I do love stats which tell a story, and some I’ve come across recently are rather relevant to what is happening in the current used car market. According to some figures from Indicata, petrol engines dominated the list of the fastest-selling used cars for April, accounting for 70% of the top 10 compiled by Indicata.  So yes, petrol is the fuel that the used car buyer truly understands – and they remain terrified of diesel. Forecourt sales staff will tell you of the reluctance they encounter when it comes to oil-burners. The models at the top end of the fast sellers list include the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Ford Ecosport and Vauxhall Mokka. The used car market is therefore petrol SUV-shaped at the moment, in particular the dinkier, more compact ones.  That inspired me to go super-cheap-car shopping for something similar, but rather more Banger. I may be odd but I’m always looking at Land Rover Freelanders, not least because I can’t help thinking that the new Defender should look like this, but probably won’t. Just £595 gets me into a 2003 1.8 Maasai with an MOT and recent service to its name. A lovely looking three-door.  But Land Rover’s marginal reliability is a worry for some, including me, and that might send me into the welcoming, alt-Defender style of a Mitsubishi Shogun Pinin GDi Equippe. It too is from 2003 and is up for just £595. Five doors, spare wheel on the tailgate. Fantastic.  Then there’s an old-school Kia Sportage 2.0 XSE, which actually does not look so cool now. Just old. This 2002 with less than 80,000 miles is – guess what? – £595, and the dealer was selling it with a year’s breakdown cover. Then again, there’s a Honda HR-V 1.6, which is way cooler than the latest one. This 2000 example had covered just over 100,000 miles and seemed quite tidy, although they can cause trouble if less than pristine. Quite an old vehicle now but I’d still take the risk.  A bright spot in the stats is the BMW 3 Series, which is the only saloon in the top ten. Obviously that is the sort of transport I’d buy, and the bigger the engine the better.  There are some cheap 3 Series around. I liked the look of a £500 318i, but really it was a 2001 330i SE saloon with 99,000 miles, 12 months’ MOT, and all for £1900 all in. The gearbox is automatic, which may put some people off, but really, a light blue BMW saloon with a big engine is just about perfect.  So there we have it: the fastest-selling used cars are petrols – usually with faux off-road bodies on top. We can save the day, though, by turning towards six-cylinder Bavarian saloons. There is hope. What we almost bought this week Blink and you’ll have missed this large family car when it was new (2005-’07). Shame, since the model was well built and reliable. We found a tidy 2006-reg Eleganza with 57,000 miles on the clock and a new timing belt on the engine. In addition to this 1.8 petrol there was a 2.2 and a trio of diesels, including a 2.4 making a useful 200bhp.  Tales from Ruppert’s garage Innocenti Mini, mileage – 6759: Just to let you know that the Italian Mini I bought earlier this year still exists. It failed its MOT in fairly spectacular fashion: the brakes weren’t very good and, of course, there was rust. Loads of it. There’s not enough room here to detail what’s been happening and I may well go away and write a book about the whole experience. For the moment, though, I’ll just stick to the MOT, which it didn’t even need to be subjected to – and that should scare every road user out there. Reader’s ride Dave Bardsley is back: “My previous Bangernomics Kia Sportage failed its MOT and needed a sum in the hundreds and starting with a ‘3’ to pass, so I bought this 2007 Hyundai Tucson for £1795. It’s got 88,000 miles on it and an MOT until next February, so I’m looking forward to some hassle-free motoring. It’s a lot of metal and gizmos for the money, all electric and a split tailgate. It’s even got a remote-controlled radio.” Readers’ questions Question: I’m considering buying my next car at auction. Are there any guarantees or recourse if I buy a dud? Jason Townes, Epsom, Surrey Answer: Choose your auction carefully. Larger operators such as BCA have detailed terms and conditions that outline what you should expect and offer indemnities should a vehicle be incorrectly described. They also guarantee that good title is transferred to the buyer. If a vehicle’s mileage is warranted, then that should be correct. BCA also offers the Assured scheme, an independent multi-point check by the AA to ensure buyers have accurate information relating to the mechanical condition. Remember that it is up to you to check the car’s overall visible condition prior to the sale, as these parts of the car are always sold ‘as seen’. John Evans Question: My Mazda MX-5’s windscreen needs replacing but I’m worried about the accuracy of the driver assist systems, which use sensors mounted on the screen. Colin Gordon, Devizes, Wiltshire
Origin: James Ruppert: why petrol compact SUVs rule the classifieds