New cheaper than used? Has the trade gone mad?…Probably

Parker’s, the mainstream car price guide, announced yesterday that it had located a Mazda 6, which can be bought new for around £11,500, on sale for £12,499 with 2,500 miles on the clock. It also said its staff had also found a new Vauxhall Corsa available from one dealer for £5,995 – almost £500 less than the price of a used car with over 5,000 miles on the clock (£6,494).

Although these sorts of revelations will certainly grab the headlines in these turbulent times for the motor trade they are almost certainly blips rather than any real phenomena or signs of a marketplace completely imploding.

Adrian Rushmore, managing editor of the trade-only Glass’s Guide, said: “These quirks are happening but they’re the exception rather than the rule.”

Some form of reassurance from someone who, let’s face it, ought to know but in the real world these headline grabbing utterances only further damage an already reeling industry. I mean, come on used cars more expensive than new? Whatever next, big four wheel drive examples being bought back by dealers for more than they were sold for late last year? Oh yeah that’s happening too…oops.