When you spend a large part of every month analysing car prices you get used to certain patterns. For example, most mainstream large family saloons drop to a value of about £1,500 - £2,000 after 8 years. Which is less than a small family hatchback of the same age. Strange but true.
But every now and then a magazine reader calls to query one of our guaranteed accurate car prices. Far from being frightened of these potentially hostile calls, I relish them. They always throw up something interesting – which the savvy car buyer can use to their advantage. Here are just a few of the interesting anomalies that the market is throwing up at the moment:
Mercedes CLS
A love-it or hate-it design, but undeniably stylish and the essence of class. A £45,000 car at minimum when new, unlike smaller Mercedes-Benz’s the CLS loses a big chunk of value over its first two years.
Most economical: 320 CDI 37.2 mpg
UsedCarExpert.com fault checks: N/A
Used Car Expert price: A 2006 320 CDI CLS is around £22,000 with average mileage of 37,000.
MG TF
A reader’s MG was written off and the insurer only wanted to pay £2,000. But we were able to prove our prices of over £2,700 were more like it. Even at that price, it’s great value although tall drivers may find it tight.
Most economical: 1.6 115 39mpg
UsedCarExpert.com fault checks: 14
Used Car Expert price: A year 2000 1.8 MG F will be around £2,700 at independent dealers and have around 40,000 average miles.
Seat Toledo
What Seat continues to do is demonstrate how expensive Golfs and Boras are. This is a very good alternative for less money. But not that much less - a reader’s 1.9 Tdi Stylance was given a value by one of the leading trade price guides of £2,000 less than we know it is currently selling for.
Most economical: 1.9 Tdi 54mpg
UsedCarExpert.com fault checks: 8
Used Car Expert price: A 2006 1.9 Tdi Stylance has an average of 25,000 miles and if priced fairly is about £7,400.