Top Gear’s Bargain of The Week news - Bargain of the week - 2009

Not that we usually pay too much attention to The Real World, but it seems the imploding economy is screwing with the price of cars almost as much as it's crushing the value of your house.

So we thought we'd start this - Top Gear's Bargain Of The Week - where we get our insider trader bloke to dig out that one stupidly cheap used car deal. The one with a price tag that seems to defy logic. Or primary school maths.

Oddly, the used car market is pretty buoyant since no one's spending cash on new metal at the moment, but if you pick the right model you can save a packet. Like this lightly used year-old Renault Laguna, some £7,000 cheaper than list. That's a saving of something like 40 per cent.

OK, so it's not exactly the most interesting car in the world - and it's a seriously iffy looking thing - but if you can suffer the fact that someone else's arse has sat in the driving seat for 8,000 miles, it's yours for less than £10,000. And it is, at least, not a Vectra.

It's the well spec'd Dynamique model with the frugal 150bhp diesel engine. It fits in the low road tax bracket and is good for 50-odd mpg. Our trader chap, Peter Spinelli, reckons it's about as good a deal as you'll get for your cash this week. If you've got any.

Piqued your interest? Then follow this link to buy the thing. Or come back next Friday for another top classified spot.
 
And if the idea of tooling around in a gawky-looking Renault sits a little uneasily, here are some professional modifying tips: