Auto Trader Blog

Have you been affected by the Cumbria floods?

kcautotrader — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:02:49 +0000

Towns in Cumbria have been hit by severe flooding which have left hundreds stranded. Drivers have been told not to take to the roads unless it is absolutely essential. See the Auto Trader website for advice on what to do if you find yourself having to drive on a flooded road. Are you in one of the areas [...]

Create the star of Forza 3

stuartmilne — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:52:56 +0000

You’ve bought the game, earned the car, and now 2009’s must-have racing game lets you customise it. Forza 3’s clever livery editor allows you to design your own car by using the game’s inbuilt graphics – and you can even upload your own graphics, create your car and race it. And the coolest thing is you can [...]

No manual gearbox for Ferrari 458 – but will anyone miss it?

kcautotrader — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:17:51 +0000

It’s two decades since Ferrari first introduced a paddle-shift semi-automatic gearbox on its F1 car – the 640 raced by Nigel Mansell in 1989. Now Ferrari has phased out manual gearboxes entirely in the 458 Italia – its replacement for the F430. Has the onward march of technology needlessly sacrificed the joy of swapping cogs with [...]

Spiders on the web

stuartmilne — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:47:57 +0000

We’ve just pulled together a bunch of pictures of spiders (or spyders, if that’s your preference) that’ll blow your socks off. There’s topless stunners from Maserati, Spyder, Alfa, Audi, Ferrari, Lamborghini – and probably a bunch more we can’t remember. We’re pretty passionate about spiders because they represent virtually everything that’s great about owning and driving a [...]

A Question of Motorsport

stuartmilne — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:10:52 +0000

The last round of this year’s British Touring Car Championship saw a sport quiz – but forget Bill Beaumont and Ian Botham, this was a Question of Motorsport. It pitched Johnny Herbert and teammate Dave Pinkney as team captains answering (usually incorrectly) a load of motorsport-related questions. But the quiz failed to mark a high point in [...]

Beached Bugatti: Car-ma?

vijaypattni — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:26:34 +0000

The sight of a marooned Bugatti Veyron in a saltwater lagoon in Texas was enough to get us reaching for the Kleenex (steady). A car of such magnitude deserved a better life than that, perhaps spent rifling around five-star hotels transporting A-list Hollywood celebrities, or being driven (legally) at its 253mph top speed to show the [...]

Do you love your ‘Beast’?

vijaypattni — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:21:59 +0000

Hollywood A-lister and petrolhead Eric Bana has just released his new DVD documentary Love the Beast. It follows his trials as he rebuilds his beloved 1974 Ford Falcon coupe into a racing car – and the heartache and joy which inevitably follow. Thing is, Bana was born a petrolhead who just happens to be an actor. He’s [...]

Absolute power corrupts absolutely

vijaypattni — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:17:43 +0000

Surely cars can’t get any more powerful? British carmaker Arash Farboud has just unveiled details of the long-awaited Enzo-like supercar: the Arash AF-10. A lightweight racing car made good for the road, it is a sublimely styled, monstrously powerful supercar which – if it’s as good in real life as on paper – should put shivers up [...]

Crash? Just open the road

stuartmilne — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:13:07 +0000

Last week my journey back from the Classic Motor Show was blighted. Not by the sight of a slightly rusty Maxi (although it didn’t help), but by a monster traffic jam. My predicted three-hour run from Birmingham’s NEC to Essex ran into a six-and-a-half hour nightmare. It took about three-and-a-half hours to clear the traffic – apparently [...]

Weird celebrity cars

vijaypattni — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:08:57 +0000

We’ve just found 2006 Celebrity Big Brother winner Chantelle Houghton’s old Alpina B10 (above) for sale on our site. Now, far from casting judgement on celebrities, I can’t help but think that Chantelle’s choice of car is a little…odd. Don’t get me wrong – I think Alpina-tuned Beemers are seriously cool motors, and while they don’t offer [...]

Can a computer game ever improve on real life?

stuartmilne — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:33:38 +0000

Senior web journalist and computer game junky, Dom Sacco has just completed a Lotus double act. He went to Silverstone to race a Lotus Exige in Forza 3 – this year’s latest must-have racing game – and try his luck in the real deal on the F1 circuit’s tarmac. Dom’s a natural when it comes to piloting [...]

Why the Audi Q7 V12 TDI could revolutionise diesel

andrewgoodwin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:47:34 +0000

It costs almost twice as much as the next Q7 in the range, the 4.2-litre V8 TDI S Line, which itself gets to 62mph in 6.4 seconds and has a not inconsiderable 335bhp. So is the Q7 V12 TDI a complete waste of time? Or, should Audi be heartily congratulated for producing a car which makes [...]

Electric cars: bad for the environment?

Dom Sacco — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:31:52 +0000

Electric cars could result in higher overall CO2 emissions and oil consumption, according to a new report. Do you think electric vehicles are the answer to reducing harmful emissions on our roads, or are they a bad idea? We’ve weighed up the pros and cons of electric cars to help you decide. Are there any other good or [...]

BMW 5 Series GT: Another new niche

kcautotrader — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:19:27 +0000

What to make of the BMW 5 Series GT? The latest big car in BMW’s range is pitched somewhere between the 5 Series and X5, yet is based on the 7 Series. Would you buy one – or is this just another sub-niche too far? The 5 Series GT is best thought of as a car [...]

Volvo S60 – quite a looker?

andrewgoodwin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:44:45 +0000

Here are the first pictures of the all-new Volvo S60. It’s certainly appears more dynamic than the old model, which was so discreet it would be hard to spot amongst a gaggle of regular Volvo saloons. But is it good-looking enough to worry BMW and Audi and do you think it signals a positive move for Volvo’s [...]

Have you been in a “crash for cash” accident?

kcautotrader — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:33:49 +0000

Drivers are being warned about a rise in ‘crash for cash’ accidents. Criminals are believed to make £350 million per year from the scams by tricking drivers into crashing into them, then making an insurance claim. Have you been a victim of one of these scams? One common method used by criminals to cause accidents is [...]

See you at the crossroads

Dom Sacco — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:57:39 +0000

A new “X-crossing” has just opened in Oxford Circus, London. Road traffic stops in all directions to allow pedestrians to cross in eight directions – straight ahead and diagonally. It’s already Britain’s busiest diagonal crossing and cost the taxpayer a hot cross £5 million to setup. And London Mayor Boris Johnson yesterday opened the Tokyo-influenced crossing by striking [...]

What’s your favourite car of the year?

Dom Sacco — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:52:33 +0000

The judges have whittled down the Car of the Year nominees to a shortlist of just seven. Much like the X Factor, there was been a lot of talent on display and no doubt those that have been sent home will be disappointed not to still be in the competition. Nerves will be tested right up until [...]

Coolest film cars – your vote

vijaypattni — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:02:54 +0000

We’ve just run video of a 101-year old driver who decided that his life had a large V8-powered Chevrolet-shaped hole in it… So said centenarian popped into his local Chevy dealer and laid down the readies to drive out in a brand new Transformers spec Chevrolet Camaro – complete with a 400bhp V8 engine. Now, we’re all [...]

VW Scirocco R or Ford Focus RS?

adrianhearn — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:37:45 +0000

Volkswagen has just announced prices for its range-topping Scirocco R model with the hot hatch costing from £26,945. This makes it £50 cheaper than the Ford Focus RS. I’m yet to drive the Scirocco R but I have driven the Focus and it’s one hell of a car; it’s rapid and handles superbly despite sending 300bhp through [...]