Hot car deals, 16 December 2009Great deals on the VW Golf 1.4 TSI and Fiat 500
16 December 2009
Good savings on popular Golf - and it's in stock
Our deal hunters have tracked down big discounts on the VW Golf and Ford Ka, plus used deals on the Fiat 500.
Hard-to-find VW Golfs: £1,500 off
Interesting deal here. It’s not so much the discount (although nearly £1,500 off a is never to be sniffed at) as the car it’s available on.
UK Car Discount has examples of the Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI SE in stock and ready to go. This is a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol, offering the performance of a 1.6 but better fuel economy - and the engine proving such a big hit that most dealers are quoting around four to five months for a factory order. This is such an issue it’s even highlighted on the official Volkswagen UK website.
Here, however, they are available right away in red or black. Limited numbers - no surprise - but at £16,100, they still represent a £1,495 saving over the list price for a five-door including metallic paint, leather steering wheel and free dealer delivery.
Unregistered with full three-year warranty, this is a great deal given the timing.
Finally, the Ka has become affordable... especially after scrappage discount
Entry-level Ford Ka under £6k
The is no longer an inexpensive runabout, with the entry price for a basic 1.2-litre Studio model now £8,845. Time for a scrappage deal...
The isn’t set to last any longer than the end of February 2010, and that’s assuming the government’s money pot doesn’t run out first - so now’s the time to act if you want to take advantage. This, we think, is the cheapest scrappage-adjusted Ford Ka in the UK.
It’s Hartwell’s deal of the week: an entry level Ka Studio for just £5,995. Meaning that in addition to £2,000 in scrappage, a further £850 has been knocked of the recommended retail price.
If you can do better on a Ford Ka, let us know.
Fiat's 500 is filtering down into second-hand buyers now - choose carefully
Top spec Fiat 500s under £9,000
Finally, we’ve been looking at used Fiat 500 values.
And the news is surprisingly good if you’re in the market to buy. For roughly the same £9,000 amount Ford is asking for an entry-level Ka (which is built on the same platform as the Fiat) you can buy an 18-month-old 500 1.4 petrol in top spec Lounge or Sport grade.
Since virtually none of these cars leave the Fiat showroom without added extras, most would cost considerably more than the basic £11,500 list price were you to buy one new.
Cheapest we found with a quick search was an 08-plate Lounge at £8,495 with 29,000 miles on a dealer’s forecourt. If you’re prepared to buy privately you can cut the mileage by two-thirds by paying just £400 more - though we did find one Fiat dealer selling an 08-plate 1.4 Sport with leather and just 1,480 miles for £8,973. Perhaps because the car is finished in bright yellow.
As ever, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. We also found an 09-plate 1.4 Sport for £8,750 at 630 miles - but peering beyond the garish (but removable) flower stickers, this actually turns out to be an insurance Category D-damaged and repaired ex-demonstrator. Possibly one to avoid.
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