Don't buy a new car out of uni...

kidmugsy

I recommend motorbikes for the young. You may kill yourself but you're unlikely to kill many others, and they are cheaper and much more fun. Also you get there quicker.

shop-to-drop

What was your parents view on you buying the Audi?

If they had advised you against it would you have taken their advice?

gadgetmind

lalman wrote: »

I was lucky enough to land a 17k job about 5 months after i finished uni... which is pretty decent up north...

We're "oop North" (and reet proud of it!) but pay grads £28k-£30k starting salary as otherwise we wouldn't get anyone so much as applying. However, we hire engineers.

decided in my 'wisdom..' buying on PCP a 20k audi was a good deal...

A mistake, for sure, but nothing like as bad many of the mistakes we all make in our youth, and some when they're not so young. Don't beat yourself up about it.

The lesson i have learnt is i will always buy 1-2 year old cars... and keep them until they are uneconomical....

I usually buy cars that are just over three years old. For the price of whatever your Audi was, I get Audi A8s with all of the toys and know they will give another decade of reliable luxury motoring.

Yes, they are complicated beasts with lots of electronics, but I'm happy to do all of my own diagnostics (Vagcom is your friend!) and much of my own fettling.

anyone else got any sage advice from unfrugal youths?

Yes, buy the gear to let you do your own diagnostics on cars as you can then just google the error codes and work out how to fix things.

My A8 recently lit the engine warning light with an error that Audi dealers address by changing both intakes at a cost of £1600. I fixed it using £40 of parts from ebay that took an hour to fit.

ruperts

I always go for five year old cars with low mileage and one lady owner (you can usually tell if that's a lie). I reckon only after five years has the depreciation slowed to an acceptable level, and at that age the maintenance costs should still be low. Any newer than that an you're throwing money away, any older and you risk buying a dud.


Cars really are a mugs game. It's incredible how much money people are willing to give away in order to be covered by a slightly newer and prettier shaped piece of metal as they go from a to b. You could travel the world for about five years for the price of a new Ford Fiesta, never mind the premium brands.


Life experience is what you want, youngsters, not material possessions.


(most girls can't tell the difference between a £2k and a £20k car anyway )

gadgetmind

ruperts wrote: »

Cars really are a mugs game. It's incredible how much money people are willing to give away in order to be covered by a slightly newer and prettier shaped piece of metal as they go from a to b.

My FIL buys a brand new Peugeot "1234" every three years gets "a good deal" because they knock a wodge off the list price, then chops it again three years later.

He occasionally makes a comment about my "flash cars", as does my father who drives Mondeos, but I know for sure that my depreciation and running costs are a fraction of theirs.

Wilkins

My advice would be, if you can possibly avoid it, don't buy a car at all. Many people who live in large metropolitan areas don't really need a car.


I gave up my car around 20 years ago and put the savings into investments from which I now reap the rewards.

gadgetmind

I make 90%+ of my trips by bicycle, but need something for long motorway trips, hence the car. Yes, I could just hire when necessary, but my motoring costs are huge.

jimjames

ruperts wrote: »

I always go for five year old cars with low mileage and one lady owner (you can usually tell if that's a lie). I reckon only after five years has the depreciation slowed to an acceptable level, and at that age the maintenance costs should still be low. Any newer than that an you're throwing money away, any older and you risk buying a dud.

Interestingly I do the opposite as above. I prefer a car that has been used on a motorway so very little wear and tear on key items - 2k RPM on motorway is barely stretching most engines especially diesel and once warm most cars will tick over happily. The worst cars I've had have been low milers just used for shopping trips that never warm up and get all the wear and tear on brakes/engine etc.

But I like the fact that the high miler will be a fraction of the cost - my current car would have cost almost double if the mileage had been low. 3 years old and already had 6 services but by then all the problems had been found and fixed.

Nice to have different views and I'm sure there is no right or wrong way to it, just lots of variations other than buying a brand new car.

mark55man

I am way beyond odd in this company - I had a Zafira bought from new (and shouldn't have) that was written off after 8 years. I hadn't planned to replace until 12 years and my savings were not in good order so I just rolled the £2500 insurance into an Audi A4 @ 130000 miles.

4.5 years later its at 230K miles and apart from being a bit sluggish up hill has averaged a total of £1k a year for tax, insurance and servicing - not bad as most mileage is expensed and I have a car allowance well north of that

I do get comments on my PoS (Piece of !!!!!!) Audi - but I don't really care

gadgetmind

jimjames wrote: »

I prefer a car that has been used on a motorway so very little wear and tear on key items - 2k RPM on motorway is barely stretching most engines especially diesel and once warm most cars will tick over happily.

Current A8 was bought with above average miles but sat nav showed loads of destinations in Denmark and Germany, so that's fine,

It also had ESP and ABS faults showing on the dash, for which I got £750 wiped off an already good price. As I'd pulled the fault codes, I knew that all it needed was an £8.20 brake pedal switch.

Knowledge is power.