Car Buying: Which 3 Year Old Cars Should You Buy Now?

By: James Ruppert
buying a new car

It's that time of the year when everyone starts thinking about a brand new car because of the number plate change. Instead, you should be thinking about buying a vehicle which was fresh out of the box in 2015 and now is great value and can be protected by a MotorEasy warranty.

 

Which 3 Year Old Car To Buy: Jaguar XE

The compact executive saloon is something that Jaguar had forgotten to sell since they stopped making the X-Type, but this is a million times better. It was meant to be an answer to the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes C-Class.

It has never sold as well as those models, but it is still a great car and available with 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines, as well as a range-topping supercharged 3.0 V6.

The diesel engine is probably the best choice. We found a 2015 2.0D 163 R-Sport ay £13,499. It had covered 61K miles had one owner and a nice sporty specification.

 

Which 3 Year Old Car To Buy: Mazda MX-5

This has been the world’s favourite convertible since it was launched in 1989 and quite right too.

Rear wheel drive, easy to use roof means it is sporty and practical. This latest fourth-generation model is 100kg lighter than the car it replaced, making it sharper and even more fun to drive.

The 1.5 and 2.0-litre petrols deliver 129bhp and 155bhp and have six-speed manual transmissions. The smaller 1.5 is quick enough for most. A 2015 1.5 Sport with just 11,000 miles in Soul red is £15,990. A lovely little sports car.

 

Which 3 Year Old Car To Buy: Renault Kadjar

Just when it seemed like every new car was going to be a me-too crossover in the mould of the epically successful Nissan Qashqai, Renault came up with this, which is even based on the Nissan.

There were three engines, a 110bhp 1.5 and 130bhp 1.6-litre dCi diesels, as well as a 130bhp 1.2-litre turbo TCe petrol unit.

The diesels are around in larger numbers and this is a clever and comfy family car. A 1.5 dCi Energy Dynamique which has Sat Nav that has covered 38K miles is £12,250.

 

Which 3 Year Old Car To Buy: Volvo XC90

Volvo’s second-generation model was smarter, safer and more stylish than before and completely redesigned. This is the thinking buyer’s BMW X5, Porsche Cayenne or Land Rover Discovery.

Designed for comfort and obviously safety, only four-cylinder engines are available, plus a super-efficient 390bhp plug-in hybrid. These are holding their value very well, so no bargains. Mind you, a 2.0 D5 R-Design with 63,000 miles and a full Volvo history is still an appealing £31,900.

 

Which 3 Year Old Car To Buy: DS 5

You might have missed it, but Citroen launched an upmarket brand (DS Automobiles) to effectively sell posh hatchbacks. They wanted a slice of the premium MINI and BMW market and a vehicle that could be customised.

Not that popular yet, which means they depreciate fast and therefore are great value if you want to own something different. There was a wide choice engines from turbocharged petrols, to 1.6 and 2.0-litre BlueHDi diesels.

A very distinctive 2015 2.0 BlueHDi Prestige with a long specification and just 18,500 miles is just £13,690.

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