A brand new car at a used car price: Citroen launches the C3 YOU!

Neglect the journey chaos on the roads, railways and at airports. 

With the UK climate forecast trying brilliant, for those who’re stress-free at house this vacation weekend, it is the right time to take a look at some new Easter bonnets.

By that I imply mulling over potential vehicles you’d prefer to personal — and perhaps a couple of that you just’d want to, if solely you possibly can afford them.

For the beginning of spring is the time when automobile makers add new variants to their line-ups. 

Additionally they unveil new discount pricing packages and gives designed to tempt hesitant patrons again into the market. 

French discount

Because the cost-of-living disaster begins to chew for many of us, Citroen has introduced out a brand new discount basement hatchback trim degree — the C3 YOU! — costing £12,995 on the street.

Dubbed ‘a brand new automobile at used costs’, it is now the most cost effective typical new Citroen in the marketplace. 

Promising beneficiant ranges of ordinary tools and security options, it follows the elimination of the Citroen C1 metropolis automobile from the vary earlier this 12 months. 

It is powered by a 1.2-litre three-cylinder PureTech 83 petrol engine and gives a frugal 54 mpg in addition to a 300-litre boot, which extends to 992 litres with the rear bench folded down.

Commonplace tools on the YOU! contains LED headlights, body-coloured bumpers and door handles, Bluetooth connectivity, a five-inch central touchscreen and DAB digital radio. 

Security tools contains hill-start help, tyre strain monitoring, a video-based lane departure warning system and speed-sign recognition. 

It additionally comes with cruise management and a velocity limiter, in addition to a ‘espresso break alert’ function to make sure the protection and luxury of everybody on board on longer journeys.

Citroen’s UK managing director, Eurig Druce, enthused: ‘This can be a model new five-door supermini at a used-car worth.’

It comes as normal with Delicate Sand metallic paint. 5 extra physique colors can be found at additional price, together with Elixir Crimson premium metallic paint, costing £695. 

Beforehand, probably the most inexpensive C3 within the UK vary was in ‘Sense’ trim with the identical PureTech 83 petrol engine — priced from £16,260.

Nonetheless, variations of the brand new Citroen C3 YOU! can be found solely through the net Citroen Retailer, which permits clients to configure their automobile from the consolation of their very own house.

Toyota, Renault, Vauxhall and Suzuki are among the many producers asserting new offers this Easter.

Nothing beats an old-school automobile catalogue 

Web sites are positive, up to some extent. However in relation to automobile worth guides, there’s nothing just like the allure of a bodily ebook you could thumb your manner by way of.

That was what I discovered myself musing, anyway, when a stunning compact Hagerty Value Information for Spring and Summer time 2022 dropped by way of my letterbox this week from the basic automobile worth consultants and insurers — a useful software for the fanatic.

It covers an astonishing 48,432 collectable basic vehicles, ranging over 99 years from the 1923 Austin Seven Chummy Tourer (from £8,600 to £20,800) to a last-of-the-line seventieth anniversary 2018-19 unique 5.0-litre Land Rover Defender (valued from £125,000 to £159,000).

The quickest automobile talked about within the information is the 242.96mph McLaren F1, which is valued at as much as £19.3 million, whereas the slowest listed is the 49mph Citroen 2CV with a tiny 425cc engine, priced from £3,500 to £22,100 relying on the 12 months, mannequin and general situation.

I even discovered the primary household automobile of my childhood — a much-loved Austin A55 Cambridge saloon, which could be picked up from between £3,400 and £9,600. 

I can nonetheless scent the pink leather-based and horsehair seats, and beloved the beginning deal with that doubled as a method of reducing the spare wheel from below the boot.

The Hagerty information, which makes use of public sale worth efficiency, information from non-public gross sales and finance corporations, insurance coverage values and wider financial concerns, notes: ‘We imagine that rising rates of interest, monetary market uncertainties and continued pandemic challenges will proceed to drive each funding and fanatic buying.’

• The hard-copy Hagerty guides price £8 every and a few will quickly go on sale on-line (hagerty.co.uk/valuation).