Women drivers dump Swiss Tonis

Smarmy car salesmen, like the Fast Show’s Swiss Toni, have been named the least sexy profession for a man to have by female motorists in a recent survey.

Extra marital dating website IllicitEncounters.com polled nearly 3,000 of its women drivers to name the sexiest profession; car salesmen came in last by a long shot, with just 0.5 per cent of respondents finding them sexy.

Apparently the vote came down to how men respect women which seems a bit ironic when you think why women drivers probably visit this site in the first place.

Just for the record, pilots were voted the sexiest, followed by men employed in media (why don’t I know these chaps?), men in property (not your average builder I guess) then lawyers in fourth place.

More confirmation that women drivers have a poor perception of the motor industry and car dealership salesmen, no matter the reality.

For example, whilst chatting recently, I asked a FOXY Lady Drivers Club member to recommend the VW dealership she had bought her last new VW car from. She later emailed me the name of the salesman who had been very helpful (and got her business for two cars) as well as the name of a female sales rep at a different dealership who was not at all helpful or informed and where our member will not be returning in future.

A case of employing the best you can, no matter the gender. It isn’t difficult.

FOXY Steph

Better consumer communications needed

Apparently women drivers aged 25 to 35 are the worst at keeping their cars in good condition according to a recent survey carried out by Bridgestone Tyres. This is particularly worrying because this age group is more likely than others to have children in their cars at some time.

I wonder if they surveyed female students as these are some of the motorists we find are looking to cut corners for financial reasons.

We are told that motorists in Nottingham are notorious for failing to maintain vehicles well yet Leeds leads the way in car maintenance.

In Nottingham, one in three drivers regularly fails to service their car while other “bad” regions include Birmingham, Bristol, Norwich and Sheffield.

Seven years ago our daughter was fleeced by a garage in Nottingham - this was the catalyst for my business, FOXY Lady Drivers Club.

None of this surprises me but I am disappointed that the retail motor industry has failed to get a stronger message across that a badly maintained (and serviced) car of any age is less safe, less green, less reliable and more expensive to run in the end.

I’d also want more motorists to understand that a professional eye is better than an amateur doing her (or his) best with car maintenance AND that a bad garage does not mean a good car service.

One area that I’d want to look at is the increasingly attractive sales promise that a new car needs fewer services… as the intervals in between lengthen. Yes this is good news for the fleet buyer but how are they checking that their car is being maintained in between? Lots of motorists/businesses think that an U3 year old car doesn’t need much maintenance in between servicing and few know how to choose one of the best local garages.

Maybe the new Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 will start to make these points, now that companies can be held liable in law if negligence can be proved or if an employer has failed to demonstrate a duty of care to their employees using their private cars for business use.

Imagine a situation where a female employee whose private car is insured for regular travelling to and from her work (in addition to the normal domestic, social and pleasure cover) and is involved in an accident as a result of her badly maintained car. How long will it be before the claiming solicitors look to the employer for settlement under this Act?

Makes sound sense for them to subscribe to FOXY’s corporate membership solution and get quarterly car checks, a friendly helpdesk and professional legal motor claims advice and fees I’d have said…

FOXY Steph

Towards Sweden or Beijing?

There are 620 million cars on roads worldwide - why does this remind me of Katie Melua and Beijing…

To do something about our share of this massive global pollution, the UK Government has said that by 2010 5% all UK fuel should come from biofuels. The EU has gone further, setting a target of 10% by 2020.

This a highly sensitive issue for foxy lady drivers with recent emotional headlines about sustainable fuel sources, the understandable need for land to feed people first and bio mixtures that may damage car engines…

Having started life as a cynic in this area I now know that the UK motor industry is genuinely committed to reducing motor emissions and are doing a sterling job. Most if not all manufacturers are welcoming biofuels and the market leaders seem to be the the Ford Focus and the Saab bio-power (I think Citroen too; their UK fleet is run on biofuels I have been told) but these cars take 85% biofuel, known as E85 and still only available at a few UK forecourts.

Whereas in Sweden there are more than 1,000 biofuel stations and Saab sold 17,000 new bio-power cars there last year. Another difference is the Swedish government’s financial incentives - starting with a 10,000 SEK (£800) rebate on the cost of E85-powered cars; these vehicles are also exempt from Stockholm’s congestion charge and qualify for free residential parking.

Will our government look at doing this sort of thing here?

I seem to recall France encouraging motorists to scrap and cash in old French cars to buy new French cars at a good price? Was that a tactic to boost their car industry, or driven by environmental concerns?

Neither will be good news for motorists who can’t afford to buy new cars or simply want to run well maintained ones for longer.

FOXY Steph

Car insurance vs car sales best practice

I read in today’s Insurance Times that the FSA is concerned about insurance brokers failing to disclose financial relationships with insurers. Apparently this is having an adverse impact on consumers, as you might expect.

For example, broker A could receive contingent commissions from insurer B if he placed a certain amount of business with it, thus making him more likely to place that business with that insurer, whether or not it was in the client’s best interests.

The FSA is looking at forcing brokers to make a full disclosure of all commissions to put the spotlight on potential conflicts of interest.

Keep going FSA and perhaps the same open and accountable business values might enter the car showroom arena. Too many women motorists feel vulnerable here and I think it is appalling that there is clearly one price for those that don’t haggle but a lower one for those in the know.

Only a matter of time before ‘fair for all’ becomes a regulated selling norm, surely?

Be foxy - check before you buy a used car

I am always amazed at the number of female motorists who join our club after buying a nearly new or used car with fairly major problems that they didn’t spot before they bought it. More about this subject in this link…

Females fear fraud when buying cars online?

Fortunately we can help them (usually) but more women drivers need to be a bit less trusting in future I’d say! And pay a small amount for a critical car check, like the HPI check, to be sure that their new car is all it claims to be.

FOXY Steph