It's STILL tough and not getting better - so how are we coping?

kidcat

Not sure if its any use to anyone but I have been sent an email to tell me that another round of census jobs have been opened up for application. Its only temporary but a few months work is better than none.

maryb

We have just ordered a new car because the old one was beginning to get unreliable and it had over 100,000 miles on the clock so it's not as if it would see us out even if we run it into the ground. With luck, the next car will last until we no longer need to ferry offspring/large amounts of shopping etc. Originally we thought we would get an ex demonstrator but after 4 months of looking we were not able to find what we were looking for - all the demo models are either sport options or metallic silver which we didn't want. What's more, they weren't that much less than a new car in the model we were looking at which I think was because they had a model relaunch about a year ago and the new models are much more fuel efficient, so low mileage secondhand cars are hard to find and have kept their value

We then came across a sort of internet dealer but in fact it's linked to a main dealer and we got a really good discount which brought the cost of buying new down to not much more than we would have paid for an ex demonstrator. And because we made the initial enquiry through the internet link they gave us the internet discount but we were able to sort out the deal in the dealer's showroom. They told us that if we had just walked in off the street we wouldn't have got the same discount. It sounded too good to be true but he explained that it's a way of enabling the dealer to meet their sales targets without having to reduce all their prices across the board. Selling a couple of cars at a big discount can help them trigger a big manufacturer's rebate. This does mean that the discounts vary from time to time. We were lucky in that they needed to meet a quota deadline so we got a really good discount.

The one we used was Autobuytel but there are others - if you look in the back of What Car you would see some ads. Hope this helps anyone who might otherwise have dismissed these - as I say we ended up buying from a main dealer but we were able to get a new car for not much more than the price of a demonstrator. However that may be because of factors that were specific to the car we wanted

Kitcaboodle

Primrose wrote: »

kitcaboodle - if you're thinking about replacing your car, maybe a reasonable compromise would be a car dealer's demonstration model. We had the same dilemma two years ago and were able to buy a demo model with only 5000 miles on the clock for about half the new price. Maybe if you check around to see what's on offer, and register your interest with a few dealers you might be able to pick up a new enough bargain for it not to cost you much in maintenance for a few years.

Cheers, that's an idea.

We plan to run this one until it breaks or until it's just not economical to repair but, DH is still hankering after a Prius or something that still has a long enough warranty to still be covered when we buy it.

I am debt-phobic so want him to put the amount he plans to spend on a car to one side so we don't wind up spending half again as much on a finance deal!

I don't even trust 0% finance deals as I have a friend who nearly got caught out when a company got in touch with her two years after she paid off a freezer and claimed that she'd been late with one of the payments and therefore owed them two years of interest on the original purchase (that was the payback period). Thankfully she still had the paperwork to prove she'd paid on time but I still don't trust companies enough to use that kind of deal!

seasalt_2

Thankyou to everyone for all your comments, good and bad, about DofE scheme. Was especially interested, artybear in that you are also from very rural area and still found it worthwhile. Had also better say straight away that the £80 quoted was what someone else on this board had to pay (can't remember who now - sorry). DD came home from school today and said that she had asked and they do not have to pay anything at all to register - apparently the school will foot the bill, so that is one less expense.

I suppose I just felt that they already volunteer/help out with various community things, are both physically active and live/work in a rural/agricultural setting. DS is already pretty clued up re navigation etc although more so at sea than on land and is hoping to get his boatman's licence as soon as he is 16. On the other hand, maybe they would enjoy expeditions to the mainland, especially climbing mountains as we don't have too many of those - ironically, the army quite often dump soldiers here for their survival training!

So I will keep an open mind for the moment - and if they desperately want to sign up, they can, but they are also both saving up for musical instruments (not cheap!) as well as for college so maybe need to decide what they want to spend their money on most. Thanks again for all your replies.

()s to all those needing new cars. Major worry and expense. I am lucky in that OH is a genius with old machinery of all kinds - has to be - but I am now so grateful for a reliable car (got it under govt scrappage scheme) instead of one where I had to unplug the alternator every time I stopped or lift the bonnet and clonk some other bit of the engine with a monkey wrench (kept on the dashboard) every time it stalled. Gaffer tape and baler twine only go so far!

csarina

I bought a demo car 18 months ago, it was a Skoda Fabia Greenline, 2000 miles on the clock, it costs £35 a year to tax and a tank will do around 600 miles. Its die for a service which will be done in the next couple of weeks.

So far I am very happy with it.

meanmarie

Seasalt..you reminded of the car I had in 1970 which I regularly had to lift the bonnet and 'jiggle' something in the engine to start it when it cut out....happened once when I was about 8 months pregnant with DD1 right on O'Connell Bridge, probably the busiest bridge in the centre of Dublin....aaahh but I was young then and coped!

Marie

mardatha

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/UK-And-Ireland-Are-the-Worst-Places-To-Live-In-Europe-uSwitchcom-Study-Reveals/Article/201009315738290?lpos=UK_News_First_UK_News_Article_Teaser_Region_2&lid=ARTICLE_15738290_UK_And_Ireland_Are_the_Worst_Places_To_Live_In_Europe%2C_uSwitch.com_Study_Reveals

Nargleblast

Well, Mardatha, the person who came up with that bit of research obviously has an O level in the bleeding obvious.....isn't that what people have been trying to tell successive governments for a long time? I think we put up with a lot in this country - roll on the revolution! Who's first against the wall in front of the firing squad?

kezlou

Well that's stating the obvious dozy gets. I mean "clap hands" sky news you have actually reported on a real story "clap hands".

Well errr its been like that where i live for the past 25 years!!!
I live in industrial town filled with unemployment. House prices are far too high, so the average person can't afford a house, or if they were darn lucky to get it, they can't afford it now.

OO these reports make me so angry :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

On another note i spent the day batch cooking for pack lunches and i've think i've just about managed it. So loads of savoury snacks like pasties, quiches to be had. The kids are loving it so far, luckily they haven't got a clue about what's happening financial. So were just keeping stum. OH has shockingly volunteered NOT to have cheese in his sandwiches:eek:. This may not seem like a big thing, but for HIM is it, he eats a block to himself alone.
Today i'm going to make a batch of HM fishcakes using the leftover mash from yesterdays tea. May have some tonight but the rest is going straight into the freezer.

Right better shoot up and get the kids off to school.

ceridwen

mardatha wrote: »

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/UK-And-Ireland-Are-the-Worst-Places-To-Live-In-Europe-uSwitchcom-Study-Reveals/Article/201009315738290?lpos=UK_News_First_UK_News_Article_Teaser_Region_2&lid=ARTICLE_15738290_UK_And_Ireland_Are_the_Worst_Places_To_Live_In_Europe%2C_uSwitch.com_Study_Reveals

They forgot summat - unless they include population density under the "quality of life" heading. I believe only Malta has a higher population density than Britain now (and thats counting worldwide - not just Europe).

Certainly detracts from the "quality of life" here..but I dont think this has been taken into account.