IF you’ve got decent money to spend on a car then you probably want to buy yourself a nice, shiny SUV for the school run, like everybody else.
But fashion is a fickle mistress and the SUV is a fad like any other. I remember working opposite the Birkenstock shop when the German sandals were the height of fashion and marvelling at the queues outside – every so often a sales assistant would come out and up the price, yet the people in the queue were still happy to pay ridiculous money.
And so it is with cars. SUVs - particularly the smaller ones - are commanding silly prices on the forecourts as people leap onto the bandwagon.
If you take a deeply unfashionable option like a sensible, petrol powered saloon and compare it to a diesel SUV the difference is startling.
In the real world you will get similar miles per gallon (especially if you go diesel/automatic in your 4X4 as many do) and the smaller, lighter, less complex saloon is likely to be far cheaper to service and repair.
Just take a look at these three to see what we mean:
Land Rover Freelander
Unbelievably, eight grand only gets you into the previous generation car. It was good when it was launched but that was in the mid 90’s and it’s about as reliable as Pete Doherty. Despite the 2.0-litre BMW diesel engine the best thing about this car is the badge.
UsedCarExpert.co.uk cars for sale: A five-year-old 2.0 diesel with 60,000 miles on the clock and a full service history can be had for £7,995.
Ford Mondeo
The car we recommend as a default for family buyers. Pound for pound, the best family saloon, with a ride and handling compromise that shames cars from many classes up. Roomy, tough, practical and cheap to run – the Mondeo is one of those rare occasions where the best product is also one of the cheapest.
UsedCarExpert.co.uk cars for sale: A lightly used and well cared for three year old Ford Mondeo 2.0 Zetec is available for £7,995. It is well optioned with a full service history and only 23,000 miles.
BMW 3 Series
If you still want a bit of prestige on the school run then look no further than a petrol version of the current 3 series BMW. You get one of the best badges and a dose of real luxury but because you have a petrol powered small saloon – you get it all very cheaply. The 3 is a great car and they are very expensive new. Petrol cars tend to have careful private owners, low miles and lots of options.
UsedCarExpert.co.uk cars for sale: A four year old, BMW 320 ES petrol model with a full service history and an automatic gearbox is available for £7,500. The mileage is a lowly 50,800.
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