Turners Launches Ex Lease Car Auctions to Public

Media Release
4 September 2006

Turners Launches Specialist Ex Lease Car Auctions to Public Buyers

Car-buyers will be the likely winners from competition heating up in the used-car market as Turners Auctions today announced the introduction of specialist auctions for near new and ex lease vehicles.

The Certified LeasePlan Auctions will exclusively offer quality New Zealand near new cars with all vehicles being covered by a full six-month mechanical breakdown warranty.

Turners Auctions CEO, Graham Roberts said this is the first time the public has had access to cars of this quality at auction which have previously been available only to Turners’ trade customers.

“These vehicles will be sold at a price which makes them incredibly good value along with a number of additional features which are not typical of car auctions,” said Mr Roberts.

All Turners Certified auction cars will come with a six-month mechanical breakdown warranty, full service history for every vehicle, 105 point check and finance is available on all cars through Turners Finance.

The ex lease car auctions are a result of Turners signing an exclusive deal with car leasing and fleet management company LeasePlan as the primary channel for its quality ex lease cars.

LeasePlan Managing Director Charles Willmer said Turners Certified Auctions provided the ideal sales channel as well as offering security for buyers.

“Rather than just putting vehicles through wholesale channels, we can now offer the public the same cars through a buyer friendly channel at a really competitive price. If we add to this the security offered to the buyer by Turners Certified, we think it’s a real winner.”

Mr Roberts said the warranty being offered on LeasePlan cars would attract an entirely new market to Turners.

“With Turners Certified, we are standing behind these vehicles and taking away any perceived risk involved with buying a car at auction.

The LeasePlan cars are going to appeal to people who traditionally buy from a car dealer but who are now attracted to auctions by the price and the Turners Certified warranty,” he said.

Users of Turners web-based auction service, Turners Live, will also be able to research and bid for LeasePlan cars online. Turners Live provides an alternative channel for car buyers who prefer to make their purchasing decisions away from the pressure of the auction room, in the privacy and comfort of their own home. Car buyers can log in to live auctions on www.turners.co.nz after completing a very simple buyer registration procedure.

“There will be plenty of good information on the cars online including service history information and a full 105 point check, which combined with the surety of Turners Certified takes a lot of the guess work out of buying a quality used car,” said Mr Roberts.

Turners LeasePlan Auctions are to be launched at Turners Auckland Supersite at Penrose on Saturday 9 September and will be held monthly.

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Examples of LeasePlan cars and estimated auction values:

Make and model Odometer Reserve Auction estimate
Hyundai Getz 2005 9598 kms $11900 (11-12)
VW Beetle 2002 80069 kms $14800 (15-16)
Holden Astra wagon 2004 64886 kms $8900 (8.5-9.5)
Ford XT sedan 2005 44966 kms $15500 (15.5-16.5)
Toyota Corolla GL Hatch 2005 8366 kms $18500 (18-19)

About Turners
Turners Auctions is New Zealand's leading car sales channel accounting for 10 per cent of all cars sold in New Zealand every year. Turners’ specialist Auctions include ex-lease, cars, trucks, plant, damaged vehicles and general goods. Turners Finance also offers finance on vehicles sold at Turners Auctions.
www.turners.co.nz

About LeasePlan
LeasePlan is the world's leading vehicle management provider offering professional fleet management solutions. LeasePlan offers a unique range of fleet management services, leasing and maintaining company cars to many of New Zealand’s major companies.
www.leaseplan.co.nz

ENDS