► Fastest-selling second-hand cars in March 2015
► A few surprises in there
► Good news if you own a French people carrier
Ever had a car that’s been more difficult to get rid of than you’d expected? An unsellable that’s hung around no matter how fancy the font in the ad, or how attractively you’ve angled it in the photo?
No such trouble with this little lot. According to data from Auto Trader, these were the models that spent the shortest spells hanging around its classifieds in March 2015.
Who knew the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso was so eagerly sought after? Or, for that matter, the Vauxhall Mokka? Good news if you’re selling, and if you’re on the lookout for one of these ten, be prepared to haggle – clearly there are plenty more fish in the sea.
1) Citroen Grand C4 Picasso
Average days to sell: 15
It’s the seven-seater Grand, rather than the five-seat non-Grand Picasso that sells the quickest. Its popularity shouldn’t come as a surprise. Most MPVs are dull to look at and duller to sit in but the Picasso has styling avant-garde enough to justify its namesake and an interior so futuristic you’ll feel like you’re piloting the international space station. And space is something it’s got plenty of, too.
The industry average time to sell a car is said to be 55 days. If you’ve got a Picasso, you could be shot of it in a little over a fortnight.
We’ve been running one as a long-termer – check out our diary of day-to-day life with a Grand Picasso here.
2) Ford C-Max
Average days to sell: 17
Another MPV – this time the compact, Focus-based C-Max. And this time it’s the ordinary five-seater that outsells the sliding-doored Grand.
Slightly spoiling the theory that the buoyant sales are down to hard-driving dads enjoying the car’s surprisingly decent dynamics, current data suggests C-Maxes with auto gearboxes sell faster than DIY-transmissioned versions.
3) Ford Focus
Average days to sell: 18
Fashion suggests everyone wants to drive a high-riding crossover, but a good old-fashioned mid-sized hatch usually does the job better. And the Focus does it better than most. Go for a post-facelift 2014 car if possible – it’s nicer looking, more satisfying to drive and packed with kit. Read our review here.
4) Audi TT
Average days to sell: 20
With values down a touch now the fancy new TT’s in town, the old one’s selling as strongly as ever on the second-hand market. When a car’s this popular, they can’t all be wrong, and they can’t all be hairdressers either.
Click here to find out what we thought of the pre-2014 Audi TT when it first burst onto the scene.
5) Nissan Qashqai
Average days to sell: 20
We’re on Qashqai MkII now, but it’s the original genre-busting version that’s selling strongest on the used market. Probably because there are so damn many of them. Defying logic, and advice, petrol automatic versions sold quickest in March 2015.
Click here for CAR’s original Nissan Qashqai review.
6) Vauxhall Astra GTC
Average days to sell: 21
A Vauxhall that’s actually desirable, we say, and seems the market agrees. The three-door coupé-style Astra’s lithe-looking enough to go up against the Scirocco without being laughed at, and drives well too. Diesels sell fastest.
Read CAR’s review of the hot VXR version here.
7) Vauxhall Mokka
Average days to sell: 22
Vauxhall’s sorted out the deafeningly noisy diesel engine now. But the second-hand market’s still flooded with the old one. Budget for earplugs.
Here’s CAR’s Vauxhall Mokka review
8) Renault Grand Scenic
Average days to sell: 23
Another French people carrier with seven seats. This one’s not as new, nor as clever. It’ll be replaced soon, whereupon used values for this version will likely fall another notch or two.
Here’s what CAR thought of the Renault Grand Scenic at its launch
9) Ford Mondeo
Average days to sell: 23
Big saloons haven’t quite died out – yet – and the recently replaced Mondeo’s a good ’un. Older high mileage ex-fleet cars actually not a bad idea.
Read CAR’s pre-2014 Ford Mondeo review here.
10) Toyota Prius
Average days to sell: 24
The car that got the hybrid ball rolling for many is a surprisingly popular second-hand buy. A big cabin means it’s actually quite practical, if not quite as thrifty on fuel as you might expect.
Click here for CAR’s 2009 Toyota Prius review.