Contract Hire News

In this modern world we live in you simply can’t avoid having a car, no matter how hard you try.  Although a car brings with it many advantages you may also at times find that it feels like a weight around your neck.  The costs can be significant.  Firstly there’s the initial outlay of buying the car itself - which is often made even more expensive by high finance arrangement rates.  Then you have the ongoing costs for repairs, tax, MOT, maintenance and the cost for good breakdown recovery cover.

To make this hurt even more your car is unfortunately a depreciating asset, making you reluctant to swap and change when the time is right as you can be certain the part exchange value will be very low.

However there is a great alternative which is to get a car lease.  Car leasing allows you to get a car of your choice over a two to four year span without any of the depreciation worries.  This wonderful option allows you to have a car to treat as your own for a small up front payment and then a regular monthly fee.  The top vehicle leasing companies may also throw in added extras such road tax or breakdown recovery for a year.
In return you must ensure the car returns once the contract ends and is in good condition and mileage conditions have been met.  Then you can simply choose your next car and take out a new contract.  It couldn’t be simpler.

At Freedom Contract we offer high quality vehicles and competitive car leases.

If you are looking for a car lease as a driving instructor then you want to get the best deal for your business.  When looking at offers, make sure you point out to the car leasing company that you have a driving school.  A car leasing company will be keen to do business with you as they know that if they provide you with a good offer and great service, you will bring them repeated business.  Here are some of the areas you may want to consider:

-    The cost of servicing - Negotiate that a service is carried out on a six monthly basis free of charge.  This will significantly reduce your costs and ensure that your vehicle stays on the road for longer.
-    Low mileage discounts - Signing up to a low mileage scheme can help you to cut down your monthly costs, which will be invaluable if you work on a part time basis or are just starting out with a new business.
-    Specialist vehicles - You will need dual controls as a driving instructor, and car leasing firms should be able to implement this for you rather than causing you the inconvenience of paying for the modifications separately.
-    Car replacement - If you are off the road for more than 48 hours due to an accident or repair, negotiate a replacement dual control car to cover you for the repair duration. That way, you aren’t left without a car and your business won’t suffer.

At Freedom Contracts, we do our best to accommodate all the needs of our varied clients.

Driving instructors can eminently benefit from car leasing. In the current economic climate, any advantages in cost cannot be ignored and there are many reasons why driving instructors are now opting for the benefits of car leasing over owning their own car. These include:

-    Cash flow management - As a small business you will appreciate the fixed car lease fees that can be paid on a weekly or monthly basis.  When you own a car it can be difficult to manage your budget, and ad hoc service bills can catch you off guard.
-    Taxation benefits - You can offset the whole car leasing payment against your tax bill, and even reclaim VAT.
-    Service costs - If you are diligent about keeping your vehicle serviced then you will undoubtedly reduce the amount of breakdowns and potential for accidents.  However, this can still be costly but with a car leasing company,  servicing costs are often included in the package.
-    Forget reselling - You don’t have the hassle of having to sell on a used car with a high mileage as you can simply choose another car at the end of the lease period.
-    Wide choice of cars - Depending on which company you choose, there will be a vast range of cars to choose from; smaller cars such as Ford Fiestas and Vauxhall Corsas, however, are more popular for driving instructors as they are economical on fuel and simple to drive.

At Freedom Contracts, we have an impressive range of vehicles to suit all budgets - including your’s.

In today’s car leasing market there are a huge amount of deals to make the most of.  However, to get the best offer for your needs you will need to have carried out detailed research and followed some basic guidelines, so here are some more tips for getting the best car lease deal:

-    Decide whether you want a petrol car or a diesel car.  Diesel cars are the cheapest to lease and tax, and are economical to drive.  For this reason they are highly sought after and there is a wide range to choose from.
-    Pick the best time to lease.  There are times in the year when you are guaranteed a good deal on a lease car, and December is usually a great month for car lease offers as most car manufacturers help leasing firms to meet their end of year targets by subsidising the offers.  It is also wise to start looking for deals in the run up to a new registration release, as dealers often have a mass of old registration cars that they need to shift before the new stock arrives.
-    Look out for car lease incentives.  By keeping informed of the market you are more likely to negotiate a good deal.
-    You can sometimes offer your old car as a means of cutting down the car lease cost as a trade in or as an upfront payment, so bear this in mind when you’re aiming to lease.

At Freedom Contracts we have years of experience in car leasing, so we can undoubtedly get you the best deal.

If you’ve done your research then you will have realised that car leasing is a great option for driving a car that suits your needs and, more importantly, comes at a cost that won’t dent your bank balance.  However, because there is such a huge range of offers and deals out there, how do you ensure that your car lease is the best value?  Here are some tips for making sure you get the best deal to suit your needs:

-    Conduct an Internet search and make use of comparison sites to pit deals against one another.  You will be able to quickly narrow down the cheapest deals and play around with package combinations to find the deals that are more suited to your budget.
-    Thoroughly research contract hire companies and put the same amount of planning and consideration into the car lease as you would if you were buying a car outright.  Take time to collate information on the type of car you want, search out several quotes and compare the best deals.
-    Consider which vehicle suits you best.  Car leasing allows you to choose a top of the range car that would normally be outside of your price range.  The residual value of cars such as Mercedes’ and BMWs are higher than others, making these cars more accessible to you.  Therefore, these luxury vehicles are a better bargain via car leasing companies than some of the more conventional cars available.

For a fantastic range of lease cars and highly competitive offers, speak to us at Freedom Contracts. Tell us what you need and we can supply it for you.

There are many decisions to be made when car leasing but often people do not consider the benefits of an automatic car over a manual one.  In the UK, manual cars are by far more popular than automatics but slowly there is a shift towards automatic vehicle leasing.

Overall, driving an automatic car is considered to be easier than driving a manual car.  The benefit comes from the fact that your hands remain on the steering wheel at all times and there is no need to break away to adjust gears.  This ensures straightforward handling and there is no clutch to negotiate.

This makes it a great advantage for vehicle leasing if you do a lot of towing.  Caravan and trailer lovers find automatic driving much more suitable.  The main advantage is that when parked on a steep gradient, a driver does not have to engage the clutch in order to move off.  Automatics also fair better on slippery surfaces, in muddy fields for example, as you can switch between gears quickly and easily allowing the car to rock back and forth.

There are of course disadvantages.  They often have higher fuel consumption and traditionally have been more expensive than manual cars.  The latter makes it an ideal choice for contract hire, and with lower depreciation values, you’ll have a good residual value.

When choosing an automatic check out the gearboxes available.  Most are equipped with four or five speed gearboxes with additional winter and sports’ modes.  For most advice and information about great automatic vehicle leasing offers contact us at Freedom Contracts.

When looking at a car lease it pays to be savvy.  There are some simple steps you can take to get the best deal for you.
The first place to look is online.  You can get some of the most competitive deals online and the internet makes it quick and easy to compare deals like for like.  The reason that online deals are cheaper is not that they are in any way inferior to those at a contract hire outlet, but is due to online companies having fewer overheads.  This means they can pass these savings on to their customers and provide cheaper, more-attractive deals.  At Freedom Contracts, we have a wide range of contacts and can negotiate deals others cannot.

The next step is to decide on the car that you want.  A big advantage to car leasing is that you can opt for a car that may have been out of your price range if you were buying the car outright.  Look for larger, executive cars as these have higher residual values.  BMWs and Audis are a popular car lease for example, and can be much more cost-effective than smaller vehicles.

Also consider when you are going to search for your best deal.  Often dealerships have an excess of stock in the weeks building up to the launch of new car registrations, so you may be able to snap up a great offer at this time.  There are also bulk deals available where dealers buy in bulk from a car manufacturer and can then pass the reduced cost onto the customer.  Finally, keep your eyes open at the end of the year as dealerships will be looking to improve their annual sales and with our help you could bag yourself a fantastic deal.

Always take into account the tax rate, fuel economy and the mileage limit when choosing an offer and get plenty of advice.  For expert guidance and some quality car lease offers contact us at Freedom Contracts today.

If you’ve made the decision to car lease you may be feeling slightly overwhelmed at the actual choice of car that this option leaves open to you.  One of the most attractive factors in car leasing is that you can often opt for a vehicle that would normally be out of your budget range if you were going down the traditional route of buying.

When car leasing, you will want to ensure that the car you choose loses little value during the course of the lease agreement.  A good rule of thumb is to look at cars made by German manufacturers as these tend to depreciate at a lesser rate that other makes on the market.  A good example is the Volkswagen Golf or the BMW Series 3 Coupe.  These are both highly-popular vehicles as the residual value remains high until the end of the lease.

The residual value refers to the forecasted value of the car at the end of the car lease.  This amount affects your monthly repayment values as they are determined by the difference between the residual value and the original selling price.  The higher the residual value, the cheaper the monthly repayments.

Next you need to do your homework in order to find the best car leasing deal.  You’ll need to look out for deals that include road tax and maintenance costs.  It is a competitive market and contract hire companies are open to negotiating with customers.  For offers on a wide range of lease cars speak to us at Freedom Contracts and we’ll be happy to find a car that suits you.

Over in the States car leasing has remained steadfastly popular and a staggering one in four car users choose to car lease.  This trend has also taken off in the UK, however, the norm is still to take out a loan or hire purchase with the ultimate aim of owning the car.

The main driving force behind Brits choosing to buy is simply lack of knowledge about the benefits of car leasing, and a certain amount of confusion about terminology used in the industry.

The main concept to keep in mind when deciding whether to buy or lease is the famous quotation by Paul Getty:
“If it appreciates, buy it. If it depreciates, lease it”

Unlike a home which in usual market conditions will appreciate in value, a car will start to depreciate the minute you drive it away.  By taking out a loan or hire purchase you are simply paying month after month for an item that is losing its value.

When it comes to benefits, lease cars have many.  Here are the top few:

•    Your monthly repayments for a lease car will average around 35% and 55% less expensive that car loan repayments.  In most lease agreements only a minimum deposit is required, at most amounting to 3 months’ payments.

•    You can choose a car that otherwise would be out of your price range

•    The warranty covers the car for the term of the lease and often all maintenance costs are covered.  You can also get great deals where road tax is covered.

•    There are no large upfront costs or loans

•    The price of motoring remains fixed for the period of your lease

•    You can upgrade your car every couple of years

So it really is a no brainer! For more information on the latest car leasing deals contact us at Freedom Contracts.

Have you looked at purchasing a car lately? Have you seen the exorbitant prices they charge anyone just to purchase a car? If you have, then you may well be rethinking your idea to buy a car. After all, you are going to have it for 3 or 5 years and then you want to change to something new, something better.

You want to upgrade your car as you would upgrade your mobile phone in order to keep up with the times. However, after 3 or 5 years your car’s value has depreciated and you will not get all that much out for it when you try to resell it.

This is a big problem and it stops you from being able to change your car every few years. Not only that, but the prices charged for the cars you really want to drive are enough to put you into bankruptcy for life. What to do?

Come to us

You need to come to us and invest in car leasing. Car leasing shaves large amounts off the monthly instalments you pay for a car. This is because you don’t own the car, you are leasing it.

This is what makes it so much more affordable for you to drive the car you really want to drive instead of settling for second or third best. Another worry that is taken off your shoulders with car leasing is depreciation. That is our worry and not yours. Once your car leasing contract is over you can simply enter a new one for a brand new vehicle of your choice. You can literally drive a brand new car every few years and never be out of fashion. Car leasing is the way forward when looking to hire a car.