Family hatchback: Vauxhall Astra

Just because it’s a low-CO2 diesel hatch, it does not mean it can’t hang in the 70 Per Cent gallery. With prices starting well below the mint example we found for £4,095, the Vauxhall Astra 1.7 CDTI is, barring the odd Rover, one of the cheapest sub-60,000-mile, three-year-old diesels around.

However, there’s nothing seriously wrong with the Astra to put off the used buyer. The 1.7-litre unit is tough, if a little noisy, and doesn’t suffer from the problems that have dogged the larger 1.9. And the huge amount shed from the list price isn’t only fallout from the imploding economy. Heavy discounting is mostly to blame. But this Astra is still £400 below CAP’s 2005 prediction for the car, meaning you’ve saved up to £1,400 once the trader’s mark-up had been added.

Vauxhall Astra
1.7 CDTi Life A/C
Price new in 2005: £13,845
Example we found:
54-reg, 56,000 miles, £4,095
Value drop: 71.1 per cent