Those of you that watch Top Gear… Err, no, let me rephrase that… Those of you that watch the repeats of Top Gear on Dave will remember the episode during which, for the price of a New Nissan Pixo, Clarkson and Hammond went out and bought cars to the equivalent value. As it was Top Gear, they went a bit mad a bought a Mercedes CL600 and a BMW 850 Ci; great cars, but not what us ordinary folk from Yorkshire would buy.

As always, the kids that present this motoring show do have a point, but just went to the extremes. (Which is why we all watch it!)

I will show you what I mean…

Let’s take the best-selling small car at the moment, the Ford Fiesta. For this experiment I will be using the 1.25 82 PS Zetec 5dr model with metallic paint. According to Ford’s Car Configurator, this will set you back a staggering £13,240 that’s with a customer saving of £750. Wow, thanks Ford, generosity at its best! So for the sake of this blog, I am going to shave another £740 off that list price, as I’m pretty sure there will be a dealer out there that will sell you this car for £12,500.

Right, so here’s the challenge and the interesting bit: what used car can you buy for the price of a new one? Now as I am a Used Car Salesman and this sort of thing is what I do best, I feel this might be an easy task so, wait for it… I’m going to halve the amount! Yes £6,250 – I know, that’s like kicking myself in the privates! But I’m up for the challenge.

So which used cars can I come up with that are actually on sale today that would tempt you away from the buying of a brand new Ford Fiesta?

First up to prove my point is this:

Alfa Romeo Mito 1.4 Lusso 3dr

Stunning looking Italian Super Mini. 59 Plate ,Only 49,000 miles, full Alfa Service History. Just £5,995, but I have been tactical here. I’ve got £255 left over to buy a warranty.  BUY A WARRANTY IF BUYING A USED ALFA, IT WILL BREAK DOWN! Consider yourself warned.

Next up:

Seat Leon 1.9 TDi Emocion 5dr

A great diesel car delivering over 65mpg. 09 plate, 73,000 miles, just £6,294. (Yes, I know that’s £44 over budget, but I’m pretty sure he would sell you this car for the magical £6,250.)

I can’t quite believe this one:

Jaguar XJ6 3.0 V6 Sport 4dr Auto

Full leather, touch screen sat nav, 19” alloy wheels, xenon headlights. 03 plate, 75,000 miles and at a stupidly cheap price of £6,000! Can you imagine what the neighbours would think when they look out of their window and see this parked on your drive?

The Old Faithful:

Vauxhall Insignia 1.8 SE 5dr

With masses of spec and loads of room, this 09 plate with just 50,000 mile is only £5,995. I don’t think you can get a better value for money car than this. Brand new, this car would have cost over £18,000.

Anyway, I could go on for hours writing this blog but I’m pretty sure that the only person that would like to read it would be me, so I’m not going to bore you further with any more examples. Apart from one final car to really question why you would buy new.

Are you ready for this?

The Ford Fiesta 1.25 82 PS Zetec 5dr in metallic paint!

Yes, exactly the same car as I started off this challenge with: a 10 Plate with 46,000 miles, for a ‘bang on the budget’ £6,250. Admittedly, this is the pre-facelift model ,but what would you rather have? A brand new car, or the same car but previously loved and over 6 grand in your back pocket?

I rest my case. Let’s leave the new car sales to the company car drivers and rentals and go shopping for a bargain.