Ad Feature: used car bargains under the radar

Keen-eyed enthusiasts will have spotted there’s a new Nissan Z-car, the delightfully retro 400Z, but the British market won’t be getting it. Not to worry – your tears will dry pretty quickly as the wind whips through one of its predecessors, this Roadster version of the 350Z. There aren’t many cheaper ways to go topless, especially when you’re getting a dose of Japanese dependability and a soaring V6 soundtrack thrown in, too. Fuel bills won’t be weeny and the road tax is somewhat stocky, but the price you’re paying for the car ought to make up for that.

https://www.motors.co.uk/nissan/350z/used-cars/

You may have heard the Kia Ceed being described as ‘reasonably priced’ somewhere before, but time hasn’t weathered the claim. Especially when we’re talking the 201bhp Ceed GT. If you want a sensible five-door family car with a bit of spark, the VW Golf GTI has always been the default option. But Kia’s got in on the act too and while the Ceed GT gives a little in performance to the Golf, it’ll still hit 62mph in under eight seconds while being supremely practical. And saving you a wodge of cash.

https://www.motors.co.uk/kia/ceed/trim/gt/used-cars/

The world has gone gaga for SUVs, leaving the humble saloon and estate car on the backfoot. Who imagined we’d live in a world where Ford didn’t sell the Mondeo in Britain? It’s good news if you want a bit of a bargain, though, and we’d say all the practicality of an estate bundled in a body as good to look at as the Mazda 6 wagon’s – they even paint it Soul Red, like all their concept cars – makes for a thoroughly appealing package indeed. It just so happens to drive with more than a whiff of the MX-5 sports car too, its snickety manual gearchange especially fun.

https://www.motors.co.uk/mazda/6/bodystyle/estate/used-cars/

Another victim of the crossover uprising has been the humble people carrier, formerly a favourite of school runs up and down the country. Renault attempted to inject some pizzazz into the sector with its glamorously styled Grand Scenic a few years ago, but the pifflingly low price of this one suggests most people still just want an SUV. We reckon that’s a shame; seven seats and 60mpg fuel economy have been crammed into a pretty interesting-looking device here.

https://www.motors.co.uk/renault/grand-scenic/used-cars/

If you insist on having a family SUV, you go sensible. You go for a Volvo XC90 or something from the VW empire. But nobody’s going to stand out at the school gates going sensible. That’s where the Dodge Nitro boldly stepped in in the Noughties, bringing a brash dose of a Americana (and big engines) to a strait-laced corner of the car market. It wasn’t a resounding success, but that just means you’ll get a right old bargain if you dare take the plunge now. Loads of room for a price tag equivalent to the deposit on an XC90 lease deal. Bargain.

https://www.motors.co.uk/dodge/nitro/used-cars/

Vauxhall launched the Adam as its curiously named rival to the ubiquitous Mini. The fact it’s no longer on sale suggests the bullseye wasn’t struck, and yet the car wasn’t without merit. In diddy hot hatchback Adam S spec it’s become a bit of an underrated gem. This wasn’t the case new – when a Mini Cooper or Abarth 500 were both cheaper and a bit more fun – but used, where the Vauxhall now sells for huge chunk less than its key rivals, it’s something of a steal. A whisker under 150bhp from its turbo engine makes Vauxhall’s littlest car a little tyke.

 https://www.motors.co.uk/vauxhall/adam/trim/s/used-cars/

Jaguar has sadly dropped the next-generation XJ as it restructures its offerings for a new, electric-only chapter of one of Britain’s most venerable brands. Which could give the outgoing car something resembling classic status, not least because it’s a tremendously bold piece of design by Ian Callum, the man behind beauties like the Aston Martin DB9. The one we have here is a properly luxurious limo – punchy V8 petrol power cloaked beneath a gorgeous spec.

https://www.motors.co.uk/jaguar/xj-series/used-cars/

Do you remember the time Peugeot made a rival to the Audi TT? It would appear too few people do, and it’s sad this car never gained a successor. And much like the TT, the RCZ is a car that made it from a svelte, sexy motor show concept to showroom reality with barely a visual change, too – and it still looks impactful now. You can have a diesel version if you must, but this 200 horsepower petrol turbo has pace more befitting its style. You might be surprised how economical its 1.6-litre engine proves, too. Helpful as prices at the pumps keep rising.

https://www.motors.co.uk/peugeot/rcz/used-cars/