How do you currently afford your car?

motorguy

dipsomaniac said:

Grumpy_chap said:

Ibrahim5 said:

This is a money saving forum. All I said is that I don't think spending over £100k on a couple of cars is very impressive to money savers. Maybe on a petrol head forum they would be impressed.

Being a money saving forum is about getting the things you need and want in the most cost effective way.  

It is not about living like a hermit and ending with a fortune in the grave yard.

According to figures I have just seen a 1/3 of UK adults have less than £600 savings so not many on here are going to be taking a fortune to their graves.  People have lost touch with reality with the amount they are paying main dealers for ev/ice cars and there associated costs.  Judging by some comments I don't think people on here realise that there are people working full time earning a lot less than £30k.

I absolutely have no intentions of taking a fortune to my grave.  There is a balance to be had.  That is what life - and the ethos of this site - is about.  

Granted, this is a tough year for everyone, and people will generally have to tighten their belts / scrutinise their own spending and MSE is a great way to help do that.  I've used various guides and boards on here to save money on monthly bills, car insurance, holidays, holiday insurance etc and i will continue to do so (assuming thats ok with you...   )

There are of course people on less than £30K pa, but you seem to be implying that people on more that that should be ashamed / hide the fact and not even use the site at all?

The motoring board in particular if you look down all the topics is about general help and advice on all aspects of motoring, not about how to do the spannering yourself and how to run an old banger.

Herzlos

Ibrahim5 said:

We look after our cars though. I don't think many cars are looked after these days. They're really badly neglected.

Most people look after their cars though. It's just modern cars don't need quite as much attention since it'll tell you if there are any problems.

I get that you are for some reason bitter that people can buy nicer cars, but pretending that you're somehow morally superior for nursing an older car along is such a bizarre thing to prattle on about on the internet, especially since you seem to have so much cash available. You'd think beyond a point it's just a better use of your time to get something that needs less work.

motorguy

dipsomaniac said:

Grumpy_chap said:

Ibrahim5 said:

This is a money saving forum. All I said is that I don't think spending over £100k on a couple of cars is very impressive to money savers. Maybe on a petrol head forum they would be impressed.

Being a money saving forum is about getting the things you need and want in the most cost effective way.  

It is not about living like a hermit and ending with a fortune in the grave yard.

My wife has a new golf on a monthly plan and i would rather drive my 25 year old galaxy than her golf. I would also rather drive a 10yr old mercedes over a brand new fiat

So your wife doesnt practice what you preach to us then?

Why didnt she buy some old car outright with cash, like you tell us we must do?  

motorguy

Ibrahim5 said:

dipsomaniac said:

Herzlos said:

dipsomaniac said:

This is a money saving forum and just by definition is going to help people living from month to month more than those looking at handouts from rishi sunak to fund their £78k cars.

According to figures I have just seen a 1/3 of UK adults have less than £600 savings so not many on here are going to be taking a fortune to their graves.  People have lost touch with reality with the amount they are paying main dealers for ev/ice cars and there associated costs.  Judging by some comments I don't think people on here realise that there are people working full time earning a lot less than £30k.

I'm all for new drivers learning on bangers (we all did), but given the wealth of improvements in the technology, why shouldn't people be driving something a bit nicer if they can afford it?

You seem to be saying that a new car is 'nicer' than a 20yr old car? My 25yr old galaxy has most of the modern features (fuel injection, electronic ignition, autobox, heated seats/windscreen etc) and has only let me down twice in 19yrs. I would much rather drive that than some of the newer cars I have driven

We look after our cars though. I don't think many cars are looked after these days. They're really badly neglected.

Wheres your evidence of that?

If a cars new and on PCP there is a requirement to have it serviced on schedule.  Everyone knows that.

There is also a requirement to keep your car road legal or be fined / get points on your licence.  Everyone knows that.

There is a requirement to MOT a car.  Everyone knows that.

Outside of PCP / warranty people do know their car will require a service.  It will tell them that via the dashboard display.  It will also tell them if it has picked up on any issues such as a faulty sensor or an issue.  People may chose to ignore that at their peril, however i would say (a) most people dont ignore it and (b) they've had the experience that when they do ignore it, there will be consequences later, so they will learn from it.

They also know that a neglected car will cost them money at some point, either with a big bill or come resale time when they get a lot less for it.

dipsomaniac

I am not preaching to anyone just sharing my experience.  I am not bitter or jealous, another couple of traits that people like to use on here if you don't want to follow the pcp/leasing fraternity

motorguy

Herzlos said:

Ibrahim5 said:

We look after our cars though. I don't think many cars are looked after these days. They're really badly neglected.

Most people look after their cars though. It's just modern cars don't need quite as much attention since it'll tell you if there are any problems.

I get that you are for some reason bitter that people can buy nicer cars, but pretending that you're somehow morally superior for nursing an older car along is such a bizarre thing to prattle on about on the internet, especially since you seem to have so much cash available. You'd think beyond a point it's just a better use of your time to get something that needs less work.

+1

Its quite bizarre.  

motorguy

Ibrahim5 said:

mclaren32 said:

Deleted_User said:

mclaren32 said:

Spending money on a nice car is often a choice.

Some of my friends don’t prioritise having a nice car and don’t therefore allocate any money to it. My wife and me both like having nice cars and it’s more of a priority, currently we spend about £500 a month for the privilege with this probably increasing to about £650 when a new car arrives.

That’s a lot of money each month but we will have cars that we love & it’s actually good value when compared to the value of them.

Would you mind sharing what car you're driving and roughly how much of your salary that is? 

My car is a 2016 Focus RS and the new car will be a Jaguar i Pace - the focus is now owned outright (value  approx £26k) and the Jaguar a salary sacrifice through work (value £78k).

We make approx £110k between us.

I suppose there must be a forum where people would be impressed. I don't think this is the right one. It's sort of opposite.

You seemed to take exception to him quoting his salary and how he and his wife chose to spend it?

You dont really practice what you preach there though do you?

Herzlos

"

dipsomaniac said:

I am not preaching to anyone just sharing my experience.  I am not bitter or jealous, another couple of traits that people like to use on here if you don't want to follow the pcp/leasing fraternity

I've never done a PCP or lease, yet I'm not making it seem like it's somehow inferior. So the problems have nothing to do with you not wanting to do the PCP/Lease route.

Edit: What kind of fuel economy are you getting from the Galaxy? I can't find much information on the 1st generation, beyond a figure of 20-40mpg. I'm assuming the 2.8 petrol auto would be struggling to hit 20mpg, given that my 2.5 manual petrol X-Type did 20mpg on a good day.

My new van does 60mpg.

Interestingly, the wikipedia page for the Galaxy says:

"In 1999, the MkI Ford Galaxy was rated in a Top Gear magazine survey as the least satisfying car in the United Kingdom"

So I don't buy for a second that you actually think it's better to drive than a Golf that's 25 years newer.

motorguy

dipsomaniac said:

I am not preaching to anyone just sharing my experience.  I am not bitter or jealous, another couple of traits that people like to use on here if you don't want to follow the pcp/leasing fraternity

Yes you are though.

You're telling people how they can use this forum.  Your telling people what this forum is for.

Both of those are preaching.

You also tell us how bizarre it is that people spend money monthly on a new car, yet lo and behold your wife does it?

If you cant even convince your own wife to follow your mantra, it cant be very compelling can it?

motorguy

dipsomaniac said:

I am not preaching to anyone just sharing my experience.  I am not bitter or jealous, another couple of traits that people like to use on here if you don't want to follow the pcp/leasing fraternity

I've never had a car on a lease, and we dont currently have a car on PCP.  We've used that product in the past when it has suited us to do so.  Over my 35 years or so of driving, i've bought cars (in order of prevalence) with cash, personal loan, HP then PCP.

The last five cars i have bought have been bought with cash.  The youngest of those was a 2012 Focus and the oldest is a 2006 car.

Our main car was bought new via an incentivised PCP deal that we converted at our earliest convenience to a cheap as chips personal loan.  We split the monthly payment on the loan and share the running costs.  We will run that car to a minimum of 10 years but to be honest we'll just keep it indefinitely.

I dont see how being objective about funding source and accepting that other peoples wants and needs differ from mine make me part of the "pcp/leasing fraternity".