If you can buy it in Lancashire...

Lancashire Day is soon approaching and its message, which you’ll see repeated often on this website, is that if you can buy it in Lancashire, go out and buy it in Lancashire. I couldn’t agree more with this sentiment.

By Marc Mcloughlin, managing director, KeyFleet

Of course, buying local is great for supporting the local community, and it’s great to help your neighbours. But in our industry, it’s also straightforward good business sense.

There are many websites, representing businesses in all corners of the UK, that promise unbeatable deals on cars. The lowest prices, they say.

That all sounds promising enough, but we looked into it, and I’m not convinced.

For the sake of market research, I got in touch with an online business and made an inquiry. The first - and only - question they put to me was the make and model I was looking for, and in return they promised to offer the best price.

But if you didn’t already know exactly what you wanted, well, they weren’t able to help yet.

And I’d still contend that this approach isn’t the best even if you’ve determined exactly what you’re looking for. Because are you absolutely sure you know that it’s the best option for your specific circumstances?

There may be vehicles better suited to your needs. There may be more affordable financing options.

For example, we recently dealt with a customer who was seeking the best price on a seven-year leasing deal. Now, there may be a ‘best’ seven-year leasing deal, but I’d argue there are no ‘good’ seven-year leasing deals, so we outlined how purchasing the vehicle would prove much more cost-effective. He followed our advice, and saved himself a great deal of money.

If that customer had been entering details online using computer algorithms to find the best leasing deal, he’d have ended up overpaying. But because he came to us, and we had a face-to-face chat about his wants and needs over a cup of coffee, we were able to take a few steps back and show him the bigger picture, explain the options and ultimately help him find an amazing deal.

Buying and leasing vehicles - whether as a one-off for personal use or you’re building a full fleet - is a major decision that needs careful consideration, and buying local gives you the opportunity of talking to an expert who can guide you through the process. And that’s what Lancashire Day is all about - buying local, from friendly Lancashire folk. KeyFleet has been in business for ten years and our team has been working in the motor trade for many more years between us. We’ve learned a lot about finding the right vehicles at the right prices, and we’re happy to get together over a cuppa and share it with you.