Should you buy new or should you splash your cash on the used market instead? It’s a question many consumers ask themselves when shopping around for a vehicle.
There are, of course, strong arguments to be made for either approach (something we won’t go into here), but the majority of you have likely already made up your minds.
Still, we thought it would be interesting to select a new vehicle, look at its basic price and have a dig around Gumtree to see what sort of options there are for the same money.
In this case, the vehicle in question is the Ford Focus RS, an all-wheel drive hyper hatch that employs a 2,3-litre turbo-four worth a stonking 257 kW and 440 N.m, and blasts to three figures in a claimed 4,7 seconds. Its price new (if you can lay your hands on one)? Some R699 900, although such is the demand that there are a number of examples on the second-hand market for well above list-price…
A little time on Gumtree unearthed these three used alternatives with similar price-tags (click the vehicle name to view the listing in question). Of course, there are plenty more options on the used market (and we’ve no doubt you’ll point out other vehicles that appeal to you), but we found these three particularly interesting.
2013 Jaguar F-Type S convertible
The F-Type S features a 3,0-litre supercharged V6 providing the rear wheels with 280 kW and 460 N.m via an eight-speed automatic transmission. The 0-100 km/h sprint takes a claimed 4,9 seconds, and, of course, the roof opens for summer. This example has nearly 50 000 km on the clock, but still a couple of years left on its maintenance plan.
A naturally aspirated 4,2-litre V8 powers the RS5, delivering 331 kW and 430 N.m to all four corners through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The speedometer needle flies past three figures in a mere 4,5 seconds, while the top speed is pegged at 250 km/h. The model featured here has 68 000 km on its clock and the balance of a five-year maintenance plan.
Yes, to finish up, we decided to throw in something a little left-field, in the form of this 6,4-litre V8-powered monster. The Grand Cherokee SRT churns out 344 kW and 624 N.m, roaring to 100 km/h in five seconds dead. From new, the maintenance plan stretches six years, although this example is already more than halfway into its 100 000 km limit. And it drinks like a fish…
So, just one question remains: if it were your money, would you buy a new Ford Focus RS or one of these?
