Thread: 'New' Car needed

My car is 12 years old and has done over 163,000 miles, its due an MOT in March and despite having rebuilt it over the past 4 years, I think it might fail and I can't bear to spend anymore money on it, in case it just gives up for good.
I'm thinking I need a new car, by new I don't think I mean new new, but new to me.

I have no interest in cars, Its something I use to get to a-b, I don't care about what I drive and what badge is on the front. What is important is cheap to run, cheap to repair and reliable.

Anyone got any tips or inside information about buying a car, I always end up buying a car in a panic, ie my current car is so knackered I need one instantly, so having a bit of time to think about it is a luxury.

Mileage wise I commute about 250 miles a week (public transport is not an option for commuting in Cornwall) and will use it for the odd occasional long journey up country.

Budget wise, I'm not sure to get a cheap car oldish car, or to spend a bit more on something newer which then leads me onto the finance. I've got enough money in savings to cover the cost, however this is ear marked for house deposit for when/if Mr S is posted somewhere else (not married so no SFA hence need to buy somewhere else) So deciding between finance or trying to pay back my savings if I use that.

So any car buying experiences welcome, or offer of a interest free loan!

The best car I ever had was a proton persona. It was always cheap to repair (my local garage loved working on it because it has a merc engine) and they used to do little jobs for free so I would let them play with it- like when I was in a down pour in Wales and the window seal leaked. It was an old car but it ran like new. It was a students dream because it used about half as much petrol as my ford does but had a 1.5 engine which meant it could handle the welsh hills and was nippy on the m4.

The boot was huge and I moved twice using it!

go for a diesel and generally the german ones are good and go on and on, seriously, if you aren't a car snob, then you can't go wrong with a skoda.... they are awesome cars, and you can pick them up really cheap too.

wow!!! she has done a lot of miles!!!

To be honest, where rates are so low at the mom, finance is a serious option, when i bought my audi (it was from an audi dealership tho) they were offering finance at 2.5% which isn't bad at all, spread over a few years and if only financing a small amount, it would be worth it, plus, you might be able to get a better deal too. Plus if you are saving for a house, it is all about deposit, so keep that for the house!

Car shopping is soo much fun, I can't wait to go again this year!- but i am a car geek!
xxx

Mrs P is right Skodas are fab....skoda fabia, or maybe even a VW polo

Ford are good for cheap repair. Parts are commonplace and easy to come by so don't cost as much as others.

We got our car on finance last year. It's not cheap but she's due her 1st MOT next month and we're pretty sure she'll sail through it so that in itself is already clawing back some of the money we are spending on the repayments. I personally wouldn't use your savings if they are ear-marked for something else. It's sods law that the second you use them you'll need them.

Vauxhall dealers do military discounts. Our current car is a new design Astra, and with trade-in and the discount we got it new last March for half price - and the new Vauxhall comes with a 100,000 mile warranty. I wouldn't have dreamed of buying new, but we got a very good deal indeed.

As a 1.4 petrol, I can get about 540 miles out of a tank - I do about 400 miles a week commuting when I'm at work, motorways, urban and A Roads.

Thanks all some of the cars and models your suggesting are in my mind.
Very interesting about the Vauxhall military discount, will get Mr S to look into that, he is going away end of Feb for a few months, so will have to prob look at that asap if it is required for him to produce some ID.

Hubby registered on the Vauxhall website, but in the end all I needed was his service number. That might be different with other dealerships so worth registering.

http://www.vauxhall-military.co.uk/login.php

Or

Forces Discount - Vauxhall Military Sales

Ford do military discount as well as do Seat. I'm sure most will have some kind of scheme.

I agree with the point about Fords being cheap to maintain. The Zetec engines are pretty bulletproof. Rovers are also cheap to maintain as all the parts are now pattern. People go on about the head gaskets failing but it costs about a tenner to fix and a ten year old could do it.

February is a pretty good month to get a car as the dealers will be making way for their new 12 plates. So they'll be wanting rid of cars that have been sitting on the forecourt or used for test drives. And they'll be a turnover for used cars too as people "upgrade".

I was looking at a new fiesta the other day. Easy to maintain and they were doing a 0% finance at the time as well. I didn't know about the forces discount but that would be even better. Personally, I'm gonna blow my cash on an Astra VXR, I've gotta get myself a nice sporty 3 door before sproglets arrive and I will need to get something more practical!

Hi, it really does depend on budget and what you need to use a car for, do you need a reasonable size boot or do you want a bit of a runabout.

I work in the car industry for my sins, if you are not worried about badge, then Kia, Hyundai are good value for money at the moment, great warranty and some good deals. Skoda are great cars, although they have gone up in price recently, but still good value. Avoid French cars, anything buill in USA unless its MB or BMW, anything Japanese will be reliable and retain value.

My recommendation is to think of a car as a cost. It doesnt matter how you pay for it, weather you pay cash or you finance it, the cost to you is effectively the same. either in depreciation or a monthly payment. I would decide how much you can afford each month to spend and work from there. Is it important for you to own the car or are you happy to effectively rent a car?

Any question, please ask, if you have something in mind, let me know and ill let you know ballpark price for it. I may not be v quick in replying as I dont get a chance to get on here v often these days, but ill try my best .

MD