Currently reading: New versus used cars - which is best?

A used Ferrari for the price of a new BMW? Used Jaguar or new Peugeot? And that’s just the half of it. We line up four ‘new vs used’ contests, from £20k to £95k

Patience is a virtue. That shiny new performance car you drooled over in our road test a few years ago may have been agonisingly unattainable back then, but while you’ve been busy living your life, it might have gently edged into your price range thanks to the irresistible force of depreciation.

If this feature was purely about bang for your buck, it’d be a clean sweep for our four used cars. They all outgun their new rivals in the power stakes. But it’s not that simple. The latest tech, freshest styling and lower running costs could easily tempt you back towards the new car instead in each contest here.

We’ve come to a Cold War airfield to sort this one out. Time to reach for the big red button… 

Test one - New Mini Cooper S versus used Volkswagen Golf GTI

Test two - New Peugeot RCZ R versus used Jaguar XKR

Test three - New BMW M4 versus used Ferrari 612 Scaglietti

Test four - New Porsche 911 versus used Bentley Continental GT

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