at £25,810.00 and CO2 at 142g/km. The 1984CC 6 speed manual engine offers 46.3 combined MPG, 180ps and 0-62 times of 7.4 seconds. Service intervals on a petrol Scirocco are every 12 months or 10,000 miles. Do weigh up the cost benefits between a driver-maintained and funder-maintained arrangement.
So would you select the VW Scirocco as your next car leasing option? Or would you consider the 3dr BMW 1 series, Audi A3 or even a Seat Leon?
Let us know your thoughts on which car you would like to drive!
Find the best deals on the awesome VW Scirocco available now @CarLease UK…
