Our constant fascination with convertibles

Summertime. Hot weather, ice creams, beaches and swimming in the sea, shorts and sandals... at least, that's the case if you live somewhere like Mauritius or Florida. Here in the UK, we do get summer weather, but only for about 3 days (give or take). So with that said, why are we as a nation so fascinated with convertible cars?

I used to love rollercoasters as a kid, but my parents would only take me on rainy days so that we wouldn't have to spend most of our time in the theme park queueing. It's the memory of rain lashing at my face like thousands of tiny daggers as the ride roared around the track that has convinced me that in such a wet country, a convertible really isn't the product for me. Looking at the figures, however, it seems a large portion of the country disagrees with me. We actually buy more convertible cars in the UK than Spain, Italy and France.  In fact, we only lose out on the top spot to our German friends over in the land of BMW and Audi.

There are 2 main reasons why Brits love a top-down car. The first one is the statement. When Audi conducted a poll of their convertible drivers, 46% of them admitted to being more interested in the style of it, than actually driving with the top down and the sights and smells that come with it. Looks like we're quite vain Britain! But that's not the only reason. When we get 3 proper sweltering days of true sunshine, we do 3 things. We get the shorts out of the box on top of our cupboards. We wrestle the BBQ out of the shed. And we get the roof down on our convertibles. It's important as a brit to ensure that we squeeze every last drop of British summer out that we can until we gallivant off to Spain in September-time.

I'm not a convertible convert yet, but I'm beginning to see the appeal. So what do you think? Are convertible cars a fancy addition to a collection worth having for the sunny days to really experience the drive and make it more exciting? Or do they have no place in a country where sunny days are as frequent as shooting stars? Let us know!

Yes, We Part-Exchange Cars Sir!

Time and time again we get asked whether or not we take in people's cars as part-exchange. Much like a number of other car dealerships, the immediate answer is yes, given that the majority of people will be trading in relatively recent cars. But at Central Cars UK, there's a difference!

We will take in anything. Literally any car that's presented to us in working order and can be driven on and off the forecourt is game for exchange. I know what you're thinking. "That's what most dealerships say, and then I get there and they don't want it." Well, take a look at this Jaguar that we took in a couple of months ago:

Yes, those are plastic gutters from a roof being used as side skirts. No, this isn't the prettiest car we've ever had. And yes, we did manage to sell it- to a group of guys doing a Cannon Ball run across Europe for charity!

So don't sit at home staring at your driveway with despair and wondering what you're going to do with the old motor. Just bring it down to us, and we'll take it from there!

Sourcing cars at Central Cars UK

Here at Central Cars UK, we understand that your ideal car is unlikely to be sitting on a local lot just waiting for you to snap it up. Even if it is, it's not always convenient for you to make the purchase there and then (you may have to go home and talk to the other half first!). By the time you're ready, it's probably gone. Let's be honest, if it's your dream car, it's probably someone else's too.

So what do you do? Put it down to bad luck, forget about it and always remember it as "the one that got away?" Settle for something less? Not with Central! We believe that you should never have to settle for less, so we go the extra mile (excuse the pun) to get you the motor you crave! We've been sourcing individual cars for our loyal customer base for the last 20 years! Using our vast network of automotive trade partners and friends, we have travelled the length and breadth of the UK to collect 'hand-picked' used cars to bring back to our showroom, ready to deliver to another happy customer.

So how does this work? Well, if we don't have what you want in stock, we use the requirements and specifications of your desired car and then look through our partners' databases until we find a match for what you want. Think online dating, but for the motor industry. Once we've seen the car you're after, we contact you straight away to let you know the price, mileage, owners, service history and the turnaround time for delivery- sometimes it's only a couple of days! Once we've agreed and accepted a price for your new vehicle, one of our team of drivers jumps on a plane or train and goes off to make the purchase and collect the car before bringing it back for you. If required, we service and MOT the vehicle before handing it over to you complete with a 3 month warranty and 12 months AA Roadside assistance!

Sound simple enough? Come give it a try! Let us know what you're after - we've got it covered from there.