Trade in beloved Corsa?

bridgetdunstable

Hi please bear with me as I know there have been a few post in a similar vein but am having trouble making a decision about wether to get a new car. I have a 10 year old Corsa which is great mechanically but starting to rust around the bottom of the rear passenger door and also has a patch of rust in the middle of the drivers door. Also on the last two MOT's they said there is corrosion on the rear chassis suspension spring mountings both sides although it doesn't seem to have got any worse in the last two years. Am not sure what this means and how much longer my car is likely to last. It has don 84,000 miles

I have been looking at both new and second hand cars. I test drove a Hyundai i10 which for some reason made me feel travel sick. Also looked at an 06 reg Polo which seemed to be in good condition with a full service history. The problem is do I borrow money to get a newer car or keep the Corsa for as long as possible and be debt free. Hyundai are offering 1,500 trade in on the i10 making it about the same price as the Polo.

Any advice would be gratefully appreciated

johnnyroper

well i suppose it all depends on your budget??

not really a question we can answer if you dont mind borrowing then get a new car if however you do not want to or cannot really afford new car then stick with corsa.
take corsa for a pre mot and see what they say about the suspension mounting rust you may get another pass and as such another 12 months motoring from it.

bridgetdunstable

Sorry didn't make it clear it passed its MOT in March so have nearly another years driving. Just wondered whether was better to trade in whilst I could still get money under the "swappage" scheme

mollycat

bridgetdunstable wrote: »

Sorry didn't make it clear it passed its MOT in March so have nearly another years driving. Just wondered whether was better to trade in whilst I could still get money under the "swappage" scheme

If it's got 10 months MOT and is mechanically sound I would definately keep it!

waynedance

I guess the rust patch in the middle of the door was from a neglected stone chip?

Beloved Corsa???

Keep it for now until mot next year.

Kilty_2

"Swappage" is a gimmick just like scrappage was.

Funny how a Fiat Panda 1.1 Active can be had for less now than it could on scrappage, eh?

property.advert

Though I have no trade in and am starting from scratch, I am also weighing up the new versus second hand conundrum. One of my worries is the "devil you don't" argument where you buy a lemon and end up losing out or paying loads in maintenance and repairs.

If everyone gave 5 year warranties from new there would be no argument. You could buy a 2 or 3 year old single owner car and have a couple of years use but with 2 and 3 year warranties the norm, the argument for new seems to be gaining strength.

In the new market you can get a discounted price via an online broker who gives you first title (and many who do not) and significant savings can be made against admittedly unrealistic MRRPs. But when you look at the internet for second hand bargains, discounted because of the internet and competition, you get con merchants and people offering motors at unrealistic prices and you would have to wade in and start bargaining. Warranties are very basic or you buy one and even then they are not comprehensive. With all this, the pendulum swings back in favour of a new motor once again IMHO.

As for your situation, 84k is a good mileage. Presuming you have all the paperwork and old bills / MOTs etc. then you could tart it up a bit or sell it as an honest 10 year old vehicle. You would have to work out the cost benefit analysis. My guess is that if tarted up you could sell it as a first car or run about for someone and get a decent price if you have all the paperwork.

I wouldn't buy the 06 Polo. Good cars but pricy to maintain versus the Vauxhall and it is nearly 5 years old and thus no spring chicken. I don't know what level of spec you need but I would look further afield than the Hyundai. Your requirements and attitude to borrowing money are important but I would go for the newer car.

Kilty_2

Out of interest, how much is the 06 Polo?

bridgetdunstable

Yes you are right was probably from a stone chip and yes I love my Corsa it's really comfortable to drive and started first time all through last winter its just getting old - like me!

Thanks for your advice think I will keep it for the time being and try and save as much as possible towards a newer car

bridgetdunstable

The Polo is 6,490. Its a 5 door 1.2 S and has done 40,000 miles

Kilty_2

Wow.

You know you can get an 09/59 1.2 E for the same price with 13k on the clock yes? (the base of all base models :rotfl:)