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56% of drivers 'underestimated car expense'

MORE THAN half of people who have bought a second-hand car in the last two years have found it more expensive to run than they expected, according to a Government-backed body. Some 56% of motorists said that total cost, including maintenance, repairs, insurance and fuel had turned out to be higher than anticipated and one in five drivers (20%) have resorted to going into debt just to keep their vehicle on the road, the Money Advice Service (MAS) found. One in four (26%) of the 3,000 people surveyed who have bought a second-hand car since 2012 now has regrets about their purchase, with many of them saying they had not worked out whether it was really affordable or that the purchase price was too much in the first place.

2012 Kia cee’d revealed

The 2012 Kia cee’d debuts at Geneva After a single photo of the 2012 Kia cee’d in January, Kia now reveals its new cee’d ahead of a Geneva debut. Just like sibling Hyundai, Kia is on the up and the new 2012 Kia cee’d promises another jump in quality and appeal when it arrives in the UK in June after a public debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show next month. We had one photo of the new Kia cee’d last month, but now Kia has really pushed the boat out and sent us a whole four photos of their new Golf-sized offering.

Smart for-us

The latest addition to the Smart conceptual range is the for-us pickup, which follows on from the forspeed convertibe of Geneva, and the forvision hatchback that was unveiled Frankfurt, delivering another twist on the iconic city car platform. Despite the increase of size to 3547mm in length, traditional Smart iconography such as the tridon safety cell, three-spoke wheels and product-like execution – such as the inner lamp graphics – retain the brand identity. Squarer lamp and grille graphics and knobbly rocker surfacing add a twist of robustness.