When you buy a car, how closely do you look at the running costs? Depreciation is one of the big factors many people miss and another is servicing. It’s easy to assume that the cost of car servicing will be comparable for similar cars. It would be logical to think that cars which are cheap to buy would be cheap to service too.
I spent last week studying service costs and was shocked at the variations. Ford dealers came out really well with low flat rates. But some ‘economy’ brands like Chevrolet and Fiat in particular were horrendous. In some dealers to service a Fiat Grande Punto can cost over double the cost of a Ford Focus. A petrol engine is also a little more expensive than a diesel to service. Here are three cars with sensible running costs:
Ford Focus
The family hatchback which is comfortable, spacious and practical. Post 2004 styling not as edgy as before but still looks good and it delivers on almost every level.
Most economical: 1.8 TDCI
Best used buy: 1.8 Zetec
UsedCarExpert.com fault checks: 32
Used Car Expert magazine guide price: A 2007 1.8 Zetec with average mileage of 19,000 miles is between £6,400 and £8,000. Servicing will be around £150 on average.
Honda Civic
A family car that is cool. Space-age design makes it a love or hate car. But you can't argue with the technology, reliability or build quality. Prices remain high across the diverse range.
Most economical: 2.2 i--CTDi
Best used buy: 2.0 i-VTec
UsedCarExpert.com fault checks: 14
Used Car Expert magazine guide price: A 2007 2.0 –Vtec with average mileage of just over 15,000 miles is between £13,000 and £15,000. Under the Honda Happiness fixed price service program, a service can be as little as £108.
Hyundai i30
An excellent all round family hatchback. Basically the same as the Kia Cee'd but often better equiped and the interior is better, but has 'only' 5 year warranty, rather than Cee'd's 7.
Most economical: 1.6 CRDi
Best used buy: 1.6 Premium
UsedCarExpert.com fault checks: N/A
Used Car Expert magazine guide price: A 2007 1.6 Premium with average mileage of 11,000 miles is between £8,700 and £10,900. Servicing will be around £134.