Best time warp used car buys on carsales

With 215,092 cars available at the time of writing, the carsales classifieds are like a vast ocean and like any ocean, there’s treasure hidden if you know where to look. Today, we’re attempting to uncover low-kilometre used car examples, but there are some rules. If you’re looking for a delivery-mileage Aussie V8, the world is your oyster; barely driven exotics are a dime a dozen – we want the true one-offs, otherwise ordinary cars in as-new condition.

2016 Toyota FJ Cruiser with 12km – $95,000

The Toyota FJ Cruiser became a real cult car thanks to its retro styling and Prado underpinnings. Since its discontinuation, values have held up well, but if you have deep enough pockets, here’s one in absolutely brand-new condition.

2007 Ford Fairmont Ghia with 435km – $59,990

If you pine for the golden era of Australian cars and kick yourself that you didn’t buy one new, it turns out the ship has not sailed. If the price seems steep, consider that in today’s money a 2007 Fairmont Ghia would have cost $85K. But the real question is: would you drive it?

2015 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 with 645km – $75,000

“Selling due to lack of use.” No kidding. This CLA 45 has traveled fewer than 60km per year, has been garaged its whole life and is priced at almost $20,000 less than what it cost new.

1998 Mazda MX-5 with 673km – $39,000

Someone call the Mazda museum, we’ve found the perfect NB MX-5. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this car is not its condition or its kilometres, but the fact it’s being offered for $800 less than it cost new. If you’re keen on a new MX-5 but find the ND a bit, well, modern, this is the car for you.

2008 Mitsubishi 380 TMR with 905km – $58,500

This probably goes into the Aussie classic category that we said we’d ignore, but we can’t pass up an opportunity to mention the ultra-rare 380 TMR. Just 18 of the heavily modified, but factory-backed supercharged sedans exist, and they don’t appear very often.

1991 Toyota Celica GT-Four with 1146km – $155,000

Someone thought ahead. Thirty-five years ago, this rare Carlos Sainz Edition was tucked away in a garage and has only covered around 30km per year since. The ad says that instead of the original owner playing the long-term investment game, he actually loved the car so much he barely drove it. Another one for the museum.

2009 Audi RS6 Avant with 1301km – $134,998

I don’t know about you, but if I’d paid almost $300,000 ($271,900 + ORCs) for a twin-turbo V10 station wagon, I would’ve driven it at every opportunity. Not everyone is the same, however, which now presents the chance of buying an as-new C6 RS6 at a massive discount. 

2012 Ford Falcon G6 Limited Edition with 1800km – $30,000

Another one for the new Falcon buyer, the G6 Limited Edition was a value-packed ($36,490 drive-away when a base XT was $39,290 + ORCs) variant that added 18-inch alloys, leather seats and steering wheel, side curtain airbags, iPod integration and Bluetooth.

1999 Mitsubishi Express with 2492km – $20,550

To be honest, we initially scrolled past this one, sure that it was one of those ads where the odometer had been entered incorrectly. Apparently not. This workhorse has somehow avoided the trials of labour for almost 30 years and may actually outlast civilisation.

2015 Skoda Octavia with 4990km – $21,000

If you’re someone who’s struggling to break into the new car market – understandable, when you need $19,190 (+ ORCs) for an excellent but diminutive Kia Picanto – then cars like this Skoda Octavia could be your saviour. Older, sure, but spacious, well-equipped and comfortable with almost zero use.

2002 Honda Integra with 5000km – $42,000

Affordable sports cars are few and far between these days and while this isn’t the screaming 147kW Type R, you still have the looks, the chassis and a manual gearbox, though if you do want some more grunt, you’ll find a 2007 Civic Type R here with 5000km for $38,500.

2010 Ford Focus RS with 5350km – $67,650

Will this look cheap one day? If the kilometres remain low, there’s a strong possibility. Therein lies the conundrum with buying barely used cars, but the second-generation Ford Focus RS is a rare machine with the sort of driving experience we’ll never see again.

2016 BMW M235i with 7976km – $42,250

The idea of putting a turbocharged six-cylinder in a small car is a foreign one in these downsized, electrified modern times, but BMW did just that with its excellent and underrated M135i/M235i. A 240kW/450Nm rocketship for the price of a new base Toyota GR86?

2014 Mercedes-Benz C200 with 9285km – $29,999

You might think you can’t afford a new Mercedes-Benz. You might be surprised. Ok, it’s not the latest thing, but this C-Class is only one generation old and comes with a full service history.

2006 Honda Jazz with 11,622km – $10,999

Another one for the new-car buyer. This Honda Jazz may be 20 years old, but they are well known for their reliability and there’s no reason this won’t easily see 300,000km, which at its current use rate it will reach in the year 2602.

2014 Mazda 3 Neo with 12,733km – $19,990

When a current generation Mazda 2 starts at $27,290 (+ ORCs), the idea of its larger sibling for almost $10,000 less is appealing. This might be the base Neo, but it’s still a great car to drive with hundreds of thousands of kilometres of life left.

2013 Lexus ES350 Sports Luxury with 13,500km – $26,990

Is this an exciting car? No. Does it look like a posh Camry? Yes. Is it also a well-equipped, spacious, beautifully built and comfortable luxury car that may well go forever? Also yes. And a full service history, to boot.

2007 Volkswagen Eos with 14,108km – $7000

Diesel engines and convertibles might seem to go together as well as french fries and ice cream, but just as some people think the latter delicious (yes, really), the Volkswagen Group in particular were fond of the former once upon a time. Not a sporty car, but a pretty cheap way to work on your tan.

2012 Audi A5 3.0 TDI with 14,501km – $29,000

The original A5 is a beautiful piece of car design and Audi’s 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel is both powerful (180kW/500Nm for 0-100km/h in 5.8sec) and frugal (5.7L/100km). Again, this is a ridiculous amount of car for the money.

2004 Holden Commodore SS with 14,895km – $43,000

We gave in. Having said we wouldn’t feature any Aussie V8s, here’s one. However, while many have delivery mileage and therefore are effectively unable to be driven without destroying their value, this VY SS has covered enough kilometres to be used without a second thought while transporting you back to 2004 in a nano-second.

As you can see, no matter your taste or budget, with a bit of effort you can find some remarkable vehicles for sale that look and drive like they just left the showroom.

However, there is a saying “buy on condition not kilometres” so we’d still encourage anyone looking at a vehicle like this to still have it inspected by an expert.

In fact, it can be even more important with low-kilometre cars as belts, seals, bushes, fluids and more can break down over time, especially if they’re not regularly exercised.

Get that clean bill of health, though, and you might end up driving something far fancier than you thought you could afford. Happy shopping.

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