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For further buying advice visit Matthew's site: www.UsedCarExpert.co.uk

Like lots of others with bad backs (spinal op 18 months ago) I find driving over potholes & road humps very painful. I have a Nissan Cherry & need automatic. What car should I change to for less painful driving ? My garage is 2.1 M wide. I always dreamed of a BMW 1 series but have heard that they're bone-shakers. Thanks for your help.

Elaine Roberts, Cheltenham, UK

Hi Elaine,

The problem with buying a ‘premium’ German brand like BMW or even Mercedes is that they tend to have a firm ride, as it gives the driver that feel of solid quality.

As well as ride, you need to consider the specification as it governs the type of seat. You want to avoid basic or sports seats and look for higher specification cars with seats a bit more like practical armchairs.

The softest, waftiest of cars, to my mind, are Peugeots. In GLX specification they come with big thick armchairs up front. There are lots of Peugeot 307s on the market with automatic transmissions. A 2001 model with 60,000 miles will be just £3,500, a 2006 model with just 12,000 miles around £8,000. And they are just 1.76 m wide so should fit in the garage with enough room to get out easily.

Best of luck,

Matt

My father is in his mid seventies and finds it increasingly difficult to get in and out of his Mercedes C-class (that seems quite low-slung). He does a low mileage and is not bothered about performance. Can you recommend an alternative medium-sized premium saloon that would suit him?

Name and address withheld

Hi,

Alternative saloons that are easy to climb in and out of, is no problem. Alternative premium saloons rather limits me to BMW or Audi. Which are all much the same. Again, specification will make the biggest difference. So with Mercedes, aim for Elegance or Avantgarde specification, with Audi and BMW, ‘SE’ specification.

No, hang on. You could also try a Jaguar X-Type in ‘SE’ or ‘Classic’ trim.

But again, the issue is not so much the car’s ride height, but the fact that the base of seats are quite steeply raked.

Have you thought about having a nice cushion made, in the same trim as the car? If he sits higher, there won’t be a problem.

Regards,

Matt

Hello Matthew,

I wonder if you can help with a pleasant problem of mine. I have up to £36,000 to spend on a car. My wife would like a convertible. I do perhaps 15k miles a year, much of it on business up and down the motorways. I have always had larger cars but now the kids are gone, so has the necessity, but I am used to a big car.

I have looked at various web sites and thought about a 2/3yr old Merc SL350, or perhaps a 350Z, or perhaps forget the soft top and get a Jaguar XJ diesel, or just buy a Merc E320, or a BMW 530d. I am a litle confused and what to buy something that will be fun, that I cvould share with my wife (hence the convertible) could be used for business (so not to much bling bling) and will not depreciation like a stone.

Any ideas? Previous cars I have enjoyed are Lexus 300, Jaguar XJ and Merc E class.

Thanks

Tom Grey, Bath, UK

Hi Tom,

You are right. This is pleasant. And it is a problem.

I was doing fine with idea until you mentioned the ‘d’ word. The kinds of cars you want will depreciate relatively heavily.

I recommend the Jaguar XK or the Lexus SC. These are both genuine premium cabriolets that will be given VIP spaces at semi-posh hotels.

A 2005 XK with 19,000 miles is within budget, and has done the worst part of its depreciation. With the rarer Lexus you can afford a 2006 model with under 10,000 miles. Again, you have avoided the heavy depreciation.

You will lose £5,000 - £8,000 per annum in value, but you will have enjoyed 15,000 miles of quality top-down driving in the company of your happy wife. With the kids gone, what else are you going to spend your money on?

Matt

Good afternoon

I am looking to place a factory order for a new Mercedes C320 - costings with options some £36K. Delivery is anticipated late March/early April. As Mercedes are increasing prices on April 1st, I am being told despite the offer of paying the full purchase price now upon order, I will still have to pay an additional £500 price increase as dealership insists there is nothing they can do.

Is this not rather harsh?

Name and address withheld

Good afternoon,

I suspect your problem is that you are clearly a polite gentleman. But this is a matter of principal. You are spending a lot of money and a deal is a deal.

Send an email telling them that you are insulted at the way you have been treated. Tell them that if you do not have the fee waived today, you will cancel the order.

The nice thing about emailing is, if they don’t back down, you don’t have to cancel the order. Whereas if they call your bluff on the phone, you will have to back down.

Good luck,

Matt

Hi, please help me - for the first time in my life I'm stumped on the ideal car to buy and need some assistance. I'm 29, a driving enthusiast, with a need for a weekend use only car, economy not a concern (but environment a little on my conscience), desire for good acceleration. Ideally a used car up to 5 years old, budget of 12-15k. On the list so far is XK8 (1997 - maybe too old), 350Z (can't find a good UK one in price range), Z4 (interior very basic), Merc SLK (old model v cheap, new model v expensive and no happy medium).

Doug Heron, Edinburgh, UK

Hi Doug,

The Z4 and SLK are just not exotic. The 350 Z isn’t either, but it is a very thrilling car.

However, a Jaguar XK is just in a different league. It is just achingly cool to own a serious sports car while still under 30.

A 1997 XK8 with 86,000 miles should be around £12,000, but so are lots of the 1998 cars and I think you could squeak a deal on a 1999 car for just under £15,000 and 72,000 miles…

As for the environment issue. Well, buying used is a bit like recycling isn’t it? You are taking the XK away from someone who might do lots of polluting miles and just letting it out at the weekend.

I would say you are doing us all a favour.

Regards,

Matt

I am thinking of buying a SUV due to my soon to be expanding family and am considering a BMW X5. My dilema is that an used 4.8iSE (petrol) car is around £40k with only 2k on the clock. This seems to be great value considering that the car was £58,500 new less than 12 months ago, especially when considering a same mileage/age diesel 3.0se is similarly priced despite costing £10,000 less when new. Will the petrol version continue to depreciate at such an alarming rate over the next 2-3 years(due to the environmental concerns of owning a large petrol car), or will things even out in the long run?

Aled Hughes, Manchester, UK

Hi Aled,

Petrol cars are the bargains when buying used. Diesels remain incredibly popular, so demand keeps prices up.

The petrol X5 loses about 45 per cent to 50 per cent of its value over three years, which is not out of line with other premium cars. So if you buy a 1 year old car, you have saved a lot, but if you buy something a little over two years old, you have saved most of the deprecation. It then settles down to less than 10 per cent per annum.

A two-year-old model will have done only 14,000 miles, so is barely run in.

Matt

Hi Matthew,

I recently bought the New shape Mondeo Ghia (diesel). This car has been in and out of the garage and we are currently on the 4th major problem with the car. The engine now cuts out while you are driving resulting in a lose of not only the engine but also power steering so you are left as a sitting duck in the middle of the road (this is now the 2nd time the car has been taken in with this fault). I believe this is a dangerous fault, so is far beyond minor teething troubles. The car I feel is not fit for purpose as I would assume a car should enable you to get from A to B in a safe manner. So I am now left with a car that I will not let my children travel in as the engine may decide to just cut out at any time. My question is where do I stand on demanding a new car? In the USA they have the Lemon Clause, do we have an equivalent opportunity in the UK and how do I go about demanding a new car?

Many Thanks

Rachel Mason-Jones, Caerlon, UK

Hi Rachel,

I’m sorry to hear you have had this problem. I think you have a rogue car, because from testing the Mondeo and talking to colleagues, it really is well-built.

You need to contact government agency, Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06. They will probably see this as breach of contract and give you a template letter to help you get the car replaced.

Let us know how you get on.

Best of luck,

Matt

I currently travel 80 miles a day Monday to Friday in a Peugeot 106 Gti which has done 100,000 miles.

I am wanting to upgrade to a sporty family estate (I have 2 labradors and a mountain bike that i ferry around from time to time) with a diesel engine. My choice at the moment is the Audi A4 S Line Avant 2.0TDI (140ps) Will I get a noticeable improvement in my mpg and fuel costs? As a wild card I also really like the LR Discovery 3 for its size and practicality but would this be a far more expensive car to run than the Audi, (considering service & running costs?) I would appreciate your advice as at the moment i'm struggling to decide, my budget would be a maximum of £19,000, cheaper if possible.

Kind Regards

Matthew Bartlett, Mansfield, UK

Hi,

You carry 2 labradors and a mountain bike in a 106? Crumbs.

You can only really afford a 2004 Discovery and the mpg will be no better than your ‘Pug.’ But you can afford a much newer Audi.

The 106 is probably doing less than 30 mpg now that its getting on a bit, while the Audi will give you 51 mpg.

So I think this is what car dealers call a ‘no brainer.’

Matt

After several years of loyal service I am looking to replace my beloved first car; a 1.8 Focus.

Can you recommend something with a little more panache and wow factor (in looks and performance) which will not cost the earth to buy and insure but will offer a half decent return when I come to sell it.

I like the look of the BMW 1 (M Series), RX8 and Hyundai Coupe V7 but have read many less than favourable reviews? Are they to be believed...

Name and address withheld

Hi,

What a rare and broad mind you have! It takes some lateral thinking to decide to upgrade a Focus to either a BMW or Hyundai.

You seem to keep your cars for a while. So looking at these three over a 7 year period, the BMW will lose the most, then the Hyundai and surpsingly, the Mazda loses least.

The Hyundai comes with the best warranty and makes a great noise in V7 spec. The 1-Series probably handles the best, but the RX8 is the best all rounder: Economy, style, space, performance, value.

I would go for 2005 1.3 231PS for about £11,000. It has done the biggest part of its depreciation, but at just 34,000 miles on the average clock has lots of life left.

Happy motoring,

Matt

My mother-in-law needs to replace her 10 year old Nissan Micra automatic. The new model is now too wide to fit her driveway. Please suggest some new narrow cars available with an automatic gearbox. Mileage is very low so either petrol or diesel would be OK.

Many thanks

Tim Andrews, Annacloy, N Ireland

Hello Tim,

Obese cars are becoming a genuine problem to lots of owners.

Getting below the Micra width of 1660 mm really means going for ‘city cars’ rather than ‘superminis’ like the Micra

So, a Smart car, Citroen C1 (just) or a Toyota Aygo. But that’s almost it. Even the Peugeot 1007, whilst tiny in length, is basically as wide as the Micra!

Matt.

Further information: www.usedcarexpert.co.uk