DEALS OF THE WEEK
Ford Mondeo
There’s a good reason the Ford Mondeo is as ubiquitous as summer rain: it’s a great family car. Practical in hatchback form, it’s even better as an estate and a friend in the trade reckons it’s the best way to carry the family for an outlay of £3000 and up. You can get high-milers for much less, but this sum bags you a 90,000-mile 1.8 TDCI diesel in Zetec or Titanium trim, so you get all the kit you’d expect of a much newer car. Check the air-con puffs cold and the central locking works, and be sure the power steering is free from wheezes. Otherwise, this wagon will swallow all you can throw into it while also being good fun to steer.
BMW i3
A chum in the trade points out that, as a used car, the BMW i3 is selling for half what it costs new and canny buyers are slapping on a private plate to hide its age from the neighbours. At £15,000 for one with 30,000 miles, this zero-emissions motor with near-hot-hatch acceleration is way more fun to drive than a Nissan Leaf and it costs pennies to run. Saving the planet doesn’t get easier.
Audi A1
The A1 is the darling of premium supermini buyers but used prices are finally slackening off. Don’t expect bargains, but £7000 offers a choice of petrol and diesel models with 60,000 miles. Check the electric windows work smoothly and remember the auto’s electrics can be fickle. Black is the most common hue, but red and white ones sell more readily, so be quick off the mark.