WHEN looking for a secondhand car, and not sure of the make you want, check out the retained value of different models.

That's how to find out which one is likely to be cheapest, and maximise the value you get from your ‘new' car.

Because of its popularity new and discounting by dealers, the Ford C-Max and Grand C-Max seven seater are often bargains second time around.

They are both good cars in every way - and fun to drive for a family holdall. I'll concentrate on the C-Max but all the detail is the same for its big brother apart from slightly higher prices.

Production finished in 2018 but the last year they were registered new was 2019. Diesels are often more sought after and therefore more expensive, so that for most buyers, petrol would represent better value over time.

This is especially true now that diesel is often 20p a litre more expensive, with the Government claiming its more polluting, when in fact the latest Euro 6 diesels are no such thing.

Obviously they are more economical but it takes a long time for the savings to pay for the extra purchase cost, even with secondhand cars.

With facelifts and engine changes, the C-Max was on the market for eight years, and all have a quality interior, good levels of equipment and of course, plenty of interior space.

The Grand C-Max comes with seven seats, but the rearmost two are only large enough for smaller children.

Latterly in the production run, there was still a good range of petrol and diesel engines.

The smallest was Ford's excellent 1.0-litre turbo three cylinder Ecoboost unit in either 100 or 125bhp power outputs.

These are both capable of a very best 55 miles per gallon and while the 100 takes 12.2 seconds for the 60 miles an hour sprint, the 125 dispatches it more than a second quicker.

Next most powerful is a 1.5 turbo with 150 bhp. It reaches the benchmark from rest in 9.9 seconds and has a best of 37mpg.

Finally, the top petrol is a 1.6 turbo with179bhp and that's enough for a sprint of 8.2 seconds and 45mpg.

There are two diesels with three different power outputs and these start with the 1.5TDCI which has 118bhp and best economy of 60mpg. It gets to 60 in 10.9 seconds.

Next up is a 2.0-litre TDCI with147bhp capable of 62mpg that takes 9.2 seconds to get to 60.

And finally comes another version of the same 2.0-litre, this time boosted to 160bhp. It reaches 60 in 8.3 seconds and is still capable 57mpg at very best.

More powerful models were available with a six speed automatic gearbox, but most will have the six speed manua transmission..

Performance is good in most as you can see from the figures above, and the engines are all smooth and refined.

With a base of the Ford Focus, handling and roadholding are also very good. There are high levels of grip, and the ride is excellent over most surfaces, only spoiled in the most powerful models by big alloys and very low profile tyres.

Entry Zetec models have very good equipment including alarm, stability control, air con, loads of airbags, rake-and-reach-adjustable steering and alloy wheels.

They also come with emergency brake warning, DAB radio and six speaker audio system, USB and aux-in, Bluetooth, heated windscreen and a multi-function steering wheel.

Pay about £10,500 for an '18 18-reg 1.5TDCI Titanium, or £11,300 for a '19 19-reg 1.0 Ecoboost 125bhp Zetec.