car leasing or hp?

CLARABEL

hiya!

i'm new to this bit, but i have a car q.

is it better to replace a 51 plate picasso hdi car than wait for more and more expensive repairs to happen? i am confused.....

i don;t have any money really, but i am wondering what to do..might seem idiotic but there ya go..

i've been kind of looking at leases online over 2 years..are they a good idea or a rubbish idea? do hp things stll exist? should i stick with my picasso?
ohhhh i am so confused...services are so expensive and that's before repairs!



help me please!!

clara:p

Hintza

Clara, I assume you don't know very much about cars, if you don't have a mechanic you can trust to be straiught with or at least someone who can help you decide what and when things should be done then you probably should stick with fairly new cars.

In saying that your current one should be OK for a year or so yet, if it hasn't had one you will require a timing belt soon which will probably be about the most expensive thing you should need. Just ensure you keep getting it serviced hopefully by a local mechanic and not a main dealer.

You probably want to start saving a bit for a new car. There are a number of ways to purchase/use a new car:-

PCP (Personal Car Purchase):- basically you put down a deposit decide how long you want to have the car (normally 3 years) and you pay taht over 3 years. At the end of the time they will have a guaranteed figure of how much the car is worth and decide at that point to pay the balance, use it as a deposit on another or if it is worth less than the guaranteed figure you just take it back and walk away.

Contract Lease:- Quite expensive unless the manufacturer is doing a special and trying to shift stock. These normally range from 1-3 years. You pay a deposit of normally 3 monthly payments followed by the rental each month. These are usually a standard 10,000 miles per annum contract but if you drive more than that you can get higher mileages. I have just taken one out on a Chrysler at great expense for 1 year for a bit of fun.

Finance/HP:- Dealers can offer you this or you get a loan from the bank. manufacturers can sometimes offer 0% deals.

One other thing to consider are pre-registered cars from the car supermarkets these can be very good value.

A good site for general help is:-

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/home/index.htm

Didn't really answer your question but you have to really start running the numbers to see what is best for you.

CLARABEL

thanks

yes i think my man problem is the lack of knowing a mechanic i can trust. i had the car mot'd in november by a local garage and they picked up some minor points but it passed...
it needs a service now, and i don;t know whether to go back to this garage for it or not - any advice?

I think that I'm not desperate for a new car yet, but not sure what to do. oh, what's a timing belt and roughly how much would that be?

thanks

clara;)

Hintza

Well the fact that they found a few faults and still passed the car is a good start, many would have got you to have everything fixed. So I would give them a shot.

Timing Belt:- Is the bit that causes the valves to open and shut and if you search for it on here you will see the consequences of not having it done. But it will probably cost you +/- £200. Check your handbook to see when it needs done mileage or age. But please get it done sooner rather than later.

Honestjohn has told some horror stories in the past and if you intend to keep the car I probably wouldn't go beyond 50,000 miles without getting it done (and the tensioners very important) even if it says replace at 70,000 miles

We had a Golf that went at 31,000 miles but still within warranty ad VW got a bill for £1,500...ouch!!

CLARABEL

thanks hintza, i will book it in and pray for a small bill..:beer:

clara