how to reduce the cost of used cars

Bonniepurple

cymruchris said:

Life changes - people's circumstances may require them to obtain a different kind of vehicle.

My dad passed away - and we'd been using a 4x4 allowing him easy access - but this isn't a car I enjoy driving, it was something that was needed, and isn't anymore. It's been sold, and I've now gotten a car that suits my own requirements. 

A friend who has owned a saloon car for 5 years has recently started a dog-walking business, and now needs a big estate. He can't wait. 

Another friend has gotten a job that involves travelling, he finds his tiny VW Lupo isn't the most conducive environment to be in for a couple of hours motorway driving a day, and has changed to more of a motorway cruising car.

The examples could go on and on.

I don't think prices will be dropping 20 percent in the coming months, and 'normal' won't exist probably for a few years yet. 

Exactly.  How many families/couples have gone down to one car during lockdown and are now realising that they need 2 cars again as they work in opposite directions?  How many have run a car into the ground and want something more reliable for commuting?  How many have lost walking distance jobs and now need a car to get to work?  How many families are buying a cheap runabout for a 17/18 year old to learn to drive in given lengthy waiting lists for driving lessons?

Those are just ones off the top of my head.  OP - you clearly want a new car, but can’t afford it.  Not much anyone else can do about that. 

MEM62

photome said:

Who has predicted that prices will fall by 20% over the coming months ?

Nobody that knows what they are talking about.  

cypher007

prices have been predicted to drop 16% back in December 2021. that was before considerable financial pressure was introduced.

all im saying is i know some people who change car just because theyre bored of it not because its broken. or some who lease or pcp every 3 years. the last car change we had to do was because the wifes car was written off not because we wanted a change. we had had that car 11 years. im currently driving a 15 year old car that i bought in 2018 as an interim car while i searched for what i wanted. the trouble is with shielding i wasnt able to go out and view cars so waited until the vaccines came on tap. then when i started looking instead of the prices being depressed because of all the businesses failing and furlough, they had actually gone up.

what made economic sense to say my parents generation seems completely alien to the current one.

cypher007

also if new cars arent being produced why arent we hearing of mass redundancies in the car manufacturing and sales areas? yes there maybe a slowing of production but those factories cannot continue being idle for ever.

with the lockdowns and working from home, like i did for almost 18 months, i would have thought some companies would have seen the financial benefit of office workers working from home, in that they dont need to rent office space. i know poor old Borises mates who run pubs and coffee chains in ciity centers wants people back in offices, but to my mind this is insane. sitting in fossil fuel burning car for potentially hours stuck in traffic causing inner city pollution, when they can remote work and save travelling expenses and the planet at the same time.

Jenni_D

cypher007 said:

also if new cars arent being produced why arent we hearing of mass redundancies in the car manufacturing and sales areas? yes there maybe a slowing of production but those factories cannot continue being idle for ever.

Because there's not a great lot of car manufacturing in the UK? And the demand is there for new vehicles - it's the supply that's the problem.

cypher007

Jenni_D said:

cypher007 said:

also if new cars arent being produced why arent we hearing of mass redundancies in the car manufacturing and sales areas? yes there maybe a slowing of production but those factories cannot continue being idle for ever.

Because there's not a great lot of car manufacturing in the UK? And the demand is there for new vehicles - it's the supply that's the problem.

i meant globally we arent hearing of big layoffs in companies like VW/Audi.

Car_54

Jenni_D said:

cypher007 said:

also if new cars arent being produced why arent we hearing of mass redundancies in the car manufacturing and sales areas? yes there maybe a slowing of production but those factories cannot continue being idle for ever.

Because there's not a great lot of car manufacturing in the UK? And the demand is there for new vehicles - it's the supply that's the problem.

It depends what you mean by “a great lot”. Pre-COVID, we were making more cars in the UK than we ever had historically.

motorguy

cypher007 said:

also if new cars arent being produced why arent we hearing of mass redundancies in the car manufacturing and sales areas? yes there maybe a slowing of production but those factories cannot continue being idle for ever.

with the lockdowns and working from home, like i did for almost 18 months, i would have thought some companies would have seen the financial benefit of office workers working from home, in that they dont need to rent office space. i know poor old Borises mates who run pubs and coffee chains in ciity centers wants people back in offices, but to my mind this is insane. sitting in fossil fuel burning car for potentially hours stuck in traffic causing inner city pollution, when they can remote work and save travelling expenses and the planet at the same time.

You've just said it yourself - slowing of production.  No production at all in some cases and clearly no signs of any improvement any time soon if car manufacturers are laying staff off.

I think there could be 1-2 years of production issues ahead yet.

motorguy

cypher007 said:

also if new cars arent being produced why arent we hearing of mass redundancies in the car manufacturing and sales areas? yes there maybe a slowing of production but those factories cannot continue being idle for ever.

with the lockdowns and working from home, like i did for almost 18 months, i would have thought some companies would have seen the financial benefit of office workers working from home, in that they dont need to rent office space. i know poor old Borises mates who run pubs and coffee chains in ciity centers wants people back in offices, but to my mind this is insane. sitting in fossil fuel burning car for potentially hours stuck in traffic causing inner city pollution, when they can remote work and save travelling expenses and the planet at the same time.

I dont see how thats relevant?

Its a different issue entirely.

People can either work from home of they cant, generally speaking.  So if they need a car because they work in a factory, then they need a car.

Carrot007

The market sucks. My car is hitting 10. I will replace the belt rather than run into the ground this time.

Looking for neareast cars at the same age they are 2-3k more than what I told my insurance when I bought it. Albeit with less milage (which to me is a bad point in a car of such age (could not find any with similar (what I would call resonable low for the age milage)cars so meh).

I know it's coming up. Last car of that age failed majorly, but it did have much more milage! (10 years 150K (just short) 3 belt changes, but was worth so little to do at the time, now maybe would have repaired.).