Why its best to buy a convertible in the Winter

Owning a convertible is a great option for those who want to enjoy the best of the British summer time while driving their dream car. So it's hardly surprising that sales of convertibles will often be sky rocketed in Britain near the early days of the summer season.

Understandable it may seem a bit weird to even think about getting a convertible in the depths of winter where everywhere is cold and wet - not exactly ideal for taking the roof down.

However, the winter months are often the best times to buy a new or used convertible. Here are our reasons why.

With the ongoing cold weather in the autumn and winter period will lead to great focus towards 4x4's and crossovers. While it's understandably tempting to pickup a convertible when the sun is shining, but if you plan ahead, you can pickup your dream convertible with a price tag to match it.

Even though it may be cold outside, but modern convertibles are not supposed to just be used in the summer months. Cars like the BMW 3 Series or the Mercedes E Class offer a warm comfortable cabin when the roof is up or down.

Head of Consumer Services for HPI explained "To maximise potential savings, its a good idea to plan what type of car you want in advance and be clever about it - no one drives around with the roof down in the middle of winter, so now is a good time to consider buying a convertible as demand is low and in turn so are prices. Alternatively, if you are looking for a 4x4 to tackle the snowy roads, it will be better to look for that particular car in the summer when demand will also be low.

Initially it might not be the most appealing time to purchase a used car, the UK's harsh winter can certainly offer some benefits when it comes to picking up a bargain.

How much have cars really changed?

It certainly is easy to forget just how much cars have changed over the years. After all, cars are becoming like mobile phones, new models are being released all the time to keep up with technology that's always one step ahead. If you think of the very first Ford: the Model A released in 1903. It's feature list wasn't its strongest point and it only cost $385 and nearly 5,000,000 were made. Today, it'll be very unlikely to see one on the road. However in Museums or Auctions they're seriously sought after.

With plenty of changes coming to our showroom, I found myself thinking about how cars have changed over the years. Take a look below and let us know what one is your favourite.

Ford Fiesta

The Ford fiesta is easily one of the most common cars on the road and we're pretty sure it always will be. It's reliable, efficient and cheap to buy.

Fiat Panda

The very first version was released in the 80's and it certainly was a cheap boxy car without any frills.  These days though, with the third generation in production, it is still a cheap car to buy and its looks have drastically improved!

Ford Mondeo

The 90's wasn't best known for its design and styling, and the Mondeo has been around since then, but you will still find them on the road. Since they have become extremely popular as cheap to run family cars, police cars and even race cars. Over the pond they are known as the Ford Fusion.

Volkswagen Golf

The Volkswagen Golf MkI has been around since 1983 and there are still plenty driving around today. Whether they are still in their original form or have been done up by Vee Dub fans. The Golf is still going and is now on it's seventh generation.

Toyota Hilux

The first generation Toyota Hilux pickup truck has been around since 1972. The Hilux name has seen many changes throughout its life and the most popular being the Fourth generation (N40). They're well known for their reliability and general ruggedness. The name now proudly represents it's seventh model.

Vauxhall Corsa

Originally being introduced as the Vauxhall Nova when it launched in 1983. In 1993 the name was changed to Corsa where it continued to grow as one of the nations best Supermini's.

Mini Cooper

Despite BMW now owning Mini, the Mini is a quintessential British car; cool, fun, cheap and they're loved all over the world. The newer models still share a similar design, however the modern Mini is not so Mini anymore especially with the 4x4 models. There are hundreds of different models to buy, and each one is loved just as much as the last.

As you can see, cars were definitely much boxier back then; where as these days lines ar much more rounded with loads of technology and comforts packed inside. 

If you have any photos of your old car, post them on our Facebook wall telling us why you love them.

Most Unbelievable Car Jumps

So, are you back at work and suffering from the January blues? This is a compilation of the most extreme spine crumpling car jumps of all time.

Despite that these cars will likely never see the roads again after their fame and glory, we have to applaud the guys who get their trucks, busses and mini vans some well deserved air.

Now, can we bet you aren't able to watch the video thinking of your own back?

I wonder what would need replacing after these jumps......

Tips on How to Warm Up Your Car Faster

How many of you have gone to your ice cube of a car in the morning and turned the engine on for a couple of minuets with the heater on full whack? I'm sure many of you are guilty of this, I certainly was!

But did you realise that doing so didn't really make much of a difference to the car? It was still cold inside for at least half the trip and you were on the edge of hypothermia. The trick to warm up your car faster is very counter intuitive, so firstly its best to explain how the car heater works for this secret to make sense.

Most cars have heater cores inside their dashboards. Hot liquid from the engine passes through the core which means hot air passing over it will pickup quite a bit of heat which in turn comes out of your vents. Just like the old radiators you had in your home.

So, to heat up your car faster you need to stop that heat loss. You won't heat up your oven with the door wide open will you?

To heat your car faster you want to turn the heater off and drive for a couple of minuets. This then traps the heat in the cars heating system, just like closing an oven door. After driving for a couple of minuets, you will notice that your engine temperature gauge is slowly starting to increase. This is when you can strip down and let all that lovely heat through your vents.

If your car has automatic climate control, its normal that the fan doesn't blow when you first start your cold car. This is because vehicle engineers already know this secret and have programmed in into your car.

However, don't be tempted to let your car idle with the heater off as this can damage your car and may soon be illegal. Idling forces your car to operate in a very inefficient and gas rich mode that in time degrades the engines performance and can reduce your mpg.

12% of men prefer cars to women

According to a new survey by Volvo and Brainwave monitoring specialists, just over 12% of men think that some cars actually look better than women.

The study used EEG (electroencephalogram) technology to measure the brain activity when performing their research. They then processed the electronic brain signals of the men to measure the effect of great car designs on the human mind.

In the interest of comparing the opposite sex and keeping us men from looking like pigs, the women also compared great car design to a some hunky men. However the results were very surprising. Over a third of females actually rated impressive car images over a good looking bloke. Does this really mean women are bigger petrol heads that us men?

It also seems there is a gender divide on how humans rank the importance of cars and crying babies. The women recorded double the emotion of men towards pictures of teary toddlers.

However if you need that boost in self-esteem, it appears that 74% of men feel much more confident in themselves when behind the wheel of a sexy car, while 60% of woman feel more confident and empowered when they're driving a striking motor.

Volvo's vice president said:

"This survey finally proves what we’ve always suspected. Beautiful car design can elicit strong emotional responses ranging from a positive frame of mind to a sense of empowerment."

Now we know that most of us get excited by the though of rare and exiting cars, but the question is, how would you feel when behind the wheel of your dream car?

Parents dropping off kids being fined.

Soon, parents will be watched with new "school run cameras" that are being trailed across the UK. Thousands of parents are dropping off their children in illegal zones, such as right outside the school gates on zigzag lines and other no stop zones. These cameras are pre-programmed to switch on at peak times and they currently read car number plates that intentionally stop in these prohibited areas.

According to the Sunday Times, seven councils are currently experimenting with the new system. This is partly due to insurance companies stating that over 1,000 children are seriously injured every month just outside the school gates. This alone is due to parents dropping and picking up their children in prohibited areas.

While it is believed that this new technology will reduce injuries, many believe that this is just another way for the Government to make more money.

Do you think this is a great use of technology?

Self driving cars. Good news or bad?

What we have seen on TV is certainly becoming factual. The reality of cars driving themselves down the road by themselves is no longer a fantasy. The thought of sitting in the back of your car to check your Twitter, watch some TV or read a book really isn't that far away.

The thought of cars being becoming self sufficient is at hand. In fact Nevada have issued Google a license for its driverless car. It may seem strange at first, but there are many benefits. Accident's will become scarce which will result in cheaper car insurance, and the advantage of being able to escape traffic jams on your morning commute is a dream come true for many.

Furthermore cars will become more fuel efficient due to fewer speed adjustments being made, and with increased fuel economy it is highly likely that speed limits will be increased too. We will most likely see a huge explosion within the in-car entertainment market: With cars driving themselves, we'll be fully distracted by the internet, movies and music.

However, with this huge advance in technology, it won't come without any drawbacks. There's a strong possibility that the use of public transport will drastically fall and there certainly will be a degree of resistance from the public initially, particularly when it comes to trusting the technology at high speeds.

Would you pay for alternative transport when the ultimate luxury vehicle is sitting on your driveway? Let us know in the comments below.