Parker’s: September car trends, best buys and great deals

The price differential between petrol and diesel has made it much more difficult to make many diesel cars reward their owners with lower running costs. Buyers should no longer assume that if they choose a new diesel car it will automatically claw back the premium paid compared with the petrol version in better fuel consumption. With diesel fuel around 12p more per litre at the pumps, and a greater number of diesel cars appearing on the used market shrinking the return in resale values, drivers really do need to be covering high mileage. For example, a typical diesel family car such as the Vauxhall Astra 1.7 CDTi Club costs £1285 more to buy than a petrol 1.6 Club. The cost of fuel over 60,000 miles is almost £900 more on the petrol than the diesel. The diesel is expected to be worth £480 more after three years and 60,000 miles. Therefore, the advantage of the diesel over this period is less than £100. Drive fewer than 55,000 miles in this period and the petrol has an advantage.

SMALL CARS:
New: Eye-catching retail deal on new Getz
The Hyundai Getz will be replaced in a few months by the new i20. In the meantime, the list price of the entry-level Getz GSi has been reduced to £5995. This means customers can buy one at this price and be the first owner of the car, taking full advantage of the five-years/unlimited mileage warranty. The Getz GSi is capable of more than 50mpg and comes with air conditioning, electric windows, a CD/radio, driver and passenger airbags and central locking. It might be getting on a bit, but at this price represents excellent value.

Used: Used Picanto offers low-cost runabout
The Kia Picanto has always represented good value for people who want a cheap-to-run small car with decent equipment and the convenience of four passenger doors. The best examples of the earliest models (the Picanto was launched in 2004) are available for about £2500. They should achieve 50mpg, and the 1.1LX model we saw for £2695 comes with air conditioning, remote central locking, electric windows, a CD/radio and an alarm. One of the Picantos we found in the classified ads was a 55-plate 1.0 GS model with only 750 miles on the clock, having been serviced by a Kia dealer at 450 and 650 miles.

FAMILY CARS:
New: Pre-reg Peugeot 407 offers good value
With all the recent changes taking place in the large family cars sector — new Ford Mondeo, new Renault Laguna, new Citroën C5, new Honda Accord — the Peugeot 407 is perhaps looking its age. We’ve found some pre-registered examples for sale in various locations — some at Peugeot dealers — for about £11,000. Perhaps the most impressive were two 2.0-litre HDi S models for £10,950. Although that exact specification hasn’t been in the 407 line-up for a while, these cars were on 08-plates and had delivery mileage. List price for these cars was more than £17,000, so you could save more than £6000 by choosing one of these.

Used: Petrol Avensis is a level-headed buy
The Toyota Avensis is one of the most reliable cars on the road, with consistent high scores in surveys since it was launched. The version launched in 2003 also feels like a high quality product and is comfortable and spacious. Ignoring the high-mileage examples, we found a near 50,000-mile 1.8 T2 hatchback (the entry level version of the Avensis) advertised at £3775. We also found a 55,000-mile higher specification 2.0-litre T4 saloon for £3990. If you’re an average-mileage driver, it might be just as well choosing a petrol version as the diesels are more expensive to buy.

4X4/FAMILY CARS:
New: Patriotism can lead to £5000 savings
The car-buying public’s love affair with the 4x4 appears to be waning a little, particularly with petrol variants. We found several pre-registered examples of the Jeep Patriot 2.4 Sport advertised at £11,350. Include the metallic paint on the cars, and it represents a saving of £5000 over the official list price. The Patriot is a compact Jeep that in diesel guise is one of the most fuel efficient 4x4s on the market. However, the 168bhp 2.4-litre petrol engine ensures the Patriot performs briskly, but returns 32.5mpg. But savings this large are not available on the diesel, so the 2.4 could be cost effective.

Used: Honda’s compact seven-seater at £3000
Not too long after the Vauxhall Zafira began gaining headlines for its seven seat flexibility Honda launched a car with three rows of seats based on the Civic. The Honda Stream is a petrol-only model, but is well equipped
and can also carry seven. The rear row of seats does not fold as discreetly as in the Zafira, but the quality of the Stream is impressive, and it feels more responsive than the first-generation Zafira on the road. We found several average mileage cars around the £3000 mark. The 2.0 SE Sport is equipped with alloys, electric sunroof, automatic climate control plus front and side airbags.

SPECIALIST:
New: 6.1-litre Chrysler estate with £15,000 off
It might be a one-off but we had to highlight the 300C SRT-8. We found a dealer offering a 6.1-litre Touring for £26,495 — £15,000 off list price. The SRT-8s are rare and one with a discount this big is even rarer. Chrysler has now removed these cars from price lists as they must have been struggling off forecourts.

Used: Elegant Citroën makes a bargain used buy
The Citroën C6 had suffered heavy depreciation since it was launched despite the company’s effort s to protect residual values. The result is that there are low-to average mileage two year old examples around for cheaper than a new Citroën C5. We found a V6 petrol advertised at £13,995 at a main dealer, for sale under the approved used scheme.

Manufacturer promotions
Manufacturers are offering new car buyers a variety of promotions from July through to September. Upgrades can be found on many Ford models and Audi is offering a satellite navigation upgrade free of charge on the A6 2.0 TDI and 2.0 TFSI models. There are eye-catching savings with Volkswagen, Fiat and Subaru, including £6000 on the Tribeca. There are also countless low finance deals available with the majority of manufacturers. 0% finance deals are offered with Nissan, Renault, and Vauxhall, and Skoda is offering 6.9% APR typical finance offers on all Octavia base-spec models which include free servicing.