THE runaway winner of this year's What Car? Second-hand Car of the Year awards was the VW Passat 1.9 TDI, even though it was up against strong rivals from Ford and Nissan.
In the end, it all came down to value for money, and the magazine's experts believed that it's the best medium saloon for £7,000 by a long way.
Family cars have been excellent value on the used market for a while, but they said the Passat took value to a new level.
I certainly agree that its classy image means anyone would be happy to park one outside their home.
And it drives superbly, with a great combination of performance and economy. Reliability is also very good.
Remember though that with used car prices rising fast as more people buy second hand than new, values may go up. If you're in the market for this great saloon, start looking now at car supermarkets, independents and on line.
There are plenty out there, so you can afford to be picky.
Interior
It's a capable and safe car and it comes equipped with six airbags, ISOFIX child seat anchors and stability control as standard. All have climate control air-con, a full electric pack, an excellent stereo and remote locking and many will have extras added by the original owner.
FAST FACTS
Volkswagen Passat
Price: Saloons start from £5,000 for an '04 54-reg and estates from £5,700 on the same plate.
Mechanical: 100bhp, 1896cc, 4 cylinder diesel engine driving the front wheels via a 5 or 6-speed manual gearbox.
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