Business news and advise

If you love cars and driving, then your choice of automobile and everything that goes with it will be such a matter of individual, personal taste, that it’s really difficult for anyone else to advise you properly.

If, on the other hand, you’re interested in getting round in safety and comfort as cost effectively as possible and don’t have any interest in motoring beyond a desire not to be too embarrassed or embarrassing while you go about it, then there are some easy ways to decide what to do.

I count myself in this group of people who have lost all interest in cars beyond these basic needs.

My hopes, these days are that my car will arrive at where I want to be without me having to do too much – and certainly not by spending too much. And if you look around the web, you’ll read loads of stuff about cars with incredible mpg figures, or eco cars that are ‘must-buys’. But really what you need to do is to buy a really good used car at a really cheap price.

Such a decision blows all other motoring cost considerations out of the water in terms of cash. In other words, most motorists in the developed world are really paying for their own vanity-driven weaknesses in their motoring choices – whilst pretending (maybe even to themselves…) that it’s something else.

The point is often well illustrated when you go on holiday to far distant lands and can’t tell one car from another, no matter what the age or prestige of the vehicles. The fact is that these days, cars tend to last a lot longer. And if you buy a car with a proven tack record for reliability like a Honda, as detailed in the post above, and get it at a cheap second-hand price – you are very likely to enjoy years of trouble-free and cost-effective motoring. So for your pocket’s sake, drop the vanity!

The all-new honda civic 2012 is now available to order for the New Year if you fancy treating yourself. And by all accounts, it could well be worth it.

The first of the new range (the ninth incarnation of the vehicle to which Honda owes its reputation in the car world more than any other since it first arrived back in 1972) will be available for delivery early in 2012.

The Civic 2012 will be going up mainly against the UK’s second best-selling car, the Ford Focus (its little sibling the Fiesta is the best seller), the Toyota Auris and the BMW 1 Series.

Style-wise, there’s little competition for me. Thankfully new Civic didn’t move too far away from its predecessor, which has to be the most attractive car in its class.

Put this together with Honda’s excellent and proven reputation for overall reliability and engine excellence, and the new Civic looks like being a good choice. Also, many parts, including the engines and gearboxes, are essentially the same as the tried and tested predecessors, so if reliability is the main criterion for selection, there’ll be little to rival the new car in its class.

Perhaps the best refinement on the new model is the suspension. The eighth generation Civic was criticised for the hardness of its ride but the ninth generation Civic’s fluid-filled rear suspension bushes make it a far more comfortable ride, while the new electric power steering system is smooth and accurate.

Initially, the new Civic is available with two petrol engines (1.8i or 2.2i) and a 2.2i diesel.

If your business has any vehicles owned or leased by the business, it’s important to maintain them well and regularly, along with keeping accurate records.  It helps protect those employees that use the vehicles, and it’s useful to keep full records in case of any accidents or legal claims.

The following tips will help you keep your fleet – and drivers – in top form.

Safety inspections

Train your drivers to carry out visual inspections on the vehicles they use, once a week.  They should note down and report any defects.  Log these driver records on the fleet file.

Make sure that the cars are booked in for regular safety inspections by a qualified mechanic.  As well as visually checking the car on a weekly basis, a mechanical check every quarter or every six months can give you an early heads up on any mechanical problems that the driver may not have picked up on.  Don’t just wait for the MOT – which only does enough checks to confirm the vehicle is roadworthy at the time of the test.

Don’t delay on fixing problems

Remind drivers to let the person responsible for fleet management about any problems as soon as they become aware of them. Get problems fixed as soon as possible, and keep a record of when any defects were put right. An invoice from the repairer or a specific repair report kept on the computer system will suffice.

Diary dates

Make sure you plan in any important dates for the fleet of vehicles. These include insurance renewal dates, MOTs, and tax documents.  It’s important that one person has overall responsibility for this, but ask drivers to be vigilant in looking after the vehicle that they drive and providing copies of all necessary documentation.

Find the best value

Make sure that any lease contracts are kept up to date, and look into cost savings. Hybrid cars can save money on fuel costs and as they are low emission cars, this can have tax benefits for the company, too.

Driver training

Remind drivers of business policies for driving – on things like mobile phone use, driving hours, weight restrictions and accident procedures. Keep a record of these training sessions. Make sure drivers have valid licences and they have not accrued any driving convictions.

Be organised

Have all records to hand if and when you need them, for example, in case of an accident.