New name in top spot with 58.2 Mpg

 Jenny from AtHome in Well Street has been leading since we started, but this week sees a new name at the top of the leader board Mike Easom from Buckingham Garden centre bought the Fiesta back with an impressive 58.2 Miles per Gallon; Mike said he also couldn't believe it was a one litre engine “It drove so well”. This only goes to prove Buckingham Garden centres green fingers have green credentials on the road.


Jo Moir from Style by Jo in Hillesden only managed 30 miles in two days due to being at home with the children, but still managed 47.1 mpg driving to and from town, a very credible result for local driving.

Nick Maple from Arthur’s radio hairdressers, who was already looking to change his car when we set the eco-challenge, was so impressed that the Fiesta is a definite possibility, but Nick wasn't as nifty with his economy as he is with his scissors as he returned a very poor 38.7 Mpg.

As we go to press James Beckett Motoring correspondent for the Buckingham and Winslow advertiser and formula Ford race supremo is driving the 1.0 Fiesta, we look forward to his eco result to see if he is as green of the track as fast on it.

If you wish to take part, or just want to follow the progress over the next 6 weeks Follow on Facebook for daily updates on who is taking the challenge.

Who will be the most economical of our local drivers?

Just call James at Buckingham Ford on 01280 812121 or Jeff Lawrence at Bicester Ford 01869 323272. All entries are subject to status.

We are a Badger free zone

I just had to share this when I was shown it. 

This is very very funny, and you will NOT find a badger at Buckingham or Bicester Ford.

We are a Wiggle free zone.

View Badger at work here

If you have ever experienced the Badger at another dealership, come and see us for a refreshing change.

• Take a test drive not a short trip around the block
• We give you all the facts, and don't hide behind a monthly payment
• 1000's of new and used cars available to us, so you don't have to buy the one we have here, you can choose.

I got this email yesterday about James.

                "Just a quick note to say how pleased I am with the new Focus ST I purchased from you. Fabulous colour the Spirit Blue and the power and drivability of the car really is breath taking. So, thanks for persuading me to purchase it. Also many thanks for the help and advice you gave me with the models, optional extras and the general understanding of the car."
Many Thanks
Keith

Compound clearance starts 12th June for 8 days only

1       For Eight days only you can make massive savings on any car on display or in our compound. (We need the room)
Over £4000 off some new cars

2       We need more used cars, and as you know we always pay more for privately owned cars like yours. We would always prefer to sell a privately owned car other than ex fleet or hire cars, they are more sought after and easier to sell, so your car could be worth more than you thought this week. 

How about a New Ka for under £85 a month and that’s without a big deposit and an Apr of only 4.9%. 

I've had my arm twisted by James and Jeff to run the 5 year FREE warranty offer for one more month, so June will be the last month we are offering 5 Year’s Warranty on all our New cars instead of the standard 3 years. 

Even if you don’t keep your car for 5 years it will improve the value of your car in part exchange in the future. 

Book an appointment today with Jeff or James and make sure you find out which special offer is right for you.  

Remember we don’t do or know how to do any hard selling, it is up to you, we don’t hide the facts behind a monthly payment, and we are here to help you make the right decision for you not us.

3       Extra bonus for the lucky five who are quick to reply 
If you are in the first five to take action on these offers I have over £500 worth of extras waiting for you, and they are on me, completely free, and they will help you enjoy your new car even more. 

The compound clearance starts on June 12th and will run for eight days only; this is your chance to get a look at the offers before we go public.
  
Some of the offers James and I have calculated are amongst the strongest we have ever made and include some new technology’s you may not have seen or heard of

• Ford SYNC enabling safer usage of your phone or music playing device.

• MYKey on New Fiesta, a programmable key that restricts speed for younger drivers, amongst other things.

These are standard on a lot of our offer cars

Sunny Sale Great Offers 6 Days Left

What a weekend, when our sale started on Friday, we did not estimate just how busy Friday and Saturday would be.

We have been catching up this morning contacting customers who we didn't feel we gave enough quality time to, being so busy. And got some great reactions, they all understood and were pleased for us.

In fact while we were calling people a regular customer Mr Haines came back in, he had been in on Saturday, to place his order for a new car for his wife, he said he and his wife were both amused and impressed on Saturday, as even when we so busy not one person was ignored or left unattended, and James reminded him of a plate spinning act from the circus, making coffee, getting cars out for test drive and doing paperwork with others, and this quote will live with me

 "It was so nice seeing local people so busy and getting what they deserve success, we left you to it on Saturday as we could come back on Monday"

So 6 days left of the Sunny Sale, let’s see what this week brings, more fantastic offers for our great customers.

Most Loved Ford dealer in the UK

We couldn't be happier, The Bestof website awards for their 14daysofLove announced the results and we have come up trumps.

Buckingham Ford has for the 3rd year running been voted “Most loved business in Buckingham”

Bicester Ford has also come in first place as “Most loved Business in Bicester”

And on top of that we have also come 3rd in our category “Most loved Car dealerships in the UK”

These awards are something we have entered for three years now, we would not achieve these great results without you, our customers, placing your votes, for that I am very appreciative.

Thank You

Ian

Here are a couple of entries that you submitted

“Andrea on reception is very friendly knowledgeable and always willing to help and accommodate your needs so that when your vehicle is out of action a courtesy car is arranged or someone from the garage will collect your vehicle from your place of work/home and return. All of the mechanics have always been very friendly and knowledgeable and represent Bicester Ford well.”
Sam M

“Ian and his team at Buckingham Ford are sooooo good. I have used them to supply a new Fiesta for my son and to undertake restoration on my 45 year old classic. What I love about them is the 'old-fashioned' way they conduct business. There's an authenticity and integrity about them which I love. "
Nigel B

They are terrific and the best customer service I have encountered and I am in my 60's - can't be beaten! "
Mrs Glenice M

“You couldn't meet a nicer man than Jeff. Having been to other garages and being treated as just another sale it was refreshing to actually be listened to.”
Mrs Jo T

“They provide a great service, it is prompt, good value for money, they collect and deliver back your car, and do an excellent job! The people are great to deal with, trustworthy, professional and won't rip you off!”
Mrs Collette H

Parking challenge event next Tuesday

According to a survey on net mums 21% of women say they are great at parallel parking and 38% say ‘Yes they are ok at it’, so thats over 50% are quite happy and a further 32% find it tricky but get there in the end.

Of course there was no such survey on Men parking as they would obviously all be great or not have answered the question.

We are holding a fun parking competition on Tuesday 11th from 11am to see if it is easier to park a car with or without the cars help.

With a prize for the best solo effort, along with some other great prizes.

Watch the focus part itself on you tube, just copy the link below

Are you comparing Apples with Apples

Following a long talk with a customer this morning, who bought her 13 month old car in to be looked at, i sat down with James and digested what the customer had explained to me.

This same customer's sat down with us 3 months ago before they purchased the said Focus that she bought in this morning, the difference between buying from us came down to we were "too nice". My words not hers but this is what happened

1. We let her test drive with her daughter, without us in the car making her nervous.
2. We didn't put any preasure on her to buy the car there and then.
3. We explained our car had a warranty for 30 months.
4. We would service the car before she had it, and re valet the car for her.
5. We gave her a better part exchange price than she eventually achieved.

The reason they didn't buy our car was that there daughter found the same car! £400 cheaper but 130 miles away and they went to see it, after all £400 is £400. When they arrived there the car they had seen on the web site wasnt there (even though there daughter had called to check that morning) it was at another branch. But after agreeing that it was the model and colour they were looking for, the sales person went to value there car, and they then found themselves in a high pressure sales process that ended with them signing an order form and leaving a £500 deposit for a car they haden't seen, and the crunch was they ended up paying more for the car, as there was a purchasers admin fee, extra for it to be valeted and serviced. And although they purchased the car, they said they would never go there again, and didn't have a good word to say about them.

But even after learning about this, we will not be changing the way we do business.

After all we still want to treat people the way we would want to be treated.

Hassle free

New registartions out on the road now

September has been very busy so far with the new 61 plate cars leaving our forecourts last week and over the weekend.

But one customer who collected his new Focus really made me think, we were discussing the many new cars he had over the years, and every one came with some new technology. But what really came out of this was his surprise of exactly how much new technology the Focus now has packed into it.

We went down memory lane and discussed the first time he had power steering and then Anti lock brakes on the next one and airbags, and then they not only came from the front but the sides and the roof and now by your legs. Where is it going to stop he asked?

Its not was my answer, because you can now get a Focus that can parallel park itself with little help from the driver, it will tell you if you are drifting over the white lines while driving or warn you if someone is coming into the blind spot on the motorway.

He stopped me then and said Ian enough, i think all that can wait until the next one, its great to reminisce but i need to go and enjoy this one now.

He called me today just to tell me his new Focus is fantastic, and the best car he has ever had, and no he wouldn't swap for any of the old ones we talked about.

The lesson i learned from this, is we have a lot of customers who still would not know what is now available in the way of safety or convenience in the new Focus, and all other new models.