A car vs money scenario... Please help me make up my mind!

[PotNoodleTech]

One thing I have always done is bought £3k cars. You buy a £3k car the depreciation is already completed - you can probalby drive it for a couple of years and then sell it for 1 - 2k or 3k if your lucky so your only losing a bit.

 

Good 3k car my mate just picked up is a skoda fabia. Small engine, great MPG, cheap to buy and can get plenty of the bits from the scrappy. Can't go wrong.

[mrstrong]

talking of old cars, I followed a T reg (99) Nissan Micra in this morning.

Struggled to keep up with him/her. It was going round corners like it was on

rails :

[TheHyperTechie]

Off topic slightly, but we are in the market for a new car. Preferably, an SUV/Crossover. We have been looking at Mazda's due to the kind of spec you can get for your money - reversing camera, heated seats, sometimes even a heated steering wheel... mainly the CX-5. Does anyone here own a new(ish) Mazda that can comment on their performance and reliability?

 

We have also looked at Skoda's as we also like a couple of their models (Karoq and Kamiq) but for the price tag, you aren't getting quite as much as Mazda's offerings.

[Ditto]

My 10 year old Mazda 6 is awaiting an air compressor pump repair currently. Other than that it's been a great work horse. I had the previous version of the 6, and the engine died at around 100k. I think that was reasonably unusual. I'd recommend Mazda over Skoda, in part as my brother who works in a garage has said the whole VAG group quality has plunged in the last decade. Mazda don't offer a lot of extras, but you do get a lot of spec in the base models. I did test drive the CX-5, it's fine, but unless you want the high up driving position, the 6 tourer (estate) might be worth a look too.

[CHiLL]

I have a 15 year old Mazda 2 and it's been rock solid. I do want to replace it with a Mazda 3 Gen3, but purchasing a house is the financial priority for me at the moment. The CX-30 is effectively a taller Mazda 3 and both appear to have very good owner reviews.

[TheHyperTechie]

I have a 15 year old Mazda 2 and it's been rock solid. I do want to replace it with a Mazda 3 Gen3, but purchasing a house is the financial priority for me at the moment. The CX-30 is effectively a taller Mazda 3 and both appear to have very good owner reviews.

 

Thanks! - we looked at a CX-30 at the beginning of the week. Lovely car, but we found the back slightly too claustrophobic.

[Omega_NL]

Thanks! - we looked at a CX-30 at the beginning of the week. Lovely car, but we found the back slightly too claustrophobic.

Any reason for wanting an SUV/Crossover? Surely you're going to get more value for money with an estate car, plus the back tends to have far more space in it.

[TheHyperTechie]

Any reason for wanting an SUV/Crossover? Surely you're going to get more value for money with an estate car, plus the back tends to have far more space in it.

Annoyingly, our driveway is slightly too short for an estate. We initially looked at a Skoda Octavia VRS estate, which we really liked. However, when I got home and took some measurements, I realised it would encroach onto our neighbor's driveway… cue the headaches.

 

All of the latest SUVs and crossovers (such as the Karoq, Kamiq, and various Mazdas) seem to be the right size to fit our driveway.

[southhamster]

I'm in the same situation with the Stealth Taxi ™ aka Totota Avensis. It's now over 18 years old and although it's only done around 90,00 miles it is having increasing rust and mechanical problems. I don't have a garage space although I've done simple repairs myself. It was great when I was working, as the boot could swallow a server room's worth of kit, an IT Suite including children and a laptop trolley, but I don't really need such a cavernous beast now. The MOT is next month and I reckon it may finally go from advisory rust to hard fail. Paid £3,500 with a trade in 2014 so I've had my money's worth! Kind of looking forward to getting a smaller car.

Well, there's a turnup for the books! The boringmobile passed it's MOT again with a few more rust advisories (coil springs, all suspensions arms, 2 shocks, brake pipe nuts, etc). It lives to fight another year. I can't believe it'll get through the next one but I think I've had my money's worth; £4,500 in 2014.

[TheHyperTechie]

Annoyingly, our driveway is slightly too short for an estate. We initially looked at a Skoda Octavia VRS estate, which we really liked. However, when I got home and took some measurements, I realised it would encroach onto our neighbor's driveway… cue the headaches.

 

All of the latest SUVs and crossovers (such as the Karoq, Kamiq, and various Mazdas) seem to be the right size to fit our driveway.

 

Just an update on this - we went with a Karoq (Sportline). Lots of features, safe, comfy, and spacious.

[3s-gtech]

Well, there's a turnup for the books! The boringmobile passed it's MOT again with a few more rust advisories (coil springs, all suspensions arms, 2 shocks, brake pipe nuts, etc). It lives to fight another year. I can't believe it'll get through the next one but I think I've had my money's worth; £4,500 in 2014.

The test has got stricter on visible rust on those items - however, that corrosion may not present any more problems for years to come - especially if you regularly wash and/or treat it. Keep it soldiering on!

[PotNoodleTech]

Yeh they advise on surface rust nowadays which is a load of garbage as most cars are going to have surface rust after 10-20 years.

 

Give it all a light sand and paint over it and hey presto!

[Ditto]

Well, there's a turnup for the books! The boringmobile passed it's MOT again with a few more rust advisories (coil springs, all suspensions arms, 2 shocks, brake pipe nuts, etc). It lives to fight another year. I can't believe it'll get through the next one but I think I've had my money's worth; £4,500 in 2014.

Would it make sense to sell it now as a 1 year runabout for someone, than having to dispose of it as scrap in a years time? Or can you break it for parts?

[3s-gtech]

The economics of that don't work. It's worth £1500 with a year's MoT, but replacing it will cost more than the loss in value if it fails the next one. Bangernomics always favours running the car into the ground (until the cost of repair for the MoT exceeds the value of the vehicle).

[Ditto]

The economics of that don't work. It's worth £1500 with a year's MoT, but replacing it will cost more than the loss in value if it fails the next one. Bangernomics always favours running the car into the ground (until the cost of repair for the MoT exceeds the value of the vehicle).

 

I see it differently. Sell the car now for your suggested £1500 and buy a replacement say for £3000. Assuming 10% depreciation on the newer car.

Over 2 years your net position is £1800 spent/depreciated

 

Keep the car for one year and buy the depreciated newer car in a year, get £50 scrap for the failed MOT car.

Over 2 years your net position is £2650 spent/depreciated.

 

At the end of both scenarios, you are in the same place car wise, but not expenditure wise.

 

If the older car keeps passing MOTs, then it's a different picture, but that's the judgement to be made. Given the desire to move to a smaller car, I'm suspecting there could be further savings on fuel costs, insurance and all being well, maintenance costs.

[ITGuyNW]

I just want a car that works /Renault owner

[Ditto]

I just want a car that works /Renault owner

Oh....

[PotNoodleTech]

I just want a car that works /Renault owner

 

I think I can see the problem...

[3s-gtech]

I see it differently. Sell the car now for your suggested £1500 and buy a replacement say for £3000. Assuming 10% depreciation on the newer car.

Over 2 years your net position is £1800 spent/depreciated

 

Keep the car for one year and buy the depreciated newer car in a year, get £50 scrap for the failed MOT car.

Over 2 years your net position is £2650 spent/depreciated.

 

At the end of both scenarios, you are in the same place car wise, but not expenditure wise.

 

If the older car keeps passing MOTs, then it's a different picture, but that's the judgement to be made. Given the desire to move to a smaller car, I'm suspecting there could be further savings on fuel costs, insurance and all being well, maintenance costs.

Hmmm. Where it all falls down (with some experience in the game) is the unknown. Your £1500 car is a known quantity - it is unlikely to catastropically fail because you have looked after it as the owner and wish it to keep on working, so it's serviced, cleaned, and maintained. In a year, it'll probably MoT again, maybe costing a bit more to do. Worst case, you sell it as spares/repairs on Facebook for £4-500 (£50 scrap value has been avoidable for a while).

 

The unknown £3000 car you bought from a shady dealer or someone looking to offload it? It's end of life with a hokey MoT. In a year it fails - or the engine blows up en-route to that. Net amount lost is far greater.

 

To add insult to injury, you see your old car you sold for £1500 bumbling around the local area for years afterwards.

[jmak]

Hmmm. Where it all falls down (with some experience in the game) is the unknown. Your £1500 car is a known quantity - it is unlikely to catastropically fail because you have looked after it as the owner and wish it to keep on working, so it's serviced, cleaned, and maintained. In a year, it'll probably MoT again, maybe costing a bit more to do. Worst case, you sell it as spares/repairs on Facebook for £4-500 (£50 scrap value has been avoidable for a while).

 

The unknown £3000 car you bought from a shady dealer or someone looking to offload it? It's end of life with a hokey MoT. In a year it fails - or the engine blows up en-route to that. Net amount lost is far greater.

 

To add insult to injury, you see your old car you sold for £1500 bumbling around the local area for years afterwards.

You saved me thinking about how to word what I wanted to say 😊