Be bold and go for the old

A survey claims to show that older vehicles are often not only cheaper to fix than new ones; they can be 10 per cent less likely to break down too.

Dubbed the "Peter Pan" effect by the firm Warranty Direct, the rules don't apply to every new car, of course. But their analysts have identified a number of vehicles including the Vauxhall Zafira, BMW 3-Series and Ford Fiesta, that outperform their more recent counterparts on these important criteria, based on analysis of 50,000 current warranty policies.

The newer Vauxhall Zafira is claimed to be twice as likely as older models to suffer an electrical fault, with 45 per cent experiencing a failure on average each year, while one in three 2005-2009 Audi A4s will have engine problems as opposed to only one in 10 2000-2005 cars. According to Warranty Direct, the average repair cost for a Ford Fiesta built between 2002 and 2008 is almost double that paid by owners of a 1995-2002 model.

Warranty Direct says that, on average, among the 10 models featuring the greatest disparity in failure rates, the newer versions were almost 10 per cent more likely to break down than older cars.

Managing director Duncan McClure Fisher says: "Buying new may be the most desirable option when it comes to purchasing a car but it isn't always the most cost-effective route. We found that repair costs are often higher for new models so, as well as paying over the odds for a new car, you may also be opening yourself up to additional, unwanted costs."

Warranty Direct doesn't reveal whether the repairs are related to the state of our roads. Last month, it reported UK motorists spent more than £1 million a day repairing suspension and axle damage caused by potholes and badly-maintained roads.

Warranty questioned an announcement by the Department for Transport that utility companies may be charged up to £2,500 a day to rent stretches of road they need to dig up. They welcomed the move but said the measures did not take into account the lasting effect of badly-finished roadworks.

"Utilities should not only have to rent the road they plan to dig up, but also be forced to pay fines for poorly-repaired road surfaces too," adds Mr McClure Fisher.