Drivers in the north of England could save up to ￡3000 by trading in their old car in the south of the country, according to research undertaken by iMotormag.co.uk.The free digital motoring magazine discovered that it really does pay to “shop around” and travel for a bargain. Dealers in the North East of England were the meanest in the country, paying on average ￡1,000 less for the same car than their South East rivals, who were found to be the most generous. The latest industry figures show that August new car sales are at their lowest level for the first time since 1966 and that sales of used cars have fallen 5 per cent, equating to a ￡2bn decline in the used car sector this year.iMotormag.co.uk spoke to over 50 dealers from ten different manufacturer franchises from across 11 regions in England, Scotland and Wales. Every dealer questioned was offered the same, pre-valued 2005 model 1.6 Ford Focus over the phone against the price of their represented manufacturers’ equivalent new model.With most dealers using price guides supplied by independent industry experts, the “generosity” of a deal is therefore down to each dealer’s discretion. The best trade-in value came from the South East and was a staggering ￡3,000, or 75 percent more than a rival dealer North East counterpart. Despite one of the best offers for the Focus coming from Hamilton, dealers in Scotland came close to taking the “meanest mantel” with consistently low offers, followed closely by the West Midlands.Mat Watson, editor for iMotormag.co.uk, commented: ‘With the current “credit crunch” the country is experiencing, dealers are keen for business so knowing where to get a good deal for your old car is invaluable knowledge right now. It’s often joked that the northerners are tight with their money and the dealers from the South East have proved this!’