Best bargain/priced car in the current market (under 20k)

[Alexnorthlondon]

I've put off buying a car since the first lockdown due to the price spike but now is the time to buy as our old Ford has broken down (isn't worth £100).

I'm curious to know, are there still any bargains to be had in the market today? I understand everything is at a premium, but would love to know if there's any makes/models that can still be snapped up without too much of a premium.

I'm in the market for a daily that I can have fun with on the weekends, but I'm curious if any vehicle (small or large) can be snatched up for a decent price, given the current circumstances.

[martin mrt]

Everything has gone up in value, absolutely everything is worth more than it was pre Covid lockdowns

Only advice I can give is watch the classifieds for private sales, with sellers unsure of the value in what they are selling. Perhaps a tad unorthodox but it’s the only way your bagging a bargain at the moment

[M.F.D]

Yep, kinda in the same boat and trying to avoid paying through the nose. I think if you are buying at the lower end of the market, you can bag a good amount of car for the money. Things I have been tempted with so far are as follows,

E9x 330i - 260bhp straight six for a few grand, car still modern enough

Lexus LS430 - For £5k you can get into a clean low mileage loaded car

Volvo S60 T5 - 260bhp, nice place to be and again only a few grand

Anything within normal finance terms, or popular performance stuff is all way too expensive just now.

[griffter]

For what it’s worth:

https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/eight-second-hand-c...

Scroll to the bottom for those that have dropped.

[ZX10R NIN]

You have to go for brands that aren't favorable but are actually good capable cars, so here are some.

Infiniti Q70 Sport 170 great value & you'll get a fully loaded (360 Camera's Adaptive Cruise Heated/Air Cooled Seats Sunroof etc) one from 10k upwards:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110078...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110218...

Q50 hybrid 365

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110098...

2.1d Sport Tech 170

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109207...

2.0T Sport 210

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107134...

Hyundai Genesis hard to find

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110168...

DS5 Prestige very good family cars with a nice interior & reliable drivetrain, a good one starts from around 8k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110128...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109297...

Insignia 2.0 BiTDI Elite Nav

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109147...

1.6T Elite Nav 200

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110188...

S90's are depreciating at a rate which means you can get a sensibly priced one (petrol or diesel) for your budget:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107034...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109247...

Insription:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110238...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107215...

Mazda6's had a reputation for timing chain & oil pump issues as such there 2.2d depreciates a higher rate so you can get one within the Manufacturers Warranty which you can extend.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110228...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109237...

[Mr Tidy]

M.F.D said:

Yep, kinda in the same boat and trying to avoid paying through the nose. I think if you are buying at the lower end of the market, you can bag a good amount of car for the money. Things I have been tempted with so far are as follows,

E9x 330i - 260bhp straight six for a few grand, car still modern enough

Funny you say that because I bought a manual 55 plate E90 330iSE in March 2019 for £3,450 and it seems to be one of the few used cars that hasn't gone up in value!

Then again I'm still really pleased with it so I'm not too bothered.

[Alexnorthlondon]

martin mrt said:

Everything has gone up in value, absolutely everything is worth more than it was pre Covid lockdowns

Only advice I can give is watch the classifieds for private sales, with sellers unsure of the value in what they are selling. Perhaps a tad unorthodox but it’s the only way your bagging a bargain at the moment

Totally agree... I can't begin to tell you how much time I have spent in the classifieds!

[Alexnorthlondon]

M.F.D said:

Yep, kinda in the same boat and trying to avoid paying through the nose. I think if you are buying at the lower end of the market, you can bag a good amount of car for the money. Things I have been tempted with so far are as follows,

E9x 330i - 260bhp straight six for a few grand, car still modern enough

Lexus LS430 - For £5k you can get into a clean low mileage loaded car

Volvo S60 T5 - 260bhp, nice place to be and again only a few grand

Anything within normal finance terms, or popular performance stuff is all way too expensive just now.

Thanks a lot for the suggestions. I should've probably mentioned that larger cars, like SUVs, are a no go as I don't really have the space. Great suggestions however.

[ZX10R NIN]

None of my suggestions work for you OP?

[RoVoFob]

M.F.D said:

Yep, kinda in the same boat and trying to avoid paying through the nose. I think if you are buying at the lower end of the market, you can bag a good amount of car for the money. Things I have been tempted with so far are as follows,

E9x 330i - 260bhp straight six for a few grand, car still modern enough

Volvo S60 T5 - 260bhp, nice place to be and again only a few grand

I bought a facelift S60 2.4 T5 SE with a six-speed manual about four months back. I paid £2,700. I subsequently spent about £1,000 on new tyres, wheel alignment, a thorough service and a few other bits…and sold for £2,999. Wouldn’t have sold, but we found out that my wife was pregnant, so needs must.

I still think that was a steal for the buyer, considering it had xenons, heated leather sports seats, uprated speakers etc and drove beautifully but despite lots of interest, not many people seemed to be serious buyers…so don’t expect one of those to be the easiest car to sell.

E9x 330is are also normally pretty good value compared with 130is and 530is. There are definitely more expensive ones now than there used to be, though, so think the cheap ones are starting to dry up.

Mazda CX-7 2.3Ts always strike me as excellent value. Many non-performance cars with £600 road tax are.

So…older niche cars are one option…

[Alexnorthlondon]

ZX10R NIN said:

None of my suggestions work for you OP?

Sorry mate, thought I responded! Great suggestions, really appreciate it.

As I mentioned to someone else, I don't want anything too big, so the DS is probably the pick of the bunch. Had a colleague who had the older sport version and it was quite nippy - I've heard the VW Up GTI is a good laugh as well

[RoVoFob]

Alexnorthlondon said:

Sorry mate, thought I responded! Great suggestions, really appreciate it.

As I mentioned to someone else, I don't want anything too big, so the DS is probably the pick of the bunch. Had a colleague who had the older sport version and it was quite nippy - I've heard the VW Up GTI is a good laugh as well

ZX10R NIN had a number of excellent suggestions, but I’d run a mile from a DS 5.

I don’t understand how DS has got away with selling Citroens at massively inflated prices. The ones I’ve driven were poorly designed, poorly engineered, weren’t comfortable, refined or satisfying to drive. Even at £8,000 there are dozens of better options.

I realise they’re on the large side, but the S90 and Mazda 6 are infinitely better than the DS. The DS is pretty large anyway. What’s the maximum size that’ll work for you?

[ZX10R NIN]

Alexnorthlondon said:

Sorry mate, thought I responded! Great suggestions, really appreciate it.

As I mentioned to someone else, I don't want anything too big, so the DS is probably the pick of the bunch. Had a colleague who had the older sport version and it was quite nippy - I've heard the VW Up GTI is a good laugh as well

If you fancy a small car the Kia Picanto GT Line S is a very good alternative to the Up GTI:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/new...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109247...

Or the Kia Rio GT Line S is a very good option & you'll get one with 5 years worth of warranty left:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109307...

[village24]

Two cars I'd be looking at would be
Mk7/7.5 fiesta ST

Rs250 megane

As a better daily/weekend fun I'd look at a mk7 GTI

[Alexnorthlondon]

RoVoFob said:

ZX10R NIN had a number of excellent suggestions, but I’d run a mile from a DS 5.

I don’t understand how DS has got away with selling Citroens at massively inflated prices. The ones I’ve driven were poorly designed, poorly engineered, weren’t comfortable, refined or satisfying to drive. Even at £8,000 there are dozens of better options.

I realise they’re on the large side, but the S90 and Mazda 6 are infinitely better than the DS. The DS is pretty large anyway. What’s the maximum size that’ll work for you?

Absolutely no SUVs; would prefer coupes over saloons. Maybe largest is a 3 series?