'just add fuel' deals

torapoole · 29 January 2011 at 7:41PM

Hi all

Hoping someone can advise me- I'm a 24 female drive with approx 4 yrs no claim bonus- my lovely little micra is on its last legs and I'm looking at options for my next car. First thing I ought to state- I can't afford to buy a car (new or used) straight up. So I am looking at some of these 'just add fuel' style deals and wondered if anyone knows of any good ones. I was tempted by Peugeot but you have to be 25 so I'm 10 months too young! Are there any similiar deals? I really like the idea of knowing that I am paying a monthly standard amount and all I need to worry about is petrol. I would consider one that includes servicing/warranty/MOT and I pay the insurance. It would also be nice if there was the option to purchase at the end of the lease period but not essential.

Really hoping some of you lovely people might know of some good deals out there, please help!

vikingaero · 29 January 2011 at 8:10PM

There was a thread in the last month about JAF. The only negatives seemed to stem from the low annual mileage (great if you fall within the limits) and the possibility that if you buy the car off Peugeot when the agreement expires, then you have to pay them £100 (or a figure thereabouts) each year you own the car!

torapoole · 29 January 2011 at 8:48PM

vikingaero wrote: »

There was a thread in the last month about JAF. The only negatives seemed to stem from the low annual mileage (great if you fall within the limits) and the possibility that if you buy the car off Peugeot when the agreement expires, then you have to pay them £100 (or a figure thereabouts) each year you own the car!

Hmm mileage is something I might have to consider- I drive a 30 mile round trip to work everyday so if that didn't fall within the limits it wouldn't be worth it. Thanks for the heads up. (Oh and if anyone knows where the old JAF thread is and could link me, I wouldn't mind a nosey)

smitchy73 · 29 January 2011 at 9:21PM

You may also want to look at a maintained personal Contract hire, where you pay a monthly fee, you get a new car, serviced, road taxed, and full warranty, you DO have to pay for fuel and Insurance and you have to have fully comp.
I've had a few with Arnold Clark and I've never had any bother with them, and I have a good relationship with my 'account' manager. You pick your car, they also do deals where maybe they've purchased a bulk amount of vehicles for a preferential rate and therefore you get a good deal, you also set an amount of miles that you may cover over the 2/3/4 year deal, so say 15k miles per annum would allow you 45k over say 3 years. If you go over one year and under the next year it may leave you balanced. If you go over you have a mileage allowance to pay, if you use less you get a refund, or can use it as a deposit for the next car if you wish.
I've also never had problems when returning the cars either with small scratches, bumps etc. You also usually have to pay 3 months rental up front too, this is the same with most companies and not just AC.
Before anyone jumps on the bandwagon, I don't work for Arnold Clark, just giving my opinion of them for PCH nothing else. If you want PM me and I'll tell you more.

vikingaero · 29 January 2011 at 9:35PM

torapoole wrote: »

Hmm mileage is something I might have to consider- I drive a 30 mile round trip to work everyday so if that didn't fall within the limits it wouldn't be worth it. Thanks for the heads up. (Oh and if anyone knows where the old JAF thread is and could link me, I wouldn't mind a nosey)

Found it:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2970722

property.advert · 29 January 2011 at 11:45PM

The maths doesn't stack up over outright purchase or the regular lease things unless you really need the insurance. As you have 4 years, you don't. The insurance is the only variable factor. Even for a middle aged guy with no no claims, it didn't stack up money wise. You have to remember just what huge discounts you can get off the listed price should you buy outright.

jase1 · 30 January 2011 at 3:38AM

Chevrolet have a similar-ish deal, but for five years and you don't get the insurance (warranty, service, breakdown and MOT/repair are all covered though). It's a good deal IMO.

The interesting part of it is that Chevrolet are offering this for nowt, whereas with Peugeot you're paying quite a bit for it in real terms. Also Chevrolets tend to be substantially cheaper than Pugs, although how relevant that is depends on your opinion of the cars themselves.

torapoole · 30 January 2011 at 4:24AM

Thank you all - I think I'm going to go to a few dealers tomorrow to get the lay of the land, theres lots to think about:eek:

getmore4less · 30 January 2011 at 12:09PM

You need to get out of the "I don't have the money to buy a car" cycle.

How much do you want to spend per month running a car?

Work back by estimating running costs and what is left is for finance and savings over the life time of the car for the next one.

As a rough guide you should pay off the debt too buy in around 1/2 the expected life of the car so you can save for the next one.

You use the residual value to upgrade or kick start the savings for the next one.

Changing cars cost money

'just add fuel' deals

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