What Car? guide to car supermarkets - Available cars, Castle Donington

CHOICE
There were 2000 vehicles to see, but luckily the stock list helped us find the ones we were interested in. As well as mainstream cars, there was a good selection of 4x4s and MPVs. Most cars were between one and three years old and all had data sheets clearly displayed in their windows.

PRICES
Prices varied, but were on average 5.75% under those in trade guides.

DID IT HAVE THE CARS WE SAW ONLINE?
It was straightforward to find the cars we'd looked at on the website.

HIDDEN CHARGES
With the exception of road tax, there were no extra fees to pay.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THINGS GO WRONG?
All cars come with a minimum of one month's warranty, but you can buy extended cover. Prices start at £200 for a year's cover.

FINANCE
We were introduced to a business manager when we asked about getting a finance quote, and he took the unusual approach of recommending a PCP deal, even though it probably didn't suit our needs. In the end, we were quoted a typical APR of 8.9%.

PART-EXCHANGE
We got a fair price of £5800, which was valid for 10 days.

TEST DRIVE
We were able to drive both a Vauxhall Astra and a Ford Focus we liked. The test route took just under 10 minutes, but wasn't varied so didn't give much of an idea of how each car compared.

CONDITION
The cars had been valeted, but it didn't look like it had been done recently. The cars were generally free of scratches and marks.

CUSTOMER SERVICE
We were given a stock list, shown how the site was set out and told to come back to reception if we needed a salesman.

Salesman Simon duly introduced himself, found more details on the cars we liked, arranged test drives and then passed us onto the business manager to discuss finance. We were also shown the registration documents of any car we wanted to verify previous keepers and registration dates.

Shame the business manager gave some financial advice that sounded like it would benefit his wallet more than ours. At no point did we feel as if were being rushed or not treated with respect.

Verdict
A great site, low prices and very helpful sales staff make this one of the country's best car supermarkets.

AVAILABLE CAR
Station Road, Castle Donington, Derbyshire DE74 2NL
Web: www.availablecar.com
Phone: 0870 460 8623