New & Used Vehicles

PRICING MAKES PERFECT
Proton's Compact, known since late 1999 as the Satria, must be one of the motor industry’s best-kept secrets. New car buyers are immensely loyal to the Malaysian company’s products and it’s easy to understand the reasons why. The Compact/Satria, for example, is a medium-sized family hatch at a supermini price. Used car buyers are now also beginning to see many of the attractions of Proton ownership. The company offers long and comprehensive warranties on all its new vehicles, a sure sign that reliability and durability are more than just sales talk. Used buyers have realised this and are beginning to discover the bargains that exist. Protons can still take a little effort to track down, however, unless you go through a main dealer.

(2008) Proton Satria

A QUESTION OF CARISMA
What it lacks in crowd-stopping style, this medium-sized Japanese contender makes up for with innovation. Introduced in 1995, it was the first Far East car to sidestep import quotas by being built in the Netherlands. More importantly, the revolutionary GDI models, unveiled in 1997, were Europe’s first direct injection powered cars. It may be designed for and built in Europe, but the Carisma also possesses the typical Japanese virtues of reliability and value for money, which make it a smart second-hand buy.

 (2001/) Mitsubishi Carisma

NATIVE AMERICANA
The late-shape Jeep Grand Cherokee has had some adjusting to do. Whereas the old model traded blows with the Range Rover as the plushest 4x4 you could buy, the current car has seen the Lexus RX300, the BMW X5, the Mercedes M-Class, the Volvo XC90 and latterly the Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg all eclipse its position, ensuring that competition is hotter than ever before. This market focus on new metal has helped used buyers because, to a certain extent, many customers have taken their eye off what made the Grand Cherokee such a hit in the first place and some notable used bargains are out there to be had. For little more than the price of a Suzuki Grand Vitara you can now find yourself behind the wheel of Jeep’s finest.

JeepGrand Cherokee

JUNIOR EXECUTIVE
The car that turned Audi around in the UK - as in Europe - was the A4. BMW's 3 series had ruled the compact sports saloon sector for so long that many of its competitors had almost given up. Then the A4 arrived. What Car? magazine quickly awarded Audi its `Best Compact Executive` car award and other plaudits quickly followed. The original A4, in saloon and `Avant` estate form, took the Ingolstadt manufacturer back to the position it enjoyed 20 years previously, when the company's UK sales outstripped the combined efforts of Mercedes and BMW. That was before Audi rather lost its way in the Seventies and Eighties, twinned as it was with Volkswagen. All this is great news for the used buyer. There is a good selection of used cars out in the market and all are top-quality products.

AudiA4 Car

To say that Volkswagen’s sixth generation Passat went back to basics would be underselling quite what a technically sophisticated car it is, but the sentiment represents what the German company has done with this model range. Where the fifth generation model got a bit big for its own boots, with super powerful eight cylinder models and such like, for the MK6, Volkswagen recognised the limits of the Passat’s reach and kept things sensible. As a used proposition, it’s hard to buy better but you’ll need to fork out some serious money still. These cars are in serious demand.

 2000 Volkswagen Beetle

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU
Although it seems that almost everybody is now jumping on the Coupe Cabriolet bandwagon, Peugeot were among the first to popularise the genre in this country and if you’re after a reasonably priced car of this ilk, the French marque represents your best option. The 206CC has been the big seller but if you want something altogether bigger, more sophisticated and a good deal better looking, you’ll need a 307CC. Here we take a look at whether one of these technically complex cars makes a sound used purchase.

X MARKS THE SPOT
It’s not often that a new car is launched that completely rewrites the parameters for a given class. In the last fifteen years it’s probably fair to say that possibly the Mercedes A-class, the Lotus Elise and the Renault Scenic have done this. Whilst they have innovated to succeed, BMW’s X5 has just used sheer excellence to steamroller all before it in a way only matched by the eye-popping all-round competence of Ford’s Focus. Before the X5 was launched, we all thought a Range Rover or a Mercedes M-class boasted sweet road manners. To be quite frank, the X5 made them look clumsy and agricultural. If you want the best luxury 4x4, this is it. No ifs, buts or maybes and as a used proposition it’s even better, but if you’re thinking of picking up a bargain, prepare for disappointment. X5’s don’t come cheap. If you want the best, you’re going to have to pay for it.

2006 BMW X5

Just when we thought the Yaris was the definitive small Toyota, the Japanese company brought us the Aygo. Cheeky, smart and keenly priced, the Aygo was one third of a partnership that also produced the Citroën C1 and the Peugeot 107. Had Toyota risked their impeccable build quality record for a quick hit? It would seem not as Aygo owners seem very satisfied with their cars. Used examples are available if you search for them and they’re well worth tracking down.

 (2008) Toyota Hi-Ace