What's the best value new car out there right now?
Discussion
What's the best value new car out there right now?
Even something like a mid-spec Focus/Golf seems really expensive to me these days but there must still be some genuine and decent new car bargains out there still. 25000-30000 pounds seems to be the ballpark figure for a modern hot hatch, which seems crazy to me. I've heard the M135i cited as a performance bargain but at the end of the day, it's still a small hatchback albeit with quite a special engine!
I find it difficult to make an argument against Hyundai/Kia these days. Build quality and performance/economy seem on a par with everyone else and you seem to get more kit for your money and a longer warranty too. Not known for making driver's cars but for reliable and comfortable A to B motoring probably difficult to beat (and you can buy something for fun with the money you save)! They used to be easy to dismiss because they looked crap and usually were crap but I think the latest Santa Fe is a fantastic vehicle and some of the Kia models (Rio, Optima, Sportage) are amongst the best-looking cars in their class IMHO!
I'm currently residing in Canada and Nissan have just released the Micra here with a starting price of less than $10000.
http://www.nissan.ca/en/cars/micra?next=header.veh...
Annoyingly, the advertised prices here aren't on the road prices i.e. delivery and taxes (13%) on top but even taking that into account, you're getting a reasonably-sized (albeit fairly basic spec) 5 door hatch with a 109bhp 1.6 petrol engine for about 7500 pounds. If you go with the "sporty" model, you will pay considerably more and get more standard features but essentially the same engineering and the same engine actually (only one engine option)! A new base-model Fiesta or even a Kio Rio/Hyundai Accent is a good $4000 dearer. I hope they do well with the Micra here because used car prices are pretty high(you don't get much used car for $10000) and maybe it will encourage other manufacturers to compete (although small cars haven't traditionally been a big seller here)!
I've always thought the Mazda 2 is pretty good value too.
More driver-focussed cars? Not much really.
Do they still make the Suzuki Swift Sport?
MX5 probably as well? Anything remotely similar is a good deal dearer. My dad picked up a new fully-loaded MX5 CC (albeit with the 1.8 litre engine) for about 21000 pounds last year. That seems like pretty good value for a new open-topped sportscar.
Even something like a mid-spec Focus/Golf seems really expensive to me these days but there must still be some genuine and decent new car bargains out there still. 25000-30000 pounds seems to be the ballpark figure for a modern hot hatch, which seems crazy to me. I've heard the M135i cited as a performance bargain but at the end of the day, it's still a small hatchback albeit with quite a special engine!
I find it difficult to make an argument against Hyundai/Kia these days. Build quality and performance/economy seem on a par with everyone else and you seem to get more kit for your money and a longer warranty too. Not known for making driver's cars but for reliable and comfortable A to B motoring probably difficult to beat (and you can buy something for fun with the money you save)! They used to be easy to dismiss because they looked crap and usually were crap but I think the latest Santa Fe is a fantastic vehicle and some of the Kia models (Rio, Optima, Sportage) are amongst the best-looking cars in their class IMHO!
I'm currently residing in Canada and Nissan have just released the Micra here with a starting price of less than $10000.
http://www.nissan.ca/en/cars/micra?next=header.veh...
Annoyingly, the advertised prices here aren't on the road prices i.e. delivery and taxes (13%) on top but even taking that into account, you're getting a reasonably-sized (albeit fairly basic spec) 5 door hatch with a 109bhp 1.6 petrol engine for about 7500 pounds. If you go with the "sporty" model, you will pay considerably more and get more standard features but essentially the same engineering and the same engine actually (only one engine option)! A new base-model Fiesta or even a Kio Rio/Hyundai Accent is a good $4000 dearer. I hope they do well with the Micra here because used car prices are pretty high(you don't get much used car for $10000) and maybe it will encourage other manufacturers to compete (although small cars haven't traditionally been a big seller here)!
I've always thought the Mazda 2 is pretty good value too.
More driver-focussed cars? Not much really.
Do they still make the Suzuki Swift Sport?
MX5 probably as well? Anything remotely similar is a good deal dearer. My dad picked up a new fully-loaded MX5 CC (albeit with the 1.8 litre engine) for about 21000 pounds last year. That seems like pretty good value for a new open-topped sportscar.
Well the cheapest would be a Dacia Sandero at £6k but whether its best value is another argument.
I think something like the Audi S3/ Golf R/ BMW M135i would be a potential candidate. Yes they are £30k but 300bhp and quite well equipped with a premium badge. Look great value when compared with what else is available for the same money.
I think something like the Audi S3/ Golf R/ BMW M135i would be a potential candidate. Yes they are £30k but 300bhp and quite well equipped with a premium badge. Look great value when compared with what else is available for the same money.
Park'O said:
Probably a Ford Focus or Fiesta, it usually is.
Only after discounts, list prices are slightly mental.http://www.carquake.co.uk/new-Vauxhall-Zafira/MPV_...
Not that its necessarily good value but people have bought BMW M135i with up to £6k off. Best value is probably a Dacia.
Not that its necessarily good value but people have bought BMW M135i with up to £6k off. Best value is probably a Dacia.
This purely depends upon what you are looking for. New cars today , in real terms, are incredibly cheap when compared to 20 years ago, so they are all bargains,some more than others. I was talking to a customer the other day who'd come into contact with a guy who'd ordered a new Golf R, and ended up at @£43k. That's not cheap or good value IMO, it's only a Golf!! A Suzuki Swift Sport at £12k is great value, as are a lot of the small hatches out there.
I think the GT86 is too expensive for the power. If itv was MX5 money then yes.
Abarth 500? Good shout.
The Fiesta and Focus I have always found to be poor value compared to most of their mainstream rivals, although they do tend to drive above average. Looked at a new Focus recently and for our budget we could only get the one up from base model, whereas the other cars we looked at, we were looking at top of the range or close to top of the range, with much more features as standard.
The ST models (particularly the Fiesta) look like decent value though. Focus ST quite good value in the UK but ugly and poor reliability I hear? Focus ST in Canada is SUV money!
Abarth 500? Good shout.
The Fiesta and Focus I have always found to be poor value compared to most of their mainstream rivals, although they do tend to drive above average. Looked at a new Focus recently and for our budget we could only get the one up from base model, whereas the other cars we looked at, we were looking at top of the range or close to top of the range, with much more features as standard.
The ST models (particularly the Fiesta) look like decent value though. Focus ST quite good value in the UK but ugly and poor reliability I hear? Focus ST in Canada is SUV money!
Shurv said:
This purely depends upon what you are looking for. New cars today , in real terms, are incredibly cheap when compared to 20 years ago, so they are all bargains,some more than others. I was talking to a customer the other day who'd come into contact with a guy who'd ordered a new Golf R, and ended up at @£43k. That's not cheap or good value IMO, it's only a Golf!! A Suzuki Swift Sport at £12k is great value, as are a lot of the small hatches out there.
That's true but new car prices seem to have rocketed in the last 10 years and are they really that much better? A 10 year old car today still feels quite modern, whereas I agree if you jumped into a 10 year old car in 2004, it would feel noticeably old and probably be missing a lot of modern features.white_goodman said:
That's true but new car prices seem to have rocketed in the last 10 years and are they really that much better? A 10 year old car today still feels quite modern, whereas I agree if you jumped into a 10 year old car in 2004, it would feel noticeably old and probably be missing a lot of modern features.
Yep that's very true and something I notice regularly. I think car design/ innovation is beginning to plateau as the main improvements these days seem to be in co2 and mpg. I have to agree with the chap who said "Probably a Focus or a Fiesta - it usually is"!
The Focus ST is probably the best value hot hatch.
The 125bhp Focus is probably the best value boggo family hatch for people who might like a car that handles quite well but don't care about driving enjoyment beyond that.
The Fiesta is probably the best value supermini (as it almost always is).
I think there is a (small) sweet spot in which the 163bhp Mazda 3 is the best value hatch - not slow, comfortable, better throttle response (and other things most drivers don't care about) than its competitors, etc. But I think the category is a narrow one - something like "Non-slow hatch with good equipment levels and decent handling". It pisses on the equivalents from Ford and VW for value for money within that very narrow category, though
Quite horrific, I know, but the best value car overall for most people might be a Qashqai. Nobody has anything but good things to say about it and it is fairly cheap for an SUV.
The Focus ST is probably the best value hot hatch.
The 125bhp Focus is probably the best value boggo family hatch for people who might like a car that handles quite well but don't care about driving enjoyment beyond that.
The Fiesta is probably the best value supermini (as it almost always is).
I think there is a (small) sweet spot in which the 163bhp Mazda 3 is the best value hatch - not slow, comfortable, better throttle response (and other things most drivers don't care about) than its competitors, etc. But I think the category is a narrow one - something like "Non-slow hatch with good equipment levels and decent handling". It pisses on the equivalents from Ford and VW for value for money within that very narrow category, though
Quite horrific, I know, but the best value car overall for most people might be a Qashqai. Nobody has anything but good things to say about it and it is fairly cheap for an SUV.
Obviously "value" will mean different things to different people, but if you don't count the badge as having any value and ignore resale values (which are heavily badge driven), I rather suspect it'll be something Korean. My parents have just bought a current model Picanto and I was amazed at how solid it feels. I believe you can get one for about £7k?
va1o said:
Yep that's very true and something I notice regularly. I think car design/ innovation is beginning to plateau as the main improvements these days seem to be in co2 and mpg.
Certain aspects have got worse too. My wife and I have a new 2014 Toyota Corolla and an old 2004 Chrysler. The Toyota looks more modern and has more kit. It is better on fuel and has a more responsive 7-speed auto gearbox (vs a 4-speeder). However, the ride is atrocious compared to the Chrysler (which I wouldn't say was brilliant)and road noise and engine noise higher in the newer car. Yes, the Chrysler is a V6 rather than a 4 cylinder but other than that, they are a similar size car. I find the seats more comfortable in the Chrysler too! The ride may be partly my fault, as I went for the upgraded 17" rims because they looked really good on the car. It will be interesting to see how it rides on the smaller steel rims and higher profile winter tyres that I have bought to put on it for the winter! kambites said:
Obviously "value" will mean different things to different people, but if you don't count the badge as having any value and ignore resale values (which are heavily badge driven), I rather suspect it'll be something Korean. My parents have just bought a current model Picanto and I was amazed at how solid it feels. I believe you can get one for about £7k?
Doesn't the long warranty actually help residuals on Hyundai/Kia? i.e. you can buy a 3 year old car and still have 2+ years warranty left.
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