If you’re in the market for a new car these days, you’re facing a brutal double-whammy: the price of new vehicles and the price of fuel are both through the roof, and seemingly only increasing.
And that means the market for pre-owned is growing.
Requirement: You’re single, on a budget, and need an affordable hatchback capable of taking admirably tiny sips from its fuel tank. Here are five examples we spotted after having a browse around Gumtree (click the vehicle name to see the posting in question):
If you’re prepared to settle for the pre-facelift styling, a clean example of the diesel-powered Fiesta makes a great buy. The 1,6-litre oil-burner generates a credible 70 kW and 200 N.m, and sips at a claimed 3,6 L/100 km.
Less than R120 000 will easily buy you a two-year-old example of the somewhat underrated Suzuki Swift, which the Japanese brand says will use 5,2 L/100 km. Standard features at this trim level include the likes of air-conditioning, electric windows front and rear, and Bluetooth.
The local used car market is positively flooded with examples of the pre-facelift Yaris, many of which employ the brand’s tiny 1,0-litre petrol engine. Good for a claimed 5,1 L/100 km, this little hatch may not be the quickest thing around, but it can certainly save you cash at the pumps.
Volkswagen Polo 1,2 TDI BlueMotion:
The diesel version of the BlueMotion-badged Polo may have been replaced by a new 1,0-litre petrol variant, but the discontinued oil-burner is still one of the most economical small mills around, with a claim of just 3,4 L/100 km. And it’s rather well equipped, too.
If you don’t need huge amounts of space and want something a little different, a used Fiat 500 in decent condition potentially represents strong value. Fitted with a 1,2-litre four-cylinder petrol mill, the Italian automaker claims this model has a fuel average of around 5,1 L/100 km.
