Used car price point

jago25_98

Here's a question:

spend too little and it breaks down all the time,
spend too much and the depreciation is too great.

So what is the best amount to spend on a car?
Or, what milage is most economical?
Or, where can I find out? Most studies are on new cars and they are too expensive for depreciation.

The reason I ask is that I last spent £600 on my car, and now I can potentially spend upto £3500, but I don't want to waste that money when it could be earning me interest or creating more money.

peterg1965

Good question, there is no striaghtforward answer of course, everyones situation and percpetion of what is the best amount to spend will differ. A few questions worth asking yourself; how much do I drive? is my job dependant on me driving? (to and from work), what is my annual mileage? What is my motoring budget? What size car do I need? How many passengers will I take? How long will I keep it for?

Have a look at https://www.parkers.co.uk, it has good information on used and new cars and some very informative forums.

If you drive a lot and need the car on a daily basis then getting a newer more modern, and hence (usually) more reliable car, is probably best. For £3500 you could get a reliable, 4/5 years diesel car that is cheap to run and maintain and will have already depreciated considerably from new. You could still achieve that by spending (wisely) a £1000 less. Yes you can get a banger for less than £1000 but it may be unreliable and cost you more in the long run.

peterg1965

Good question,

trets77

spend £3500 and anything goes wrong and you have to pay for expensive repairs or write the lot off. plus you still get depreciation as well.

personally i spend about £250 - £500 on something with 12 months MOT and a service history and then whatever happens after 12 months of motoring is a bonus IMO. to me as long as it starts every morning and does not breakdown is enough for just using it to get to work and back. i can live with dents and unfasinonabilty.if breaks i just scrap it and start again.

you need to pick / purchase very wisely at this price though as a lot are living on borrowed time but there are diamonds in the rough. Japanese is good place to look IMO

Scrapped my Mazda 323 today. purchased 3 years ago for £250. spent maybe the same on on servicing and maintance. cost about £120 in Third party insurance each year. and i got over 16000 miles out of it ( with zero problems) and £60 from the breakers who took it away today.

i hate depreciation and over paying when it comes to cars. cannot think of anything worse than paying a hefty sum each month for something worth squat 5 years after you purchased it

pinkpong

I would go for Honda or other Japan make. We had one for 8 years & only changed one plug and the tyres once in that time. They are very reliable never let us down. You can pick them up second hand for about £1000-£3000 in very good condition. I wouldn`t go to Carcraft I was warned not to touch the by a few reputable garrages. Hope this helps.

saintjanet

My s-in-law has not spent a total of 2k over the last fifteen years!!I have spent and lost a fortune!!

It depends on what mileage you do and what you think of your image:D

I know people ,who have had no end of trouble, with really expensive cars and others who run bangers like s-in-l and seem to have no real problems.

As suggested something japanese would be reliable,just be careful,do some research and find a car that suits your needs,then let someone who knows cars inspect it for you before you buy.

jago25_98

Confirmed by idea that,
The thing to do is buy the cheapest possible that works for as long as possible.
Thank you, I think that has put the idea to rest that lower bills from a £2000 car makes that price a better shot, in general only.

My current car is one of those diamonds in the rough, a £600 Fiesta 1.8 diesel, actually a van but looks like a normal fiesta car without back Window.

Thing is, I am contemplating buying a van and living out of it from time to time, instead of paying £12 a night in a b+b after work (involves travel).

So, do I do it or will the mpg's of driving a van everywhere cut that idea short? - I don't want the hassle of a 2nd vehicle.

When buying a van the usual rules don't seem to apply so I may have to spend a heck of a lot to do this safely. Main option seems like a Transmit hightop LWB.

If I was buying a car now I would be well equiped, go for something Asian with the longest MOT.

It seems a pain to lose a car I'm happy with and a risk to buy something new, but having somewhere to sleep in here and there would be very useful and could pay for itself.

How can apply this to a van? How can I find a good van? What should I choose, something big enough to sand in but small enough to drive everywhere. My current car gets 45mpg, how much will that fall with a LWB Hightop?

jago25_98

Cheap Fiesta vs Live-in Transit



A new job means that I work away for months at a time on boats.

I am loathed to rent a place when I should only be there shortly before and after jobs. The rest of my time should be spent at my girlfriend's place or working offshore.

I am considering getting rid of my Feista1.8d Van and getting a LWB hightop Transit, and keeping it lightly kitted out.

I know a guy who has lived in his camper for 2 years now and am inspired, I have the logistics of that covered but now I'm worried about the economics of lugging a big van around just for shopping trips.

Pros:

I am currently staying in B+B's and forking out £80 a week when I'm here for weeks at a time. I don't mind staying in a van and that freedom would be very nice. But this will rise to £20 a night in the summer and be a real pain, when a van to sleep in would be much easier.

Cons:

Lugging round a larger vehicle will surely cost the earth? It would be lightly laiden but it's much less aerodynamic than my Feista. I could be doing very high milage Norfolk to Devon on my time off, once every 2 weeks. It's hard to buget these things as the work varies.

upto +£300/month

I'm getting a nice 45/50mpg which is great for a £600 car.
The thing's serving me well and I don't want to get rid of it at this stage
- and my Feista is doing well on Veggie oil and that could be a ball ache again.

-£80/month?

Also, I'm finding it very hard to get value for money on a van. Unlike cars being a bigger market, you can't just get a Asian cheapo with the longest MOT you can find. The dangers of getting a hammered service vehicle are greater. Any guidance on buying a van?

-£££?

The transit is a big vehicle, much less practical generally as well.

Anything else I should consider? What do you guys think?

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