The 2018 Gumtree Pre-Owned Vehicle contest finalists have been announced and at 91.34%, the Mazda CX-3 2.0L Individual dominates as the car model with the best value retention irrespective of category. This model is also the most prevalent in its class with a 3.87% second best value margin.

The CX-3 comes with Mazda's 2.0L 16-valve SKYACTIV petrol engine that goes from 0-100km/h in 9.5-seconds, one of the only vehicles in its category to break the 10-second barrier. The automatic gearbox maximises efficiency and therefore the Mazda returns impressive fuel economy regarding its normally aspirated petrol status, with a figure of just 6.1-litres per 100km.

The automatic gearbox also offers a sport mode that alters throttle response and shifting time, while you can always opt to change manually with the paddle shifters situated behind the steering wheel. Overall, the engine is smooth and stays well composed even at higher engine revolutions.

The Mazda3 1.6L Dynamic made finalist in the Medium-Sized Family Saloon under R260k category as well as the Hatchback under R275K category. While the Mazda CX-5 2.0L Active made finalist in the SUV under R325k category.

All road-tested vehicle finalists were chosen through careful cooperation with official data partner TransUnion - the definitive data capturers for South Africa's pre-owned automotive market. Following an analysis of national pre-owned vehicle sales data and using the best-selling cars as a starting point, other factors like retail price and value retention within our selected categories and car age range were examined to determine the top 55 finalists.

The pre-owned contest evaluates 2016 models, thus the selected top five finalists in each of the 11 categories are vehicle models with the most favourable depreciation in the last 2 years. Each of the finalists qualify for further practical evaluation by former national motorsport champion Charl Wilken, director of Wilken Communication Management who will compose detailed and illustrated information sheets that will be sent to a judging panel for voting.