UNDERSTANDING THE UK CAR MARKET - Traditionally, purchasing a new car in the UK has always been an expensive pursuit. Manufacturers have been able to restrict the means by which we buy new cars in the UK - they have been able to dictate who can sell a particular brand of car to you and where they can be sold.

While in recent times the prices of new cars in the UK have been falling, they remain well above those in other European countries - this means that it's possible to save a lot of money on cars if you're prepared to do some research and buy your car from a source outside the UK. This may seem like a hassle, but with several thousands of pounds to save it can prove to be more than worthwhile - and if you have a thing for travelling then buying from abroad can help satisfy your wanderlust while saving money on your new vehicle.

WAYS OF CUTTING THE COST OF YOUR NEW CAR - As we saw above, we can really save some cash by purchasing our new car from Europe - an option that we'll investigate in more detail shortly. However, first we'll take a look at ways to cut the cost of your new car within the UK itself.

Research - Approach the purchase of your new car as you would if it were a home. If you were going to buy a new home you would probably consider several different ones, perhaps in different areas before making your choice. Similarly, you may have a preferred make and model but do not stop yourself from considering other models. If you are on a budget ask yourself what t is that you're looking for from your auto - is space important because you have a family? Whatever your requirements write them down and then list all the makes & models that fit your criteria. You'll probably notice that there may be savings of a couple of thousand between 2 different cars that both fit your requirements.

When researching which is the cheapest & best possible option for you, this process of identifying close substitutes to your preferred choice is vital. You will need to investigate the car's "platform", compare to its rivals and then make a choice based on this.

So what do we mean by looking at the cars "platform"? Simply a platform is the very basic structure upon which the car is structured - the core upon which the fittings and body are structured. Many different cars are actually derived from the same platform. For example Ford uses the Mondeo and Fiesta platforms to produce a wide variety of individual cars from the Puma to the Probe and much more. So lets say you really like the look of the Ford Galaxy - you should then investigate other similar cars built on the same platform.

Once you have done this look at the offerings of your rivals - get hold of some car magazines and see which cars are listed next to your preferred choice. There may be some big price differences that you can expose to your advantage.

Tip - Avoid paying high prices for "special editions" - this is rarely little more than different seat covers or some other small changes. What you're actually paying for here is the "exclusive" factor.

Buy An "Ex Fleet" Car And Make Some Serious Savings - The Ex Fleet market in the UK is huge and certainly worth considering if you wish to make some significant savings. Ex fleet cars are commonly sold at

Find hundreds of dirt cheap car wholesalers & government auctions at