Could it really be -20 pounds & degrees in Buckingham and Bicester

Did you see the weather warning headline yesterday put out by the Express newspaper?

SNOW BOMB: Wall of SNOW to SMASH UK as deadly blizzards hit in COLDEST freeze for 53 YEARS

BRITAIN faces a historic CHRISTMAS WHITEOUT with “dangerous" blizzards and near record-low temperatures threatening the worst festive freeze for half a century.

I don’t know how true this is, it’s in a national newspaper so who knows, I have checked a few weather sights and they’re all a bit woolly about a white Christmas, so rather than have our customers getting into trouble over the festive period I thought I would send you a little guide on what you need to pay attention to.

Antifreeze – Did you know it weakens with age (I know how it feels) and becomes less effective, when was the last time yours was checked or replaced?

Washer bottles – with the roads giving off so much spray in winter, keeping the windscreen clean Is very important on any journey, during and after a cold snap we see many people with split washer bottles where the wrong fluid or water mixture has frozen and expanded the bottle to breaking point, make sure you have the right mixture in your bottle so it doesn’t freeze in the bottle or pipes.

Tyres – Don’t be running around in wet cold conditions with worn down tyres get them checked, if you don’t know how ask someone in the know.

OR

We normally charge £20 for a Winter check but with the possibility of it being -20 we want you to be safe so they are now -£20 i.e. FREE to all our customers, just pop in to Buckingham or Bicester Ford and get a FREE Winter check before Christmas it only takes 20 minutes.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION – If you have any elderly friends or neighbours who you think would benefit from this please pass it on and we will look after them for free.

If you need the correct washer fluid we sell it premixed and probably the cheapest in town, I noticed it at £5.99 at the garage where I fill up, same size £4.50 for one or £8.50 for two.

Concession Wednesday

With prices going up for everything left, right and centre, we at Buckingham Ford want to give back a little bit back to our older generation who gave us an extra helping hand getting off our feet back in 1996.

We are now proudly launching concession Wednesday's.

This is for Buckingham and surrounding villages retired who are looking for that safer drive. We at Buckingham Ford will be offering you some great offers you cant resist, even if its a nice cup of coffee and a chat. 

So look out for our Concession Wednesday treats and we hope to see you soon.

Thank you to Alan and Sandy for being great customers for 17 years 

 11 cars, 1 great business

Being keen, aspiring golfers we need a practical cars, my wife has a focus and I’ve just part exchanged my Mondeo for a Focus,

I am amazed at the space within the car and the newest modern technology updates e.g. sync 2 DAB navigation.

 We have a strong relationship with the Redding family and the rest of the Ford team, we will continue our journey with this business as we have relied on them since our first buy back in March 1998.

 Mr and Mrs Hastings.

Our Latest Employee

Our New Customer Service Superstar

Valentina Harwood

Have you met Val? Val is our new service receptionist at Buckingham and will be the smile you see as you walk in the door.  
Val has joined the Buckingham Ford team not only to work closer to home but to keep all of you our customers happy with the services we offer. 
She was born and raised in Watford but decided to move away from the hustle & bustle so moved to a more rural location of Buckingham.  
During an amazing 15 years living in Buckingham Val previously worked in customer service for the waste industry, working as a commercial recycling business leader for the well-known business Serco.

Who ever said diamonds are a girl’s best friend?  Well not this girl, Gizmo a German Spitz Klein takes the heart of our newest employee.  She enjoys long walks with Gizmo and loves to wine and dine (although she prefers the company of friends and family for this chosen interest).  From 1994 to the year 2007 Val’s dream car was owned by her new trusted team ‘Ford’, the sleek bond inspired Aston Martin makes her heart melt and her eyes pop. 

Win £100 of Garden centre Vouchers

Treasure hunt at Buckingham garden centre until Wednesday 16th of October when the draw will be made.

Win £100 of garden vouchers for the Garden Centre.

Just pick up an entry form and as you wander around you will find the answers to the questions, you may occasionally find a car hidden anongst the flowers while walking through the gardens.

We have given you some very good clues on the entry form so you shouldn't find it too hard, it could even be something for the children to do white you shop in peace.

18 years of fun meeting great people

Buckingham Ford back in 1996

Yes it's 18 years ago today that we opened the doors as Buckingham Ford, taking over from the Phillips family who had been working from this site since the late 1800's as Phillips and sons.
 
Over that time we have met some great people as customers who we now consider friends, we have also been lucky that we have a great team of people working here, with four who have been with us since we started.

Although Mike and I are from far away in south Bucks (Aylesbury) most of our staff are local people with over 70% growing up and going to school in Buckingham before working with us, it is true that we have always looked to employ local people, as we always wanted to be the local garage.

We have been promoting some special Birthday celebratory offers this week, of which some are to the right hand side here, some I did not agree on, I just think James got carried away with the sherry in the Birthday cake when he worked them out.

So here's to the next 18 Years of Buckingham Ford and a big thank you to you for helping us make this happen.

Car Air con not as cold as last year?

It happens to us all, as the temperature is rising we all start to notice that we need the Air conditioning more in our car.

Did you know your car Air Con can lose 10% of its efficiency every year, even more if you haven’t been using it regularly?

As the refrigerant is under pressure in the system, it can weep through joints in the pipework, making the Air conditioning work harder to keep you cool.

We always see a steep rise in bookings for Air conditioning servicing and regas when the temperature rises, and the last week is no exception.

So what’s really cool, just to be different as the temperature has risen we have decided to reduce our price for an Air conditioning regas by £20 to just £49.

As our summers can be brief don’t wait weeks for an appointment, we guarantee we will get this booked in, in the next 24 hours for you.

Have a cool summer.

Start Your engines

Google driving you round the bend?
 
Well in this case, it’s actually true!
 
That’s right, Google have produced their very own self-driven cars with a ‘friendly face’.
 
The cute looking prototypes simply have a start and stop button, making them literally the modern day horse and cart…without the horse!
 
The car is limited to 25mph (sigh) and works on laser and radar sensors to navigate around the streets.
 
The technology is something quite mind-boggling, but the real question surrounding this new break-through is: do we want one?
 
You can just picture Jeremy Clarkson’s face…’no gear box, no speed, no appeal!’. I must admit the thought of doing nothing to get from A to B would be the same mundane experience I get whilst riding the peasant wagon (the public bus)!
 
The political nature of this discovery would be a no brainer, bringing an end to fatal car crashes and boy racers doing donuts round the McDonalds car park!
 
But the idea of machine being in control over man brings peculiar repercussions of Demolition Man or I Robot to mind.
 
And I for one am not ready for an Apocalyptic, Terminator style, Judgement day!
 
Okay that’s my imagination running wild, but that feeling of freedom and the control you have whilst driving is like no other.
 
So Mr Google, no deal. But on the other hand, if you install a driver mode as an option, that really would be some food for thought…
 
For more information on this article, let me steer you to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27587558

I cant beat this, what a list of benefits

1. £1000 minimum part exchange
2. 1 Years free insurance if over 21
3. £250 deposit paid by us
4. No deposit from you
5. Only £30 a year road fund licence
6. Finance at 7.2% APR

• Hands free Bluetooth for your phone connection
• Aux socket for your ipod for your music
• Power steering for easy parking
• Anti lock brakes for your safety
• CD radio for all your listening requirements
• Alloy wheels to make it look nice

And all you pay is £134.85 a month with Ford options click here for full details

But sorry we only have 3 available

Winner anounced

Thank you, Thank you for all your kind reviews in the 14 days of love competition, we have jet again been voted the most loved Business in Buckingham.

We love what we do and i think it shows, but to us it becomes very worth while when we recieve such great testimonials that we come in first in this yearly event.

We are trying our hardest to give two cars away

This car is sitting in Buckingham Garden centre, and is the prize if you can find Santa’s missing reindeer; we have even left you a clue on the entry form at the garden centre.

As you know we like to keep things local, and just like the garden centre we employ a lot of local people, putting our money back in to the local economy as important to us both, as looking after local customers to the best of our abilities.

We have joined in this promotion, in an attempt to keep it local and are both giving away some extra special gifts before Christmas, If you come into either of our branches before Christmas you will be given a voucher for the other company (even if you come in for a free winter check), and could win some great prizes, but the amazing thing is there is a prize every time.

In the showroom at both dealerships we have a second car to win, we have a stack of presents under our Christmas trees, all you have to do is guess correctly there value, its not that hard as we have given you a hint to them when you come in, If you test drive or buy a car before 20th December you will have multiple attempts to win this great Fiesta worth over £10.000.


Are you missing our Facebook competitions, we have given away some great prizes, and announced some great promotions on Facebook this year, if you don’t want to miss out go and like our pages there, and if you don’t use Facebook ask you children or a member of the family that does to do it for you, and they can make you aware when we are having a mad moment and giving it all away.

www.facebook.com/buckinghamford
www.facebook.com/bicesterford

Guest Blogger looses his choons

"The digital radio changeover has caused concern ever since the UK Government announced the plan to switch off all analogue radio bandwidths in the Digital Economy Act of 2010. So...
DAB radio, is it the future? Crackle free, hiss free and on the ascent, is DAB radio right for you? The audio equivalent of TV's Freeview it gives bright crisp sound and access to additional stations.
But is it for you? Check out my handy dandy "5 reasons to install a DAB radio in your dashboard" guide!

1) The full Digital Radio switcheroo is planned to happen in approximately two years; all new cars must be digitally enabled by the switch so if you have an older analogue FM/MW/AM radio you may no longer be able to nod along to your fave choons.

2) Sound quality is clearer than FM, AM or MW radio, or there's simply no reception. Meaning you only get the stations that are providing the best signals. No more hiss and splutter and DJs sounding like they're broadcasting from beneath the Atlantic. It won't stop the cheesy jokes and smug tone though!

3) Is this familiar? "Oh who's this? Whassername? You know she did, lahhh dah, deee dah..." well with DAB radios you can forget not knowing who is playing. DAB radios show you what song is playing and who the artist is. So no more fumbling for your phone trying to get an internet signal to try and get Shazam to work.

4) "Internet Radio will be here soon", yes smartphones can get Internet Radio, but with patchy 3G coverage DAB radio offers more sustained signal across a wider area. If you have ever travelled into London on the Portsmouth to Waterloo line you'll know this. It's the 21st century and you can barely keep a normal mobile phone signal let alone a data connection and stream radio.

5) Some aftermarket DAB car radios also have iPod adaptors, and a host of modern features not found on older analogue FM receiver units. So you get an upgrade, an iPhone docking/charging station and maybe something super cool like USB connectivity to play MP3s direct from your memory stick. Some DABs even come with a screen and SatNav and Bluetooth.

I've had one, thought it was great and totally miss it now, I'm sure the oik who ripped it skilfully from my dashboard would agree with the above 5 points. If you want to take advantage of DAB and get your hands on a DAB Radio legally, then call Buckingham Ford and see if your car is compatible, and get a price call 01280 308037 or visit http://www.buckinghamford.co.uk/dab_radio.php

Stuart Morrison is a moustachioed, business problem solver who can help you find what you need to fix in your business. From marketing to generating business leads, contact him via his Appointment Brokers website: www.theAppointmentBrokers.Com - helping you find sales leads and book meetings and appointments with senior decision makers.

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.

To find Buckinghams best driver

This week we have had many more drivers take the challenge, Jenny from AtHome in Well Street , Buckingham is still top of the table, Mark from Barbers in High Street Buckingham improved on his colleagues performance. 

We also Had Nicky for Cakes by Nicky in Bicester and Joff from Natitas Design all drove the New Fiesta with its very quick 1.0 Ecoboost engine, for two days.
Nicky loved the new Fiesta so much she didn’t want to give it back, and even though she only used it around town the little Fiesta still returned a healthy 45.8 mpg. Nicky said “I want one. I can’t believe that is only a 1.0 litre engine”

Joff Cheney from Navitas design on Buckingham industrial estate returned a very good 52.8mpg and covered over 100 miles in his two days, but is a little nervous that Michelle from Meet and Mingle in Bicester will beat him this week. 

This coming week as well as Michelle Howie we have Jo Moir from Style by Jo, Kelly from Kelly Jo Photography, Nick Maples from Arthurs Radio hairdressors and Mike from Buckingham Garden centre.

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. If you want to take part, just call James at Buckingham Ford on 01280 812121 or Jeff Lawrence at Bicester Ford 01869 323272. All entries are subject to status.

Leader board
Name                  Company                     MPG
Jenny Dobbs         AtHome                      54.9
Ian Redding    Bicester/Buckingham Ford 53.3
Joff Cheney    Navitas Design                   52.8
Nicky Churchill      Cakes by Nicky         45.8
Mark Green         Barbers                       44.9
Paul Griffin           Barbers                       41.6

Are you an eco friendly driver

Welcome to the environmental challenge, over the next 6 weeks we want to get as many local people to take up a two day challenge to see who can get the best miles per gallon from the new Ford Fiesta 1.0 ecoboost. 

We already have many willing volunteers, well who would say no to a free car for 2 days!

You need to be over 25 and hold a clean driving licence, and been driving for over 12 months, and that's it, you don't need to be an existing customer either, just live in the Buckingham, Bicester or Brackley area.

We know that the New ecoboost engine is good for the environment already as it emits so little, the road fund licence is free on on this little car, yes you heard me right Nothing, Nil yes exactly £0. we also already know the government figures on this car are very good with a combined MPG of 65.7.

So watch this space for updates.

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.

Sunny Sale Starts 26th April 10 days only

We have some amazing used cars in stock, that we sold new to the previous owner, most have been looked after by us in our workshop all their lives.

There is nothing quite like knowing the car you are buying has a sound history that you can rely on.

The sale ends Bank Holiday Weekend, so don't delay, we can only sell these cars once.

Prices start from as little as £2995, on top of this we have 100's of other used cars available, under one year old nearly new Fords, and lots of very low mileage 3 year old cars with Full service history and only the one owner from new again.

Many of the cars have lots of extras that the first customer enjoyed.

Don't delay and come and see us as soon as possible.
Ian or James 01280 812121
james@buckinghamford.co.uk

How much fuel could you be wasting

Running your car while defrosting the windscreen combined with rising fuel prices, can cost you more than you think.
Motorists who leave their car engine running while defrosting their windscreen will waste nearly £50m in fuel this winter alone, that’s according to Direct Line Car Insurance.
The average person takes only three minutes to defrost their car, but high petrol and diesel costs mean even using this small amount will see their money go in exhaust fumes. The wasted fuel will equal up to over 300 million road miles, and would enable someone to drive an average sized car more than 13,000 times around the globe.
Fuel waste should not be the only concern for motorists. Of the regular drivers who took part in the study, 42 admitted to having left their car unattended with the keys in the ignition. This makes them the perfect target for thieves.
Steve Price, head of Direct Line Car Insurance, stated: "With fuel prices having risen more than 40 pence per litre since 2007, it makes more sense than ever to consider alternative methods of defrosting your car on icy days. It is really important that drivers never leave their cars unattended with the keys in the ignition under any circumstances, but particularly when defrosting their cars.
"Many of us are pressed for time in the mornings and so leaving your car to warm up whilst running back indoors to tie up some loose ends can seem like a clever use of our time. However, if a theft occurs under these circumstances, policyholders may not be covered."

All this could be cut down to just 20 seconds if like most Ford cars you had the use of a heated front windscreen. There are many mornings that i start my car and by the the time i have cleared the side windows my windscreen is clear and i can drive away.

Texting while driving

I have just shared a video on our Facebook page that makes you think hard about what we do while we are driving, it is all about texting while driving.

Thinking back to when i started driving all those years ago, the only distraction we had was a radio or changing a cassette. now we have not just a phone that may ring that we can answer safely through bluetooth to the car or a head set, but alerts set on our phones for text, Facebook, Twitter and Email to mention but a few, all are distractions from what we are supposed to be doing.

This video is very graphic, but if i had a 17 year old Son or Daughter starting to drive, i would be getting them to watch this, it is hard hitting but sometimes that is the only way some people remember.

Watch here on our FaceBook page