Buying used cars now

[Deleted User]

Hard to give an exact answer with so little details provided about your current car and future motoring requirements.

I like to buy second hand and run the the ground but there is a tipping point but depends on exactly what your car is and what you need.

Recently my 15 year old car with 183,000 miles reached that tipping point and I did it within a couple of months of getting everything fixed and 12 months MOT done on it rather than waiting until it is a non runner so I could at least sell it with value and not be stuck and rushed into buying whatever just to get back on the road.

Tipping point was when it became worth about £1000 which for most cars they are worth more in parts at that point so I traded it in for a 7yr old £10k car with 80k miles which was overpriced due to the current market, probably should have been £8k but I've taken the hit because prices aren't coming back down any time soon but I've bought some headroom in terms of getting a good 3-4 years out of it before I need to start looking again.

Fuel economy was a factor in this and I hunted high and low to get the model with the power and economy for my type of usage which severely limited my options, literally 10 or less cars on Autotrader matching my budget and spec across the country at any one time so was a long process of getting the one I wanted.

So start looking now rather than waiting until you really need to change, you will know when you have got your exact car at a good price if you look for a few months rather than being pushed into buying quickly because your current one is beyond economical repair.

motorguy

Grumpy_chap said:

motorguy said:

Ibrahim5 said:

We have got a good local transmission specialist that does all the clutches and gearboxes for taxi drivers etc I phoned them recently. They have a waiting list of over one month for all work. As people keep older vehicles for longer that will be the next shortage.

Where have you been this last 18 months?

Prices of pretty much all used cars are going through the roof as buying habits have already changed, shortage of new cars and people keeping cars they'd otherwise have sold.

I think the suggestion was that, as people are now keeping cars longer / older, then the capacity to get major replacement items such as gearboxes will become restricted.

Gotcha.

Opportunity, i guess for repairs to become a thing again rather than replacement, perhaps more local mechanics too.  

Yes, there would be the possibility arising where someone couldnt get a major part though.  If thats the case then i guess that particular car becomes part of the parts process for the rest of its bits.

Interesting times ahead.  Ultimately going to be down to how long this all lasts.  If its a year or two then that wont impact really, if its "the new normal", then possibly down the line.

Herzlos

It's also starting to affect insurance claims as I understand it. Cars with long lead times for repairs (whether parts or labour) are more likely to be written off.

iwb100

[Deleted User] said:

Hard to give an exact answer with so little details provided about your current car and future motoring requirements.

I like to buy second hand and run the the ground but there is a tipping point but depends on exactly what your car is and what you need.

Recently my 15 year old car with 183,000 miles reached that tipping point and I did it within a couple of months of getting everything fixed and 12 months MOT done on it rather than waiting until it is a non runner so I could at least sell it with value and not be stuck and rushed into buying whatever just to get back on the road.

Tipping point was when it became worth about £1000 which for most cars they are worth more in parts at that point so I traded it in for a 7yr old £10k car with 80k miles which was overpriced due to the current market, probably should have been £8k but I've taken the hit because prices aren't coming back down any time soon but I've bought some headroom in terms of getting a good 3-4 years out of it before I need to start looking again.

Fuel economy was a factor in this and I hunted high and low to get the model with the power and economy for my type of usage which severely limited my options, literally 10 or less cars on Autotrader matching my budget and spec across the country at any one time so was a long process of getting the one I wanted.

So start looking now rather than waiting until you really need to change, you will know when you have got your exact car at a good price if you look for a few months rather than being pushed into buying quickly because your current one is beyond economical repair.

 Could you not lease a brand new car for about the same amount for 3-4 years?