New/Used Car Financial Dilemma

[FCBarca]

Sounds like a used Prius would tick most boxes for you on top of being fuel efficient, reliable & relatively maintenance free

 

[dickie davies]

I have a focus on Pcp - I wouldn't have thought he would get one for that budget. I pay more and I had a slightly bigger deposit and it's on 0% interest.

Anyway, whatever you do, avoid stoneacre like the plague.

Not Focus' but there are hundreds of 3 year deals on really good cars for less than £200 a month
A typical example being a Kia ExCeed, 10,000 miles per year, 35 months @ £191 + 3 months deposit
However over the course of 3 years, the cost is £7258, which will buy a very good used car which, in three years time, could still be worth £3k!

 

[sir baconface]

Your budget of £180 to £230/month will get you a very decent personal lease car.

 

[Gareth Barry Conlon]

There are pro's and cons of PCP. If you lightly use a car and are very confident of being able to hand it back in A1 condition then its a great option. The deals do seem better than outright ownership when you factor everything in.

But if you are like me and have a dog that goes in the back and I stick a bike rack on the back of mine that can cause scratches etc then they sting you for every little dent and blemish. For that reason i'm much happier buying 3/4 year old cars and running them into the ground, i don't worry about the kids/dog wrecking it (or me with a bike).

 

[117 M34]

Tried to upgrade my pcp car yesterday but cant because ford production in Europe has stopped.
Looks like I will have to buy my car at the end of the 3 years unless they get them back up and running quickly.

 

[Indaparkside]

Have you tried

 

[i8rags]

Sounds like a used Prius would tick most boxes for you on top of being fuel efficient, reliable & relatively maintenance free

Catalytic converter gone in a breath

 

[crooky]

Just keep the Fabia.

No one gives cars a second look these days unless they're something really special.

Plus almost all modern cars are 'too fast' for how busy the roads actually are with the speed limits also imposed. Any extra poke is going to be wasted behind a Doris in her Kia or some horrendous 20mph limit through towns.

 

[DiscoSteve]

Just keep the Fabia.

No one gives cars a second look these days unless they're something really special.

Plus almost all modern cars are 'too fast' for how busy the roads actually are with the speed limits also imposed. Any extra poke is going to be wasted behind a Doris in her Kia or some horrendous 20mph limit through towns.

You clearly haven't seen some of the garbage that is now put out engine-wise in the name of economy and 'greenness' - performance has drifted to the bottom of the importance pile.

To the OP, depends whether the car you drive matters to you and your self esteem (and ability to attract the birds etc etc) - world's full of all types with different needs at the end of the day. If you must stay VAG, then clearly Skoda/SEAT are the sensible choices, Audi are the worst. Or do you want to support the UK economy? There's a few options there too. But no-one really wants to be a bus-wanker or cycle everywhere, it's so third world.

 

[ell]

Look into whether it works out cheaper to take out a loan rather than paying finance. We both bought new cars last year and didnt stick either on the finance offered by the dealer as we had felt like we got stung a bit last time round.