Driving Seat: Speedy loses out in survey.

SENSIBLE beats speedy for car buyers, a new survey has showed.

Most motorists would rather go for a reliable, family saloon than a sports car or an open-top model, the survey from Alliance & Leicester Personal Loans found.

Only 5% see a sports car as the ideal motor, compared with 37% who would opt for a family saloon and 20% who fancied hatchbacks.

The survey found 11% favour people carriers and just 3% aspire to own a convertible. Nearly three in four (72%) of motorists look for reliability in a new car, with 58% wanting comfort.

Also, 71% view value for money as an important factor in a new car purchase, while 62% go for a vehicle that is economical to run. About 17% of motorists admit to regularly using a finance deal offered by a car showroom, even though some of these schemes are not such good value for money as those from personal loan providers.

Andy Bayes, head of personal loans at Alliance & Leicester, said: "When it comes to the crunch, a speedy sports car really isn't the dream car of most motorists today.

"What they really want is reliability, value for money and comfort - all practical choices for modern-day motorists.

"Yet despite so many motorists realising the importance of value for money when buying a car, millions don't practice this when it comes to financing their motor. I would urge anyone considering buying a car this autumn to shop around before signing up for car finance."

The survey was based on responses from 2,027 adults