As James has indicated, the price of used cars has gone through the roof, primarily because the global chip shortage has restricted the supply of new cars, thereby increasing demand for used cars.
That chip supply bottleneck is easing now, so expect 2nd hand prices to be close to their peak now. They will be much lower by next summer, so it’s a good time to sell.
Best regards. BF
Completely agree - if you have a car and are considering going car-less, now is the time to do so - I suspect with the predicted economic gloom and correction of supply issues, used car values will undergo a very substantial correction. It’s a question of when, not if (IMHO!).
Peter
I think you are right. I had an X5 which even as a 4WD couldn’t make it up the narrow lane to my house. It had enormous rear tyres that would have graced a Lamborghini and were great in the dry. In continental Europe I expect they’d put winter tyres on it.
Thank you guy’s, I take it down to “We buy any car” this week and look at selling.
I love my Mini, it has been a great car to drive but only using it a few times a month is a waste.
Indeed. It’s a shame the new M2 is a bit of a dogs dinner looks wise (and just too big) as dealer used offers were making this look an attractive route 
There was an interesting feature on Radio 4s Money Box the other day about the PCP market with a lot of people finding they can’t really afford to drive around in that upmarket 4x4 SUV anymore (no bad thing). Could be some interesting used car deals in the next few months.
I didn’t hear that programme but was commenting to a friend earlier today that Ford’s decision to scrap the Fiesta may prove misplaced; in part for that very same reason - as interest rates generally increase, the PCP repayments will force a reality check on many individuals (also no doubt influenced by corrections in the end of finance guaranteed value). Fiestas and their like may come back into fashion, even if the manufacturers consider them a problem at the moment re profitability.
Peter
Yes. A very strange decision - I think you may be right here.
The Fiesta (and Focus) are barely profitable in Europe. My brother worked for Ford until recently. He says that even 5 years ago they never intended to build a new gen Fiesta as it wasn’t worth the R+D. Neither car are on platforms that support anything other than the most basic hybridisation. Ford have to invest a lot of money in their future electric range as they are playing catch up.
The Fiesta isn’t even in the top 10 sellers in the UK now.
Bruce
Really - that’s a shame although Vauxhall and Peugeot seem to be leading the way with small EV’s. There still seem to be a lot of Fiestas around here - you can easily spot them amongst all those damn SUVs.
Going forward the hands of Ford Europe were tied, parent company stopped designing car platforms except Mustang. They did a platform swap with VW, the latter taking Ford Transit and Ranger platform. I think having managed to exit UK production way back they found a very German centric model unsustainable and an excuse to exit the Saarlouis plant. Most will now be built out of Valencia in Spain, Romania and Cologne. Cologne builds the current Fiesta and i took a few visits with BP the then and current Ford oil supplier…….one of-the most efficient plants in the world, but still unprofitable. Larger vehicles cost the customer a lot more, but not the OEM.
Those SUVs take most of the the top spots so far in 2022. In ascending order.
Tesla Model Y (at No 10)
Kia Niro
VW Golf
Ford Kuga
Hyundai Tucson
MINI
Kia Sportage
Ford Puma
Vaukhall Corsa
Nissan Quashgai (at No 1)
Indeed James.
If the M2 is too big, how about a Toyota GR Yaris (so much more fun than the M2 to drive), a Fiesta ST or similar? They are so much better suited to the UK’s country roads. Even the Lotus Emira, which I adore, is too wide now at 2 metres. The Evora or the Porsche Boxster/Cayman are at the maximum sensible width for UK country roads (about 1.85metres wide, if memory serves).
Our shopping trolley is proving to be an endless source of joy, fun and minimal depreciation. It does like 99RON petrol though…
Best regards, BF
Bruce
I was given to understand that the main reason for sales flopping is down to the cars not being available to purchase. With the various compnent supply issues, manufacturers have assigned the unobtanium parts to the more profitable models. A friend mentioned earlier that the av new car price in UK at the moment is north of £40k - I strongly suspect due to manipulation of the market by the manufacturers. I don’t blame them, but stats are a bit strange these days!
Peter
The GR Yaris looks like fantastic fun - they sound bonkers. I borrowed a M2 Competition for an afternoon thanks to my lovely local BMW dealer and fantastic as it was (and it’s such a beautifully compact and muscular machine), I didn’t really come away thinking it was worth 20k more than what I have now which was so disappointing.
Unfortunately, the new M2 looks like it’s been hit with the same styled by Halfords stick as the recent M3 and M4 models…
Now one of those Mountune modified STs… A better behaved version of my old modified Fiesta RST 
Let’s see what next year brings as we’re taking on another rescue pup later this month
It is a factor but buying trends have been changing for a while. The biggest issue is small margins and they are not a priority for future investment.
Bruce
From what I’ve heard WBAC is known for under valuing cars, not over valuing. In the North East of England there’s a business called “We buy any car for more”, or at least that’s their slogan if not name. I’m informed by a mechanic who does work for them on cars they buy that they “do what it says on the tin”
Brake discs on mine. Not because they wore out but because they are so rarely used that they don’t get hot to evaporate water off, or get scoured by the pad to take surface rust off… So they just rot.
Four years until I needed to replace them. I guess I could have got them skimmed but decent pattern discs are cheap enough.
Oh, and windscreen wipers plus of course tyres.
James, forgive me, so often do we like each other’s stuff here on the forum, that I regard us as Naim mates. But even you must surely agree that ‘interesting’ and Money Box in the same sentence is pushing it!
Presumably too new to require an MoT?