My Car Check market guide: October 2016

Encouraging stats for RAV4 andV7 Café Racer is a tempting retro option

• Used car of the month:Toyota RAV4

• Used bike of the month:Moto Guzzi V7 Café Racer

My Car Check's valuation experts reveal significant trends in the UK used vehicle market and choose a car and bike of the month.

Head of Valuation Services at My Car Check, Gavin Amos, said:"Often overlooked by many seeking the German badges, RAV4 makes perfect sense as a used buy. Practical, well built and with all the reliability associated with the Toyota brand, the dealer network offers fabulous customer service and residual values are strong. In terms of prices, RAV4 has been with us for some time now, so there's something for every budget. Of all the RAV4 models we've checked so far this year, only 8.12% had been previously written-off, 4.55% were still on finance and none were listed as stolen."

As to market trends, Amos said: "Traders continue to report strong enquiry levels and with the right stock the market remains buoyant. With the festive season just around the corner, dealers are eager to keep business levels up. As such, there may be keen deals to be done."

On the motorbike, scooter and moped sector, My Car Check's Rob Hobson said:"The Moto Guzzi V7 Café Racer fits the retro scene perfectly. It is fairly rare to see a 2010-12 model in the used market and new it has been replaced by the V7 Racer, which has ABS, 6 speed gearbox and traction control.  The first example, seen as a bit of a special edition, is a really pretty bike. They also tend to have been well looked after and should hold their money." 

As to market trends, Hobson said: "New model launches will dominate the press over the next few weeks, but wise buyers should keep an eye out for bargains on pre-Euro 4 machines. The registration deadline is the end of this year so dealers will be offering major incentives. Both showroom demand and private sales are bound to slow in the coming weeks, but we can't see any major change ahead in terms of values because of the limited amount of top end clean used stock around."

With information from the police, DVLA, insurers and finance houses, My Car Check holds comprehensive data on every vehicle on UK roads - thingsthat buyers should be aware of before making an offer.

CDL Vehicle Information Services, which owns My Car Check, performs over a million look-ups a day for companies including AutoExpress, CompareTheMarket, Go-Compare, Moneysupermarket, Swiftcover, Tesco and WhatCar?.