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How much do I spend on stamps??? It must add up because I send every customer a nice thank-you letter. Steven Stalker replied with a letter back to me about the Mazda 3 that was delivered, new. Here it is:

Steven says…
LINGsCARS.com is an oasis in a desert of faceless, dull companies. Her service has been excellent, despite the long delay in securing finance. Her website and correspondence stand head and shoulders above the others and I couldn’t find a better price anywhere so that’s a tick in that box as well. A joke, a laugh, good service and a good price. A winning combination. Excellent delivery, exactly what was expected.

Steven Stalker
Perth
PH1 ***

Editor Note: Apart from the damn slow finance companies (they are a complete pain post-crunch) we got everything sorted and you are very happy, I think, Steve. You work in a company which is also at the cutting edge of cheap and growing sector. Keep up the good work. Enjoy the new Mazda 3. You are dead right about other faceless, dull companies! – Ling

My system has alerted me that the BMW X2 2.0 sDrive 20i M Sport 16v (192bhp) Hatchback 5dr 1998cc Petrol Step Auto (7 Speed) Petrol Automatic has changed today so I update my website and post here for the benefit of customers. No one else bothers with this stuff. I treat you like adult, not idiot.

Oh, I get very mad about this, but I cannot say this in my advertising or some big leasing companies complain to me that I slag them off… The industry standard for contract hire is a 1x rental-initial-payment or (more usually) a 3x rental-initial-payment. That’s it. If everyone advertised this, you could easily compare the rental figures as the football field we are playing on would be flat.

I am determined to create momentum in this dinosaur industry to make it aware of environmental responsibilities. Please ask your local dealer what additional steps they are taking. Please be aware of their advertising, their business methods and their environmental impact and question them; “What are you doing to exceed the legal minimum requirements?”.

The CO2 for this BMW X2 Petrol Automatic is better than it was, at just g/km. It is a bit different if you look at a slightly different trim level.

My BMW X2 2.0 sDrive 20i M Sport 16v (192bhp) Hatchback 5dr 1998cc Petrol Step Auto (7 Speed) Petrol Automatic gearbox is only £364.34 inc VAT per month with 3 months initial payment, followed by 35 payments on direct debit. Business customers, make sure you deduct the VAT, when making decisions. As I can’t tell what type of customer you are (business or private), I can’t display the price any other way but to show VAT seperately (sorry!).

This price on my BMW X2 includes full road tax for the length of the contract, on all of my cars and vans! Free delivery to your home or work and free collection from you at the end! £364.34 inc VAT per month is based on you driving 10,000 miles per annum, but higher mileages are usually available at a small extra cost. If you go over the allocated miles, you can pay a small excess mileage charge, usually between 3p and 15p per mile.

The comparative or “fridge” label, is compulsory in car showrooms – except you’ve got to DRIVE there to see it! I won an industry award for displaying it electronically for all website visitors. I am the proud winner of the 2008 Best Environmentalist 2008 Automotive Management Award. Like me, Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair talks straight about cars versus planes. “The usual horseshit”, he says. One day, every car will be as Green as my Jolly Green Nuclear Missile Truck “Calm down dear!” – it’s only done 1,000 miles since 1970.

Use higher gears, as soon as traffic conditions allow.

Read this website comment. I really try my best! (email address altered)

Hey, what can I say? Fantastic site!
D M Smith, Wellingborough, NN8 2ND
nucabs_@yahoo.co.uk

The external noise emitted by passenger cars has been controlled since 1929 when the Motor Cars (Excessive Noise) regulations were introduced. New cars are now required to meet Europe-wide noise limits. These have been progressively reduced from 82 decibels (dB(A)) in 1978 to the current limit of 74 dB(A) established in 1996. This means it would take 7 new vehicles to make the same amount of noise as a vehicle that just meets the pre-1978 limits.

Don’t spend so much on fuel! If you get a new Mercedes C Class Petrol 1.5 C200 AMG Line 16v (198bhp) (4 seats) Cabriolet 2dr 1497cc Petrol 9G-Tronic (9 Speed) Automatic, then you will spend less because the CO2 value has changed. That means more MPG.

At the end of the contract, the car is collected from you and you have no further obligations. You do not buy the car, nor do you have a “balloon” payment. Simply give it back! Of course, the car should be fair and reasonable condition commensurate with its age and mileage. If it’s not, you’ll be charged for any damage. But to me that’s common sense.

Carbon dioxide is a colorless gas which, when inhaled at high concentrations (a dangerous activity because of the associated asphyxiation risk), produces a sour taste in the mouth and a stinging sensation in the nose and throat. These effects result from the gas dissolving in the mucous membranes and saliva, forming a weak solution of carbonic acid. You may notice this sensation if you attempt to stifle a burp after drinking a carbonated drink. Burp! Ooooops!

Working it out from the tables, the CO2 is just 145g/km for the Mercedes C Class Petrol Automatic. There are a few cars in this range, so different specs will give slightly different CO2 values.

My Mercedes C Class 1.5 C200 AMG Line 16v (198bhp) (4 seats) Cabriolet 2dr 1497cc Petrol 9G-Tronic (9 Speed) Petrol Automatic gearbox is only £414.01 inc VAT per month with 6 months initial payment, followed by 35 payments on direct debit. Business customers, make sure you deduct the VAT, when making decisions. As I can’t tell what type of customer you are (business or private), I can’t display the price any other way but to show VAT seperately (sorry!).

This price on my Mercedes C Class includes full road tax for the length of the contract, on all of my cars and vans! Free delivery to your home or work and free collection from you at the end! £414.01 inc VAT per month is based on you driving 10,000 miles per annum, but higher mileages are usually available at a small extra cost. If you go over the allocated miles, you can pay a small excess mileage charge, usually between 3p and 15p per mile.

One of my best awards was the 2008 best non-franchise environmentalist, awarded by Automotive Management. The web is fickle, I have noticed LINGsCARS.com is the ONLY new car supplier to display and promote environmental info for ALL new cars, on the web! My website won “BEST non-franchised WEBSITE 2007” in the Automotive Management Awards.

Slow down – driving at high speeds significantly increases fuel consumption.

These comments have been made about my website:

Hello Ling, I found your site one of the most interesting and funny on the web. What a great concept, if only there were more people like you! Why don’t you have a recipe of the month? Your quiz was too hard for me and your teeshirt is cool.
Mary Nowell, East Kilbride, G75 8EQ
marynowell1_@hotmail.com

The external noise emitted by passenger cars has been controlled since 1929 when the Motor Cars (Excessive Noise) regulations were introduced. New cars are now required to meet Europe-wide noise limits. These have been progressively reduced from 82 decibels (dB(A)) in 1978 to the current limit of 74 dB(A) established in 1996. This means it would take 7 new vehicles to make the same amount of noise as a vehicle that just meets the pre-1978 limits.

Visit my full letters page click here

Gotta laugh at some of these letters! It’s amazing how much time some customers put into writing them. Often it can take me up to 10 seconds to read them. Just like this letter from Deborah Baker that I got a while ago:

Deborah says…
Brilliant! The whole process ‒ the car ‒ everything. I would definitely use Ling again as everything was great. Plenty of contact, simple process, quick response to e-mails and funny! Felt like I was dealing with a friend. Have recommended already and will be back! Thanks.

Excellent delivery: Good service ‒ polite, smart and delivered car on time. Thank you.

Deborah Baker
Bristol
BS7 ***

Editor Note: Deb, that sounds good to me! You were great to deal with, we had a load of fun and you were really happy with your Fiesta and the deal. It is hard to do better than that. You are certainly a friend, now 🙂 Thanks for recommendation! – Ling

Visit my full letters page click here

I always ask my customers if they have comments about getting their new car. Really, I am looking for criticisms (so I can improve my service). However, customers like Keith Andreton show that it is hard to generate real criticism. I can only improve if I know if anything is wrong. So, no thanks to Keith Andreton 🙂

Keith says…
“Excellent service from start to finish, you simply WILL NOT get this service if you deal with any other contract hire company. Great service, excellent delivery, car arrived on time.”

Keith Andreton
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE7 ***

Editor Note: Ho, ho, ho, another local customer! Hello Keith! I have never met you but you sound lovely and I am so pleased I saved you a fortune on your Octavia. This was a damn fast 170bhp VRS model and is a real rocket car for a 1.6 Golf price. Howay the toon! Hehehe, I can do the local accent, eh? All I need now is 28 pints of lager, a fake fire engine and a fight on the Quayside – Ling

Green output is important to me, so I tell you the Mercedes A Class 1.5 A180d Sport 8v (116bhp) Hatchback 5dr 1461cc Diesel Automatic (7 Speed) Diesel Automatic has changed, here are the new figures. I work hard to keep everything up to date.

You need to insure the car fully comp, as normal with any new car. The car can be used for any purpose, or driven by anyone you choose. In effect, it is your own brand new car for the length of the hire period. You can even take it abroad. I tried to drive car to China once. That was damn big mistake. I suggest you do not use contract hire car for this.

A very important feature is to be able to compare many different cars – on my main car listing pages. No franchised dealer will allow this, as they are mainly representing just one brand, so how is the average customer expected to make comparative judgements?

I have taken a typical model of this car from my website – the Mercedes A Class Diesel Automatic. For this car, the CO2 is now just 0g/km. Other trim levels might differ slightly.

My Mercedes A Class 1.5 A180d Sport 8v (116bhp) Hatchback 5dr 1461cc Diesel Automatic (7 Speed) Diesel Automatic gearbox is only £286.31 inc VAT per month with 3 months initial payment, followed by 35 payments on direct debit. Business customers, make sure you deduct the VAT, when making decisions. As I can’t tell what type of customer you are (business or private), I can’t display the price any other way but to show VAT seperately (sorry!).

This price on my Mercedes A Class includes full road tax for the length of the contract, on all of my cars and vans! Free delivery to your home or work and free collection from you at the end! £286.31 inc VAT per month is based on you driving 10,000 miles per annum, but higher mileages are usually available at a small extra cost. If you go over the allocated miles, you can pay a small excess mileage charge, usually between 3p and 15p per mile.

The comparative or “fridge” label, is compulsory in car showrooms – except you’ve got to DRIVE there to see it! I won an industry award for displaying it electronically for all website visitors. I am the proud winner of the 2008 Best Environmentalist 2008 Automotive Management Award. Like me, Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair talks straight about cars versus planes. “The usual horseshit”, he says. One day, every car will be as Green as my Jolly Green Nuclear Missile Truck “Calm down dear!” – it’s only done 1,000 miles since 1970.

Use air-conditioning sparingly – running air-conditioning continuously will increase fuel consumption significantly.

I have so many of these website comments, they are overflowing on my desk!

Great site, easy to navigate.
Jammer Hearne, Kirkby in Ashfield, NG17 7FY
greenday_chic_xx_@hotmail.co.uk

Failure to show fuel consumption labels on new cars on display, or to make available to potential buyers the results of the fuel consumption tests as listed in this booklet, render dealers liable on conviction to a fine of up to �5,000. The same penalty exists for anyone who does not include all the appropriate test results in promotional literature. Trading Standards enforce point of sale information and should be contacted if you have concerns in this area. The Vehicle Certification Agency enforce the provision of information in advertising and promotional literature.

Look, another CO2 change! The BMW 3 Series Touring Estate 2.0 320d M Sport Shadow Edition 16v (190bhp) Estate 5dr 1995cc Diesel Manual (6 Speed) Diesel Manual has moved slightly in the environment tales again. I post the new info, and publish on my website.

Most Ling cars are on 2 year deals or less, so you should only need an oil and filter service (you won’t need brake pads etc unless you drive like German idiot Schumacker). You just pay this service yourself, OK? Some service intervals (eg. Renault) now at 18,000 miles! You can have this small service done at any cheap VAT registered garage, just use quality parts. Your car is fully covered by the manufacturer warranty (use franchise dealer for this, free), and you get manufacturer’s AA/RAC type cover.

My customers drive brand-new cars. These cars are far less polluting than cars built just a few years ago. As an extreme example, it would take 50 new cars to produce the same emissions per kilometre as a vehicle made in 1970. The new cars my customers are driving have been produced on the most modern production lines, using the latest technology with much lower environmental build costs than cars produced in the past. By their nature, these new cars will be emitting the lowest levels of pollutants than they will ever produce in their lifetimes, as they get older.

I have taken a typical model of this car from my website – the BMW 3 Series Touring Estate Diesel Manual. For this car, the CO2 is now just 123g/km. Other trim levels might differ slightly.

My BMW 3 Series Touring Estate 2.0 320d M Sport Shadow Edition 16v (190bhp) Estate 5dr 1995cc Diesel Manual (6 Speed) Diesel Manual gearbox is only £374.38 inc VAT per month with 3 months initial payment, followed by 35 payments on direct debit. Business customers, make sure you deduct the VAT, when making decisions. As I can’t tell what type of customer you are (business or private), I can’t display the price any other way but to show VAT seperately (sorry!).

This price on my BMW 3 Series Touring Estate includes full road tax for the length of the contract, on all of my cars and vans! Free delivery to your home or work and free collection from you at the end! £374.38 inc VAT per month is based on you driving 10,000 miles per annum, but higher mileages are usually available at a small extra cost. If you go over the allocated miles, you can pay a small excess mileage charge, usually between 3p and 15p per mile.

Remember I won the best non-franchise environmentalist 2008 in the Automotive Industry Awards. Don’t let these manufacturers fool you; LINGsCARS.com is the ONLY new car supplier to display and promote environmental info for ALL new cars, on the web! I have a Master’s Degree in Environmental Quality from Bournemouth Univeristy in 2000, plus a BSc in Applied Chemistry from Jinan University, Guanzhou in 1997.

Regular servicing helps keep the engine at best efficiency.

Looking at my pile of website remarks, I just found this one:

I’ve never laughed so much visiting a website as much as I have with this one. Thanks a lot. You have already filled my day with happiness reading this site.
Lisa Heslam, Washington, NE37 2LF
lishes68_@aol.com

The external noise emitted by passenger cars has been controlled since 1929 when the Motor Cars (Excessive Noise) regulations were introduced. New cars are now required to meet Europe-wide noise limits. These have been progressively reduced from 82 decibels (dB(A)) in 1978 to the current limit of 74 dB(A) established in 1996. This means it would take 7 new vehicles to make the same amount of noise as a vehicle that just meets the pre-1978 limits.

Visit my full letters page click here

Gotta laugh at some of these letters! It’s amazing how much time some customers put into writing them. Often it can take me up to 10 seconds to read them. Just like this letter from Vernon Parkinson that I got a while ago:

Vernon says…
I love my new baby (car). I’ve had an amazing response from all my friends and family. I loved the service that I received, it was very personal and really helpful in getting me a new car. The only thing with leasing is that I didn’t realise the amount of time it could take before you get a car. I wouldn’t have minded a little note somewhere to point this out. Thanks for the Kia Picanto, though!! Everything was explained thoroughly and clearly to me on delivery.

Vernon Parkinson
Huntingdon
PE29 ***

Editor Note: Oh Vernon, I am so sorry, I always do my best to explain that the one thing I cannot truly control is delivery time. Many factors affect it, and the UK law for personal customers means that I must give you a “cooling off” period in which to change your mind. I’m very happy to do that, but it means that if you need a car fast, you simply have to wait. Glad you are so pleased with your new Picanto, though – Ling

The impact of CO2 is important. I always compare my figures with the Government data, so when it changes, like on this Citroen C3 Petrol Manual, I note it here in my blog.

With my deals, you get a brand new car with zero miles on the clock, delivered to your door. The new car is fully taxed and has the full manufacturer’s warranty and AA cover. It has proper New Car Smell; you know this smell? MMMMM!

I have a Master’s Degree in Environmental Quality from Bournemouth Univeristy in 2000, plus a BSc in Applied Chemistry from Jinan University, Guanzhou in 1997. So I have some idea what I am talking about, here. How many other people in the UK motor industry can say that?

Working it out from the tables, the CO2 is just 109g/km for the Citroen C3 Petrol Manual. There are a few cars in this range, so different specs will give slightly different CO2 values.

My Citroen C3 1.2 PureTech Flair 12v (82bhp) Hatchback 5dr 1199cc Petrol Manual (5 Speed) Petrol Manual gearbox is only £182.17 inc VAT per month with 3 months initial payment, followed by 23 payments on direct debit. Business customers, make sure you deduct the VAT, when making decisions. As I can’t tell what type of customer you are (business or private), I can’t display the price any other way but to show VAT seperately (sorry!).

This price on my Citroen C3 includes full road tax for the length of the contract, on all of my cars and vans! Free delivery to your home or work and free collection from you at the end! £182.17 inc VAT per month is based on you driving 10,000 miles per annum, but higher mileages are usually available at a small extra cost. If you go over the allocated miles, you can pay a small excess mileage charge, usually between 3p and 15p per mile.

The comparative or “fridge” label, is compulsory in car showrooms – except you’ve got to DRIVE there to see it! I won an industry award for displaying it electronically for all website visitors. I am the proud winner of the 2008 Best Environmentalist 2008 Automotive Management Award. Like me, Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair talks straight about cars versus planes. “The usual horseshit”, he says. One day, every car will be as Green as my Jolly Green Nuclear Missile Truck “Calm down dear!” – it’s only done 1,000 miles since 1970.

Slow down – driving at high speeds significantly increases fuel consumption.

My website comment page is overflowing. This is one of my favourites.

Totally off the wall but brilliant all the same. Wish there were more like it!
Bill Doodson, Huddersfield, HD1 4PP
bill.doodson_@ntlworld.com

In 1993 exhaust emission limits, (generally referred to as the Euro 1 standards) were introduced for new cars which resulted in the adoption of advanced emission control techniques, e.g. catalysts. More stringent emission limits came into effect in 1997 (Euro 2) and 2001 (Euro 3) and 1st January 2005 (Euro 4). Euro 4 came fully into force on 1st January 2007 and now covers most new cars on sale.

Visit my full letters page click here

I always ask my customers if they have comments about getting their new car. Really, I am looking for criticisms (so I can improve my service). However, customers like Roger Keen show that it is hard to generate real criticism. I can only improve if I know if anything is wrong. So, no thanks to Roger Keen 🙂

Roger says…
I have found Ling and LINGsCARS.com very good and efficient to deal with. She is very user friendly, especially her website.

Roger Keen
Bath
BA1 ***

Editor Note: In turn, I have found papillon means butterfly. This is delicious insect if you deep fry (very fast) with chilli garlic sauce. Like Milky Way this is very light snack you can eat between meals without ruining appetite. Butterfly less sugar so more healthy. I should be damn celebrity chef, too – Ling