Recognising that more than 99 per cent of motorists cannot and will not benefit from the Government's scrappage scheme, Skoda is vowing to attract new customers with good, old-fashioned, no-nonsense discounts… plus free finance.
All Fabias and Octavias are being sold VAT-free, which is equivalent to price chops of up to £1,773 on the Fabia and £2,847 on the Octavia. But in addition to (not instead of) these significant reductions in list prices, 24-month zero per cent loans are on offer.
Related ArticlesSkoda insists there are no catches and, after reading the small print, I agree. The only downside is that comparatively large (50 per cent) deposits are required.
Talking of new-car depreciation, after exclusively revealing the 10 models that have held their values best over the last three years (Mr Money, August 15) I've been inundated with requests from people who want me to identify the worst. And with a little help from Glass's Guide, publisher of the motor trade bible, here goes.
The trade-in value of an Alfa Romeo 166 is just 14.4 per cent of its list price new, three years and 39,000 miles ago. Next comes the Rover 45/MG ZS (20.3 per cent), Rover CityRover (20.4), Rover 75/MG ZT (21.3), Proton Impian (22.0), Mitsubishi Space Star (22.5), Nissan Terrano (22.9), Alfa Romeo 156 (24.2), Renault Laguna (24.3) and Cadillac CTS (24.8).
To put it another way, all of the above have depreciated by more than 75 per cent in just 36 months.
One man's loss is another's gain – these cars have been comparatively unsound new car investments, but they are absolute gems for the buyer seeking the ultimate secondhand deal.
Well-documented financial problems at Chrysler and sister company Dodge mean that British consumers can now pick up some unused models from these American makers with discounts of almost £9,000. That means delivery-mileage Chrysler Sebring 2.0 diesels selling for less than £11,000 and the Dodge Nitro 2.8 CRD at under £14,000.
Last week, I said that the RAC Foundation was out of touch after it suggested that our major highways should be sold off, thereby placing motorists at the mercy of road-related utility companies.
Thankfully, Labour, the Conservatives and the Lib Dems agree.
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