1st Car Imports Blog

Over the years, the chances are that you or your family has had to squeeze in a car. Some cars may say that there is room in the back for three adults, but when it actually comes to it, the chances are you’ll all be squashed in the back. It’s a horrible situation for all the passengers, there’s no room to move, it can get hot and practically sitting on top of someone else, isn’t really most peoples cup of tea. If you then have to travel over any sort of distance then the whole experience really becomes something we’d like to forget.

The problem simply boils down to space. Family saloons really aren’t designed to comfortably seat three people. For anyone who has to frequently drive a large number of passengers, a multi-purpose vehicle or MPV is clearly the way to go. An MPV is called a minivan in the USA, there’s good reason for this as it is basically a small van with many seats (five or seven). There can still be three seats in the back, but the space available over a family saloon is huge; three adults can clearly sit in comfort.

If an MPV sounds appealing, then the left hand drive Renault Scenic available from us at 1st Car Imports is the perfect solution. The Scenic is spacious and great value at only £16,253. There are a wide range of efficient and low emissions engines which make it both a practical and economical left hand drive for transporting large groups of passengers.

A 4×4 is not everyone’s cup of tea. Some people see them as big, brash and generally a little pointless as probably 90% of them never see anything more challenging than a small puddle. It’s a fair opinion really- 4×4s were originally intended for off road use, farmers or even tradesmen who needed the extra power to move equipment, tools and materials. It was certainly never conceived that 4×4s would be used for the daily commute, trips to shops or to take the children to school, they just simply weren’t designed for that.

No manufacturer has ever really bridged the gap between 4×4 and road going car. However, this may now have changed. The BMW X6 is a stylish 4×4, but it doesn’t look hugely different from a normal road-going BMW. Obviously the ground clearance is larger, but, apart from that, you’d be hard pressed to find anything out of the ordinary. The X6 basically looks like a slick saloon; it has nice sweeping curves, smooth lines and an all round sporty look. You may think that this mixture of 4×4 and sporty saloon would come at a price. Well if purchased as a left hand drive car from 1st Car Imports, the X6 can be purchased from as little as £43,482, a saving of 28% relative to the UK list price.

Obviously, some will argue that the Range Rover already bridges the gap between 4×4 and road going car, it is obviously luxurious and accomplished on the road, but it will always look like a 4×4 and this is where the BMW has the edge.

When it comes to cars of historical significance, Jaguar certainly has its fair share. The XJ220 was the fastest production car ever produced until the McLaren F1 took this crown in 1994. The E-Type Jaguar is possibly one of the finest looking cars ever produced; it has timeless appeal which means that it is still difficult to find a good example for less than £20,000. The XJS was such a successful grand tourer that Jaguar made it for 21 years! Jaguar have produced so many great cars that have been revolutionary, fast, comfortable and luxurious, to list them all would simply take days.

Modern Jaguars may not be as ‘trend setting’ as previous models, but this certainly does not make them bad cars. Take the Jaguar XF, for example. It still has all the refinement, luxury and performance as previous models but it has more of a grown up look. It is clearly aimed at the executive market and as such, the styling doesn’t differ greatly from its competitors. Where Jaguar stands out from its competitors, is its higher level of refinement, luxurious interior and all round performance. The levels that Jaguar set are so high that no one else even comes close.

Now you may expect all of this to come at a cost. Well, if purchased as a left hand drive from 1st Car imports, the Jaguar XF can be available for just £33,154, this is a saving of 29 per cent. The XF is already more appealing than its rivals, but the savings available from us importing experts on a left hand drive really are the icing on the cake.

BMW have traditionally made some of the finest and most luxurious cars around. The 3 and 5 series BMWs have been around for years; they have lasted because they are fantastic in certain areas. They are attractive, luxurious and do exactly what they are meant to do, get you from A to B with as little fuss as possible. BMW have been hugely successful in this over the years, it’s a tried and tested formula which has put them where they are today.

However, someone at BMW has either gone a little bit mad or they are trying to diversify with what they do. The new BMW X1 is labelled as a small off roader, not something BMW are renowned for. As if that wasn’t different enough, the X1 looks like a 1 Series BMW stuck on a 4×4’s chassis. It looks like something you’d have drawn as a child, a normal car but with big wheels, big arches and with loads of ground clearance. This may sound like a bad thing, but it really is not. BMW have managed to achieve a look of sophistication whilst still maintaining it’s off road abilities. There are few rivals out there who could even conceive of achieving this. As long as the new car has the typical BMW reliability, it is a stunning creation.

You may think that all this comes at a price, well if purchased as a left hand drive version from 1st Car Imports, the X1 can be purchased from as little as £24,178. There are no rivals to the X1 that get anywhere near this remarkable value- BMW really have produced something unique.

When it comes to 4×4s, off road vehicles or luxury SUV’s, the Range Rover really is the king. We all know about the big, luxurious and modern Range Rovers. However, not many of us know where the Range Rover came from and how it originally started.

The Range Rover started life back in 1970 as something very different to what we see today. Back then it was a very basic vehicle with vinyl seats and plastic dashboards that were intended to be cleaned down with a hose! It was certainly a powerful vehicle intended for use as an off road vehicle. The second generation Range Rover introduced in 1994 was certainly a big step towards the luxury vehicle we see today. A lot of modern features and comforts were introduced such as automatic height adjustment, air conditioning and leather upholstery. The third generation is the current incarnation of the Range Rover. Although it has had various revisions, it has been around since 2002 in one form or another. This modern Range Rover is packed with features and is the most luxurious version ever produced. It really is the perfect mix of luxury and practicality.

Obviously, this all comes at a price. Thankfully, importing a new left hand drive Range Rover from 1st Car Imports can cost as little as £59,856. This is a significant saving of £21,471 from the UK list price. With a choice of a 3.6TDV8 or a 5.0 V8 supercharged engine, it’s easy to choose the left hand drive vehicle most suited to your lifestyle.

More and more motorists are seeing the benefits of owning a left hand drive car. There’s the obvious financial savings that can be found. However, the greatest benefit can be found with driving in Europe. Obviously, driving in Europe requires us to drive on the right hand side of the road- in a right hand drive car, this can prove tricky. In a left hand drive car, this becomes a lot easier. You sit on the correct side of the car so visibility and general driving becomes a lot easier, you’re more suited for the road layout.

With this in mind, it’s worth thinking about how UK businesses can operate in Europe. Any company with commercial vehicles that take frequent trips to Europe must surely consider the benefits that would come from owning a left hand drive vehicle. This would surely only lead to improved safety for both the driver and the goods in the vehicle. If the driver and the goods are safer, then this can only be good for business.

If you can see the benefit of owning a left hand drive commercial vehicle, then a good first step would be to speak to 1st Car Imports. We have over ten years experience in importing left hand drive commercial vehicles. This experience allows us to provide a complete service offering advice on insuring, registering and delivering your vehicle. We are able to offer significant savings and we can deliver your vehicle to any destination of your choosing.

As the winter months attack both ourselves and our vehicles with horrible cold, wet and windy conditions, it may be a good time to invest in a newer, more suitable and reliable vehicle. There can surely be nothing worse than being in an old banger which takes about an hour to warm up or is scared of snow!

If you happen to be the owner of a business with a string of commercial vehicles, then the problems above can be drastically magnified. Any business which relies on transportation of goods or services simply can’t be in the position of having old and unreliable vehicles. Think of the amount of lost business and reputation that could come from having a broken down vehicle or a vehicle stuck in the snow. A business could potentially become a laughing stock if one of its vehicles became immobile in some comical fashion.

The way to avoid this nightmare scenario would be to renew your commercial fleet with a bulk order of left hand drive commercial vehicles from 1st Car Imports. We already offer up to 25% off the UK list price of some left hand drive commercial vehicles, there is no VAT to pay and we can offer great discounts for bulk orders.

It’s important to keep commercial vehicles as new and reliable as possible. In this time of economic uncertainty, there are very few businesses that can afford any lost business or any hit to their reputation. Image is key and any responsible business owner should do all they can to keep their image intact.

In the current climate of financial uncertainty, businesses must do all they can to keep costs to a minimum. There’s always going to be costs with running a business, the key is to make sure that when money has to be spent, it is spent wisely and in an efficient manner.

For any business that requires commercial vehicles such as vans, buses or trucks, the cost of these vehicles can be quite immense. If a vehicle does need replacing, then most business owners would be tempted to just replace with nearly the same model from their local dealer. This is certainly the easiest option, but by no means the most cost efficient solution. The ideal solution would be to purchase a left hand drive commercial vehicle from 1st Car Imports. We have over 10 years experience in importing left hand commercial vehicles. In terms of being cost effective, importing a left hand drive commercial vehicle is significantly cheaper than buying domestically; we offer discounts of up to 25% off the UK list price. This means that a new commercial vehicle purchase is less likely to put a financial strain on a business.

It’s not just the savings that come from buying a new left hand drive commercial vehicle that are important. It’s also important to consider the unreliability, potential for lost business and poor image of an old vehicle. A new vehicle gives a better image and there is less scope for lost business due to the improved reliability of a more modern vehicle.

Pickup trucks are sometimes perceived to be something that only farmers or someone from Australian television soap might drive! However, modern pickup trucks are a far cry from the utility vehicles of old. There’s no better example of this modernisation than the Nissan Navara. The Navara has been around in various incarnations for many years. Arguably, none have ever been as modern, spacious, comfortable or high performance as the latest Nissan Navara.

It’s hard to know where to start when talking about the new Navara. The most obvious thing would be the looks. The Navara looks strong, solidly built and spacious. What might confuse some is the fact that the Navara has four doors- it bucks the trend of previous pickups by being able to comfortable fit at least four adults. If you then add the flat bed to the back, you basically have a four door saloon with an open boot, almost like an all terrain estate car with only half a roof! With the looks out of the way, it’s on to the engine. A 2.5 litre Dci engine has enough power and performance to cope with nearly anything you could throw at it.

You may think that all this would come at a price, well you’d be right. Fortunately, there is an alternative. If purchased as a left hand drive car from 1st Car Imports, the Navara is available for only £19,785, that’s 34% off the UK list price!  We also have other left hand drive cars for sale.

Anyone in the market for a pickup truck surely can’t overlook the Toyota Hilux. The Toyota Hilux is often referred to as the indestructible car. One of the most prevalent examples of the Hilux’s indestructibility would have to be the famous feature from Top Gear. In this feature, a left hand drive car was subjected to a range of abusive tests designed to test its reliability and robustness. In these tests, the Hilux was driven down a flight of steps, crashed into a tree, washed out to sea, hit by a wrecking ball, set on fire and finally placed on top of a 240 feet building which was then demolished! Despite all of this abuse, the Hilux still started and ran with only minimal maintenance from a typical tool box and some WD40! There can surely be no better or extreme example of the Toyota Hilux’s remarkable resilience.

With the new model Toyota Hilux, you get an incredible package. It’s spacious, sturdy and luxurious. The 3.0 170bhp version has plenty of power and performance which helps to make it suitable for all manner of applications. If purchased as a left hand drive car pickup from 1st Car Imports, the Hilux becomes even more affordable with savings of up to 20% available.

Pickup trucks are often labeled as a vehicle for farmers or trades people, but this is no longer the case with modern pickups. The Hilux is comfortable, spacious and refined enough to be used as anything from an everyday car to a hard working farm vehicle.