Consider a nearly new car for big savings

THIS time of year thousands of cars that have been out there ferrying visitors and tourists all over the country come to dealers and go on sale.

They are called nearly-new or ‘newsed’ and are put on the market at prices well below what a new version would cost. • You are getting a car with small enough mileage (in many cases the engines are only ‘run in’) for thousands less than new. • They have been regularly checked and cared for - there is no profit in breakdowns. • They are usually registered around March/ April and so are really only six months old. • Wear and tear used to be an issue; not nearly so much any more as cars are more durable, roads are vastly improved and vehicles are monitored more closely. • They can have 18 to 30 months warranty remaining in most cases. • With some marques the warranty could be 4.5 years or even 6.5 years. • Prices are pitched keenly to tempt you to buy one of these rather than a more traditional second-hand at this time of year. • The pricing is also designed to persuade you to buy nearly-new now rather than wait until January for a new one. Lots of people wait until this time of the year to buy one of these so there must be value in them.

One final point. Regardless of how the figures tumble, be sure to factor in your dealership. A good one is worth a lot. So don’t let a few hundred euro put you off a deal if that side of the equation is sound.