Overall winner and best medium used family car of the decade: Ford Focus 1998 - 2005
Small used car of the decade: Ford Ka 1996 – 2008
Large used family car of the decade: Volkswagen Passat 1996 – 2005
Executive used car of the decade: Audi A3 2003 – 2008
Luxury used car of the decade: BMW X5 2000 – 2006
Most improved used car brand of the decade: Seat

 The CAP Used Cars of the Decade Awards 2000 - 2009

 

The Ford Focus shook up a conservative small family car sector in which the only truly desirable car had, for a long time, been the Volkswagen Golf. The introduction of the Focus was also a truly brave move by Ford. In reinventing their offering to that core sector Ford chose to drop the ‘Escort’ name, a brand which was woven into the fabric of British motoring.

 

Instead of radically re-vamping this trusted name, Ford began with a blank sheet and created a new vehicle completely from scratch. Every aspect of the car was different from its predecessor, from the radical external styling to the new ‘command’ driving position.

 

Careful thought went into every element in the new design, covering performance, comfort, safety and even security.

 

And the legacy of the Ford Focus has been lasting. It is a vehicle whose design and execution has informed everything that followed. Other manufacturers are still bringing new cars to market today which clearly take cues and inspiration from the Focus even 12 years after its launch.

 

As a used car it has satisfied every criteria for the demanding consumer who requires a true 5 seat family car that offers quality, comfort, performance, durability, reliability, safety, economy, practicality and style.

 

Another important aspect in the success of the Focus is the simplicity of its model range, ensuring that the consumer can easily understand precisely which derivative is best suited to his or her needs.

 

And despite the importance of practicality and economy in the used car market, it remains true that sentiment and subjective perception continues to play a significant role in the choices made by used car buyers. Here the Ford Focus continues to score ahead of its rivals as a used car in that despite selling very large volumes it is still perceived as distinctive and desirable.

 

All of these factors are equally important to the trade also. In a highly competitive market, used car dealers are heavily reliant on ‘safe bets’ – cars which they can be confident will always be sought by their customers. For dealers, the Ford Focus replaced the ‘safe bet’ of the escort with an equally safe bet, but one which also serves as an object of pride for the ordinary motorist. And because the Focus has always been a well engineered and durable product it offers a sound profit opportunity, whether for the franchise dealer concentrating on nearly new product or the ‘cheap and cheerful’ independent specialist retailing cars up to 10 years old.”

 

 

Introduced in 1996 the original Ford Ka’s popularity remains undiminished. This despite remaining essentially unaltered for 12 years, a period during which most of its rivals underwent at least one significant re-design in an effort to retain a sense of freshness. This is a remarkable achievement and a testament to the innovative styling of the Ka. With a design that could genuinely be labelled ‘cutting edge’ the Ka effectively dashed the old notion that small cars had to be like a utilitarian box on wheels. With both modern and retro aspects to its appearance – both inside and out – it was a truly original vehicle and one which seems as relevant today as when it was launched 13 years ago.

The Ka scores on every measure of used car excellence, offering true affordability, low running costs and reliable simple engineering. The 1996 – 2008 Ford Ka offered something truly fresh to the small used car buyer as well as a reliably popular offering for the used car dealer. And it is a truly influential phenomenon, undeniably responsible in part for inspiring other manufacturers to design and build bold, quirky cars.

 

 

 

Never the most stylistically exciting large car, the Volkswagen Passat nonetheless is a byword for quality. And the 1996 – 2005 model was a quantum leap forward in every area most important to the trade and the used car buyer. Volkswagen’s attention to detail meant that this Passat offered the sense of a prestige vehicle but at a mainstream purchase price. Legendary reliability means a deserved reputation as a dependable ‘workhorse’ and robust engineering and build quality means it is a safe bet even with mileage into six figures.

The new range of diesel engines offered a leap forward in terms of the balance between performance and economy, a combination at the very heart of success in the used car market. This quality set the 1996 – 2005 Passat apart from many other cars in its sector which could often prove prohibitively expensive to live with. By offering prestige quality at a mainstream price this Passat also influenced other manufacturers to up their game in terms of the quality of their own offerings.

 

 

 

In a sector which began to mushroom during the past decade, competition has never been so tough. But the 2003 – 2008 model Audi A3 stood head and shoulders above its rivals as a used car, providing a clear leap forward in design, engine choice and refinement. A true benchmark vehicle, the A3 effectively invented the concept of the small car in prestige guise and is therefore a genuine pioneer. It also achieved the unusual feat of re-positioning the brand from that of a high quality alternative to the mainstream to a credible and affordable alternative to a premium used car.

With a design which appeals across all gender and ages, as a used car the 2003 – 2008 Audi A3 has brought the prospect of the highest engineering and build quality standards to those who would previously have ruled out choosing a prestige brand on the grounds that it would mean running a larger car than they needed. Never the cheapest used car purchase but the benefits of low depreciation are certainly realised when trade-in time arrives.

 

 

 

The CAP used car of the decade awards distinguish the underlying and enduring ‘real life’ qualities of cars from the hype that surrounds the new car market. In this respect the 2000 – 2006 BMW X5 demonstrates how a used vehicle can transcend its original image as a new car when it reaches the used market. This X5 created a new benchmark by not feeling like a 4x4 to drive and instead providing a sporty, sure-footed road ride. It was the first vehicle of its kind that gave the sense of being specifically designed for the road and took the 4x4 straight out of the field and onto the motorway.

Key to its appeal as a used car was its everyday usability, all underpinned by faultless build quality. This X5 has also been strongly influential in its marketplace by raising the bar for other manufacturers who have since clamoured to introduce new high quality, non-agricultural offerings while existing incumbents in the sector were forced to improve their own vehicles.

For the used car buyer who does need a workhorse, with towing power and room for the whole family’s holiday load, the 2000 – 2006 BMW X5 provides it. But it also offers the opportunity to leave the green wellingtons and the horse box at home and enjoy driving as a pleasure in itself.

 

 

 

Seat began the decade with a dull range of cars, unchallenging to convention and a typically characterless European image. In a short time the Seat badge has been transplanted from a range of instantly forgettable vehicles onto a revitalised, youthful, high quality range of cars that have become genuinely desirable to used car buyers.

The revised Ibiza heralded a move to bolder design and the Altea provided clues to a more distinctive future. But it was the introduction of the stylish and instantly recognisable Leon which signalled the complete revamping of the brand. Today, a used Seat is actively sought and chosen by buyers who care about what they drive instead of just opting for something cheap.

One of the signs that Seat was hitting all the right notes as a brand in its own right was the gradual drift away from stressing its Volkswagen manufacturing pedigree so that today the typical used Seat buyer no longer needs such reassurance. The brand has earned its own reputation and that is exemplified by depreciation that matches the class leader in its principal sector.

From zero to hero in just 10 years, the Seat brand has rightfully earned a place on the shopping list of the discerning mainstream used car buyer.