£20k Car @ 21

System

LiamTLOU wrote: »

A lot of people don't like my choice of car either :rotfl: But I've looked into it and it seems like a really nice car to drive, and I like the looks of it. The MPG on it seems reasonable too.

If I were going to commit to £20k on a car I don't know much about I think I would want to take one on a long test drive, most likely hiring one for a full weekend. Might end up being the best £50-£100 you end up spending.

AdrianC

LiamTLOU wrote: »

I could always stage 1 remap the car

Not while it's in warranty, you couldn't.

So that's 2.5yrs of your 4yr finance...

iolanthe07

I'm in my seventies and passed my driving test in 1963. Looking back on my life, the amount I've wasted on cars makes me want to weep, but must have paid for many car dealers' Caribbean holidays. Just saying.

Herzlos

LiamTLOU wrote: »

Do you have any recommendations of a nippy SUV/ 4X4?

The 2 terms are contradictory; anything that makes a good suv makes it less sporty and visa versa if you want a fast 4x4 then you're looking at Bowler Wildcats and sacrificing everything else.

What do you actually want out of a car? What kind of performance? Why an SUV?
You'll get more, faster car with a nice big estate, like a BMW 535.

I've got an SUV and it's a nice height for getting the kids in/out and good with a trailer of farm tracks, but it's awful at corners.

Clive_Woody

You could get a decent second hand Octavia vRS for £20K which would be nippy and spacious (especially if you went for an estate), but as mentioned trying to get an SUV that is nippy and handles well is possibly expecting too much. You could also get a stage 1 map and be getting up towards 300bhp depending on which model you start with (and insurance allowing).

Skoda, like SEAT is cheap to service and maintain and there are a reasonable number of dealer around.

I suggest a test drive in an Ateca FR and then maybe a Leon Cupra or an Octavia vRS. You may change your mind about wanting an SUV.

alan_d

Interesting thread. When I was 21 I was driving a 5.3L Jaguar XJS V12... which was cheaper to insure than the usual 'hot hatches' like Golf GTi's that my friends were driving!
The car was bought cheap as a non-runner and I swapped the engine from a MOT-fail XJ12 that was also stupidly cheap. I still do most car maintenance / repairs myself to keep costs down.
I bought my first house at 24, and now, 19 years later and onto house #2 with a wife and 3 kids the mortgage is nearly paid off :j
I think the most i've ever paid for a car was £7500.
I currently have 3 cars, one of which is a heavy SUV - and even with 185BHP it's not quick or particularly exciting to drive - but it's very good at towing my large caravan and as family transport.
I have another 'sleeper' quick car instead
At this stage in life my priorities are more paying off the remaining mortgage (hopefully before the end of the year) and throwing more at my pension, to help with early retirement.

If i'd spend my 20's and 30's driving 'new(er)' or 'flash' cars it's unlikely my mortgage would be nearly gone now.

Scrapit

AdrianC wrote: »

Not while it's in warranty, you couldn't.

So that's 2.5yrs of your 4yr finance...

Couldn't or probably shouldn't? Of course there are also warranty friendly maps too.

wymondham

benbay001 wrote: »

I didnt know what an Ateca was, so i did some googling.

The FR has 187bhp and weighs 2.1 tons 187/2.1 =89 bhp/ton

A 2015 Ford Fiesta 1.2 has 82bhp and weighs 1.1 tons 82/1.1 = 74 bhp/ton.

This is really not going to feel much quicker than your Fiesta.

Edited to add - not only that, the ateca has the aero dynamic profile of a house. At any sort of A road speed its shape will negate any power advantage.

does this all really matter? 187bhp to go the same speed as a 10 year old fiesta as all cars are restricted to speed limits anyway (plus the higher the bhp the more points you'll probably pick up). What do I know though, I've just bought a Dacia Duster

motorguy

AdrianC wrote: »

It's very simple - because you can't spend the same money twice. Spunking 90p/mile on your car does not help you save quickly.

Where in the name of Gods Green Earth are you getting 90p a mile from???? :eek:

Even looking at just the raw payment of £250 a month and your notional 8K pa thats £250 / 666 miles per month = 37p per mile.

OR looking at it from the depreciation perspective, approx £11K depreciation over 8,000 x 4 = 34p per mile.

At the end of the day, the guy can clearly afford the repayments AND save each month AND will have an asset worth approx £9K or so at the end of it, which he could then potentially run for another 5+ years if he wanted to.

Oh, and has been pointed out, you can get a plug in tuning box to boost power if so desired which is undetectable anyway, though personally i wouldnt bother.

AdrianC

motorguy wrote: »

Where in the name of Gods Green Earth are you getting 90p a mile from???? :eek:

Even looking at just the raw payment of £250 a month and your notional 8K pa thats £250 / 666 miles per month = 37p per mile.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6000645/20k-car-21#11
You seem to have forgotten the £8k initial payment. And all the running costs on top of simply renting the thing.

But since we now know that it's not a PCP on a new one...