New car advice...

bingobangobongo

Having been in an accident the other in which it was not my fault, my car is being written off and it looks like I will have to buy a new one. My car is worth about £1600, but I am still paying off the bank loan which I used to buy it, I owe about £1000 on the loan. It only cost me £75 a month for the loan and I have a year left to pay it (been paying it for 2 years). So if I pay off the loan I have £600 for a new car.

Is there any good deals out there at the moment? I a looking for a smallish car, that is cheap to insure and run. My last (now defunct) car was a 1.1 peugeot 106 , I got it second hand from a dealer and have had a lot of problems with it. So I am thinking of buying a new car and I am hoping there are some incentives like free insurance etc. I have never bought a new car before and I'm not sure who to turn to.

The kind of thing I'm looking at is Mitsubishi Colt, Renault Clio, Suzuki Swift that sort of thing but I'm open to suggestions.

Can anyone offer me any advice on cars and the best way to pay for it (i.e. get a loan and pay off the loan instead of finance).

Thanks a lot!

qwopmnxz

with a new car I will say one thing... make sure you want to keep this car until its worth nothing and you have paid it all off

if in a year you decide you dont like it, you will be in for a shock when you see how much you owe, and how much its worth

typhoon

Hi
have no advice on deals I'm afraid but I would definitely advise you to get a loan from a bank rather than opt for a hire purchase agreement - you will get a much better interest rate if you have a clear credit history etc from a bank, and you have much more negotiation power if you are paying cash rather than taking on one of their finance agreements.
Good luck!!!!

ballyblack

First of all I wouldn't recommend buying a new car at this time of year. In January it will be treated in NI as one year old car

If you must have new car, look for a pre-registered demo model to make a saving.

Try to avoid ; Renault, Citroen, Peugeot, Fiat (some reliability issues with all these makes!)

Go for German(VW) or Japanese (eg. Toyota, Mazda, Mitsubishi )

In my opinion an 05/06 Toyota (Yaris) is a much better and reliable car than a brand new French or Italian small car

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/index.htm
(Avoid costly mistakes by checking out what’s good, what’s bad, what to watch out for and recalls for more than 1200 models new and used. Simply select the manufacturer and model, and this vital information, constantly updated, is yours)

bingobangobongo

Thanks for the info folks, some useful ideas. If I decide to go for a newer model, like qwopmnx said - I should get something I am willing to drive for at least 4 years in order to pay it off.

In addition, having bought a house 7 months ago about 35 mins from work, I have found that the peugeot 106 1.1 just didnt cut it for a drive to and from the city everyday. So perhaps I should look for a slightly bigger car, with bigger engine (?) and a more comfortable car which can handle the drive better (but still a lowish insurance group). Any suggestions on this will be appreciated as it will give me a starting point for prices and research.

Thanks again

qwopmnxz

dont go french

jap or german is the way forward, your honda, toyota, seat, vw, audi, etc, most reliable well build cars.. on a budget, a little seat ibiza would be a good little car, possibly in the 1.4 variant, anything smaller than that would be a shame, or if you can stretch to the 1.9 tdi, it will be much better and have higher residuals come resale time

IvanOpinion

I drive a Mitsubishi Colt DiD and have been very pleased with it apart from service costs are quite high and she is heavy on tyres. They often have good offers on 'specials'. hosen because I wanted a 5 door diesel because I personally prefer the torque and drivability of a diesel (as well as the economy .. I get 50mpg and am no slouch).

I helped my mother pick a new car last year and after a lot of looking around we opted for the Suzuki Swift 1.3 which, apart from not having aircon, was also an excellent car.

If you can get cheap finance for a low mileage second hand car (1-2 year old) then it will probably be a better deal since there is a lot of depreciation as soon as you drive a new carr off the forecourt. However you may find some interest free or free insurance offers elsewhere.

Ivan

ballyblack

service costs are quite high

This only applies if you use the Mitsubishi franchised dealer. Why not use an independent at cheaper labour rates. As long as the garage you use has qualified mechanics & Vat registered your warranty will not be affected.

Witless

I've never bought a 'new' car; I prefer to go for 'fresh' used; ex contract leasing if I can as they have a 'provn' service history - one of the Volvos even had a monthly mileage / fuel consumption record.

Major points to consider are the depreciation and servicing costs - unless you do massive mileage a few miles per gallon difference is minimal; especially if doing 'city commuting', (BTW - have you considered public transport 'park & ride'? That's what I do now - beats the parking costs.) You should also consider 'consumables' - a friend got a great deal on a Suburau (sp? - that doesn't look right!) - he was horrified when he had to replace the exhaust! 'Big' wheels may look attractive - tyres for smaller standard ones are a lot more affordable.

My current car, a diesel estate, has a 'A' & 'B' service - basically either an oil change at 10k or 'everything' at 20k.

I've just had it 'fully' serviced using dealer parts (but not dealer 'labour'! lol) - the parts cost £69 (20k is just under 2 year driving for me) - this inclided front & rear wipers, key fob batteries, all filters (including cabin pollen filter)etc.

(According to the mechanic that's it ready for MOT in Nov too - he's never been wrong yet)

The parts for the minor service are about £20.

I never keep his bills so I cant remember what he charged for labour last year for the minor but I think my total servicing bill for Nov 05 - Sep 07 has been about £170 - using dealer parts works out cheaper IMHO.

ballyblack

serviced using dealer parts, but not dealer 'labour'

Entirely agree Witless, that's the moneysaving way !

bingobangobongo

Seat Ibiza might be an option - I have been reading about the Honda Jazz which seems quite good? My brothers girlfriend recently bough a Mitsubishi Colt and is very happy with it so would def consider one of those.

Thanks again, its great getting different views and ideas gives me somewhere to start.