Used cars versus new cars: it doesn’t really work. It’s a bit like comparing shiny apples and manky pears. I say this because loyal reader Ian began his recent heartfelt email to me with the line: “It’s my fault for buying a new car.”
I don’t think it was: Ian reasonably expected his brand-new motor to not be faulty. It wasn’t end-of-the-world faulty, but not what you expect from a car for which you’ve paid a serious amount of your hard-earned cash.
“They all do that, sir” surely isn’t true in this case. When it rains, the rear lights fill with condensation and take several days to dry. The dealer offered to buy it back for £2000 less than Ian paid after just 250 miles and eventually offered to swap the lenses for the ones on a new car in the showroom. Not great customer care.
Ian said it himself: “I should have bought a used car for a tenth of the money. I could even have bought one for the 10-day depreciation!”
Well, let’s see. A mile-munching large family car that’s comfortable and tidy? A 2009 Mazda 6 2.0 TS for £2000 fits the bill. This is a privately advertised example with just 60,000 miles on the clock. Three previous owners, but it really is the perfect car for hard times, mostly because it shouldn’t break down.
Keeping it real and simple to live with, a Vauxhall Astra should present no problems – especially when you can buy a 2010 1.8 VVT SRi with one of those fancy exterior packs. Mileage is 90,000, there are seven stamps in the book and it’s had just two owners. Not the economical or premium choice, but hard to go wrong.
For a bit of open-air fun, a 2005 Mini Convertible Cooper S with just a shade under 100,000 miles would be a great £2000 buy. It’s a private sale, mind, so you would have to be a little bit careful, especially as the service history isn’t absolutely complete.
Fancy a 4x4? A Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD V6 Overland is a great way to cart your family around, and this one, with 120,000 miles under its belt, has a towbar, so you could tug a caravan or trailer as well.
How about a barge? I’ll pass on a 2004 Mercedes-Benz S-Class on the grounds that it has an aftermarket grille. Instead, a 2007 Jaguar S-Type 2.7d V6 SE is an economy ‘bargy’ compromise. Just two owners, fancy alloys, 118,000 miles on the clock and, best of all, a full service history.
As we regularly tell you right here, a couple of grand can buy you all sorts of wonderful alternatives to a rapidly depreciating piece of new metal.
