Save £2,009 in 2009 on 200bhp superminis
.jpg "Fancy a bargain on a 200bhp-plus Mini Cooper? How about the hottest Renault Clio with thousands off? Save at least £2,009 in 2009 on a super-hot supermini...")
26 January 2009
Want a superman-powered supermini at a discount? Vijay Pattni rounds up the top small cars with at least a £2,009 saving…
Everybody loves a discount – and used car prices are tumbling like never before.
So why not treat yourself in 2009…and save at least £2,009 on a smoking-hot supermini?
We’ve rounded up the best buys using Auto Trader’s used car search, including the most powerful Corsa ever built…
Vauxhall Corsa VXR - save £3,165
New: £15,860
Take one new-age ‘c’mon’ Corsa. Add bulbous bodykit. Stuff it with a sports interior and garnish with 18-inch alloy wheels. Add a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 189bhp. Bring to the boil...
Yes – the Max Power staple now comes fully kitted straight from Vauxhall’s factory gates. The Corsa VXR is a tyre-shredding, stomach-churning monster ‘mini, and we loved it.
Auto Trader deputy web editor Stuart Milne said: “Other hot hatches might handle better on paper, and purists could describe a Corsa VXR at speed as rough around the edges, but it never fails to entertain. It looks like a hot hatch should, with its brash bodykit, and works wonders for Vauxhall's intoxicating VXR brand.”
We found this used approved Vauxhall Corsa VXR for just £12,695.
Read our review of the Vauxhall Corsa VXR
Ford Fiesta ST - save £3,595
New: was £13,595
One of the UK’s favourite motors is apparently fully capable of performing a beach assault with the Royal Marines…according to Jeremy Clarkson and Top Gear.
The outspoken Top Gear host road-tested the new supermini in a couple of unique areas – and the old one’s not too shabby either.
We’re looking at hot superminis, and the new Ford Fiesta isn’t yet available with an ST badge – so we’ve plumped for the previous generation ST, which came in at just under £13,595 when new.
With a storming 2-litre engine producing 150bhp and excellent handling, the Fiesta ST is still a great used buy.
We found dozens of Fiesta STs for under £10k, including this silver used approved ST with just 3,500 miles on the clock for £9,995.
Speaking of Clarkson - what are his funniest Stig introductions? Find out by clicking the image below...
What is the Ford Fiesta ST 'Mountune' edition like? Find out now...
Renault Clio RenaultSport - save £4,100
New: £14,600
A supermini with nearly 200bhp? The weekly shop at Sainsbury’s just got a whole lot more exciting thanks to the 197bhp Renault Clio RenaultSport.
Weighing in at £14,600 brand new, the Clio RenaultSport makes a great case for itself – with a 0-62mph time of 6.9 seconds, a 134mph top speed, a rear diffuser to help downforce and a wider track for better handling.
And it makes an even better case on the used market, with prices hovering around £12,000.
We even found the hardcore version of the fastest Clio – the RenaultSport 197 Cup – for a bargain £10,500, with just 10,000 miles on the clock.
Read our review of the Clio's little brother - the 133bhp Twingo RenaultSport 133
John Cooper Works Mini - save £2,085
New: £20,780
Yes – it is possible to get a great deal on a Mini.
BMW’s take on the iconic British motor has seen it grow in size, stature – and sales. The Mini is one of the most popular sights on British roads, and for good reason too: the new Mini is good-looking, cheeky, great to drive, and built to last.
And the smoking-hot John Cooper Works edition ups the ante like never before…with enough power to make Alec Issigonis proud.
The Mini JCW features a turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine producing 211bhp – more than a 2.5-litre BMW Z4 roadster – and sprints from 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds, putting it in the same speed category as hot hatches.
Deputy web editor Stuart Milne said: “The Mini John Cooper Works has placed Mini among the very best practical drivers’ cars on sale today. It’s a complete package, which won’t fail to excite the driver.”
Minis hold their values impressively, but we still found this one-year-old JCW-spec Mini for £18,695, making a saving of over £2,000.
Read our review of the 211bhp Mini John Cooper Works
Volkswagen Polo GTi - save £3,610
New: £15,600
Is this the real Golf GTi? Similar in size to the iconic hot-hatch of the 70s and 80s, the Polo GTi looks like a modern Golf which has been shrunk in the wash.
But don’t let the smaller proportions fool you – behind those trademark ‘dub headlights and grill sits a 150bhp 1.8-litre turbocharged engine.
The result? The all-important 0-62mph sprint takes just 8.2 seconds and flat out, the Polo GTi will hit 134mph.
We road-tested the baby ‘dub and though it was “fast, cool, cute and funky. Put up with the nuances of imperfection, find a flowing B-road and blow the cobwebs away.”
Brand new, VW charges upwards of £15,000, but we found a load of one-year-old examples on our site, including an approved used Candy White five-door hatch with less than 5,000 miles on the clock for just £11,990.
Read our review of the Volkswagen Polo GTi
What are the hottest supercars coming your way this year? Find out by clicking the image below...
Have you bought a car this month? Found a bargain? Tell us about it on the Auto Trader Blog
Check out the Mini John Cooper Works in action:
RSS