Is it time to go topless?

First, apologies for the dreadful pun in the headline. However it seems to have caught your eye.

Over the Easter weekend we have started to see the hint of a blue sky, a moment of sunshine and that means thoughts turn to taking the roof down on the car. For those who already own a convertible you will know the joy of driving along with the wind blowing around you. For those who do not have the pleasure of driving one of these cars, you may find yourself looking with envy as these cars go by in the summer, comforting yourself with the thought that it will no doubt rain soon.

For those in the market for a convertible, you will find a long list of cars available. Narrowing your list to convertable still leaves many choices for the car buyer. Looking for a car on Carmony we can help you narrow your search, making sure you are seeing the right cars for you.

Choosing the option 'browse by model type', will lead you to sports cars. This category includes convertibles, you can search by model type and narrow your search using the filter on the left hand side.

Another search option is 'lifestyle' if you want a blue or black convetible choose that, if you want it to be speedy tell us, how many people do you need room for? Answer three questions then see what Carmony have to match your needs. Again use the filter on the left to narrow you search.

So what are you waiting for, summer won't last forever you know. I might not last until June!

A selection of covertible cars currently available on Carmony:

Porsche Boxter £24,995, 29,000 miles

BMW Z4 £18,495, 4,436 miles

VW Beetle Cabriolet £8,990, 25,635 miles

Beware of the car with two steering wheels

Together in electric dreams

Gordon Brown has been teasing us with hints on the contents of this months budget. Admittedly this is not the most exciting tease, but it is a tease all the same. Brown is promising a 'green' route to economic recovery.

High on the list are electric cars, roadside power point to charge your car and incentives for 'green' car makers. Evoasis are one of the organisations bidding to become the power point provider, and have some really cool designs for power stations.

The report in today's Independent talks of potential trials in 3 cities for electric cars. These are likely to take place next year, and will no doubt see a scramble by local councils to premiere these initiative.

As drivers we are all feeling the pressure of rising fuel bills and feel we should be doing our bit for the environment - but are we ready to embrace electric cars? The fear by many is that what we will gain in our wallets we will lose in speed. Fear not an electric car has been developed that can out perform its petrol counterparts.



If you are looking for a car now and don't want to wait for the power station to arrive in your town, how do you make sure you are driving greener (for the world and your wallet).

Find green cars with a straightforward green rating score on www.carmony.co.uk, this helps to show you which cars can be more environmentally friendly in your chosen category.

Easter Traffic

Are you planning to get away from it all this Easter, with a little break in the UK? utilising the long weekend from work. If you are you will be joining around 10 million other drivers, so make sure you plan your time and route in advance.

It is estimated that 10% of this traffic will be made up of caravnners, helping to make this the busiest motoring weekend of the year.

The AA is already warning travelers to expect delays and to make sure they have enough petrol in the car. While many motorist may assume that the 'credit crunch' will keep other car users off the road, the AA believe this will result in more people choosing to holiday at home.

Traffic will be made up of those planning a weekend away (a third), day trippers (half) and the remainder taking longer breaks.

Obvious 'hotspots' include British seaside resorts (although the weather forecast is not looking great) and the major ferry ports. I would add to this traffic to your local B&Q outlet.

If you don't fancy sitting behind the wheel of your car, why not sit at home and eat enough Easter eggs so you can't fit behind the wheel of your car!

Ever had trouble parking your car?

Do you dread parking your car in a tight space? Would an extra wheel take away your anxiety?

Road Tax

This week has already seen a rise in fuel tax, which will reportedly cost the average driver £54 a year. Broken down per week, this does not seem like a huge amount, but once you start to add this to your service and maintenance costs and your road tax - then the figure is important.

The DVLA website currently lists seven categories for car road tax:

Band CO2 (g/km) 12 month rate 12 month rate
A Up to 100 £0 £0
B 101 -120 £35.00 £15.00
C 121 -150 £120.00 £100.00
D 151 -165 £145.00 £125.00
E 166 - 185 £170.00 £150.00
F Over 185 £210.00 £195.00
G Over 225 £400.00 £385.00

The same webiste has details on the new prices and categories coming into effect next month.

Changes to the system

From 1 May 2009, an increase in the number of bands, bringing the total number to 13

The following year will see the introduction of different vehicle tax rates for new cars in the first year of registration. The aim being to provide an environmental signal for motorist at the time of purchasing a new vehicle. This rule does not apply to people buying used cars.

The increase to Road Tax in May will be no more than a £5 addition. 2010 will see higher emitting cars charged between £20 and £30 more, whilst lower emitting cars will be charged up to £30 less.

With all this in mind Carmony.co.uk provides cars with both running costs and green scores. The running cost information includes road tax costs, estimated fuel costs (allowing you to alter your estimated mileage) and estimated service and maintenance costs. The aim is to provide you with a clearer picture on how much the car will cost to own, not just buy. Green scores are also included, for those looking to be a little greener and for those looking to save on other costs.

Any old iron?

A scrappage scheme for cars has been running in Germany for a number of months, and has reportedly delivered 577,000+ sales. A similar scheme has also been running in France, although the incentive was not as high. Westminster gossip says that Mr Darling is looking into a scrap scheme for the UK, and this will most likely be announced on April 22nd 2009 - Budget Day.

So what would such a scheme mean to you and I? The model in Germany offers €2,500 to customers who trade in their 10 year old cars for newer fuel efficient cars. (brand new or a year old). The UK scheme will probably offer £2000 to any car buyer trading in a 10 year old car. £2000 which can then be used against the purchase of a new or nearly new car.

A quick look around the carmony.co.uk site and I find a good list of cars which would qualify for the scheme and would look even more attractive with a discount of £2000.

Golf Special Edition Hatchbacks starting at £16,490

Peugeot 307's from £7,495

And you could trade against a Ford Focus for just under £12,000. Saving £2000 on this car would mean a saving of over 16%

So would this be a big enough incentive for you and if so which car would you get?