05/07/2010

Back up to Derbyshire (if the M40 did airmiles I'd probably have a ticket to Ashby de la Zouch by now) to the VWFS sale.

The attendance is reasonable - not spectacular but OK, and that's just how everyone describes business, at least for VW. That's probably about as much as one can hope for at this time of year. It was noticeable that higher-spec cars, like a Passat Highline Estate, got over book whereas a basic Golf 1.6 S in blue was a bit behind. Checking around, the trade are still wary of anything that seems a bit 'everyday', unless it's really cheap. They're still after low mileage R32s or anything that's a bit distinctive, as insurance against the uncertainty that's still dominating the consumers' minds. A flat-blue Golf with scuffed alloys isn't going to do it (and didn't), but a shiny Touran with lots of toys still seems worth the money.

There are also a lot of rumours going around of other brands (never the speaker's own brand) in trouble. A lot of this will be silly-season mutterings, but the fact that so many people find these rumours so easy to believe is a worrying sign. The headline-grabbing bad news - that never quite landed last time - is still expected, lurking under the trade like an unexploded bomb.