Buy them before we do: second-hand picks for 16 November

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5 mins read

16 November 2018

At the time of writing the cheapest approved used Tesla Model S is £46,200. The P85+ was registered in 2014 and has done 44,500 miles. Being a 2014 car it has free power for life plus all the updates Tesla has released since it was registered.

Approved used Teslas come with a choice of warranties: four years or 50,000 miles’ cover, or, on cars more than four years old or with more than 50,000 miles on the odometer, two years/100,000 miles’ cover. These warranties are in addition to the standard eight-years, unlimited mileage warranty offered on the car’s battery and powertrain from new.

But what are the chances of a Tesla needing such generous cover? Pretty strong, actually, thanks to the Model S’s high-mileage suitability and Tesla’s supercharger network. We tracked down a 2014-reg Model S 85 with 105,000 miles on the clock. The independent dealer is asking £34,950 for the RAC-approved car which, he says, has the optional Tech pack, full service history and a six-month RAC warranty. Meanwhile, in the US, everyone is agog at the news of one Model S doing over 420,000 miles.

And why shouldn’t Teslas clock up such mileages? After all, there’s little to go wrong and certainly no oil changes and cambelt tensioners to worry about. Even brake pads have an easy time of it thanks to the car’s regenerative braking system.

Find a used Tesla Model S on PistonHeads

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CAP HPI says these characteristics translate into lower servicing costs for electric vehicles in general. For example, over three years and 60,000 miles, servicing costs for an EV are 23% less than for an equivalent petrol vehicle. Sounds like that high-mileage EV could be just the bargain you’ve been looking for.

Suzuki Swift Sport, £7000: Old-shape Ford Fiesta ST2s are great cars but still a little pricey, with dealers asking around £9750 for a 2015-reg example with 40,000 miles. That makes another dealer’s 2015-reg Suzuki Swift Sport with 50,000 miles look like a bit of a steal at £7000. Not the same by some margin, of course, but still terrific fun.

Ford Mustang, £29,495: We’ve seen 2016-reg Mustang 5.0 GTs with around 45,000 miles and full Ford service histories from £27,000, so £2500 more for this 14,000-mile example doesn’t look so bad. That price means it costs around £10,000 less than new, which isn’t to be sniffed at. Even a 2017-reg ex-demo car will cost around £39,000.

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Citroën Saxo VTR, £4995: It doesn’t feel like so long ago that we were squirting around in the warm Saxo. This one is a 2003-reg example with full history, including a recent cambelt change, and just 29,000 miles. It’s had just the one owner, too – a lady now in her 80s. She says it was always garaged, while her husband’s Merc had to sit outside.

Hyundai Coupé SIII, £2950: Apart from a sluggish engine (not ideal in a coupé with sporting ambitions) and high list price, we couldn’t find much wrong with the SIII. Aftermarket upgrades will fix the power deficit, while the used market has addressed the price. Just £2950 looks good for this heavily specced 2008-reg car with 50,000 miles.

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Auction watch:

Porsche 924S: Tatty examples of Porsche’s everyman motor start at around £3000, but this cheaper barn find looks far more interesting. Complete with bird muck and cobwebs, this 1986 924S sold at auction for £1350, a price that included the 1980s must-have, the in-car phone. Being the S version it has a proper Porsche 2.5-litre engine making 163bhp. It was last MOT’d two years ago and would only take light work to get it up and running. Throw on a set of original tele-dial alloys (we saw a set of four for £300 on eBay) and someone’s bagged themselves a baby Porsche for peanuts.

Get it while you can:

Lexus RC 300h F Sport, price new £41,645, price now £36,679: With orders now being taken for the facelifted RC, time’s running out to hook a deal on a run-out model. How about £5000 off a new F Sport, with even racier styling and premium navigation? You’ll pay considerably more for the facelifted car. Or better still hunt down a 2018/18 model with 3000 miles like the one we found, which could be yours for £30,740. Okay, a BMW 4 Series coupé is more fun to drive and a Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupé is more comfortable, but if it’s standout looks you desire, the RC ticks the box.

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Clash of the classifieds:

Brief: Chaps, find me a Euro 6-friendly car for less than £7000.

Vauxhall Astra 1.6 CDTi, £7000: The buyer of a Euro 6 diesel is obviously going to be concerned about the details, so I give you a 2015 Vauxhall Astra 1.6 CDTi: the ultimate box-ticking used car purchase. You want value? It’s only £7000 and has covered just 49,000 miles. You want equipment? It’s got alloys, air-con and cruise control. You want cheap running costs? How about 70mpg and free road tax. All right, it’s not exactly one for those with an exciting lifestyle, but with a boot that’s bigger than that of the larger Insignia estate, you can at least fit a more exciting lifestyle in it. MAX ADAMS

Peugeot 208 BlueHDi, £6800: A Euro 6 car for this money? You must be joking! Among the few available, this delightful low-mileage Peugeot 208 from 2016 stands proud. It’s desirable, comfortable, easy to drive and plenty fast enough, as well as remarkably refined. The killer stat is the claimed combined fuel consumption of 80.7mpg, which basically means you’d never have to fill it up. It’s got five doors and even a small steering wheel, so in that latter respect (if none other) it really is just like a Formula 1 car. MARK PEARSON