Buying a car unemployed. :(

Ditzy_Mitzy

We really need some more information.  Has the sister any savings?  Does she intend to get a job?  If so, having a car can open all sorts of doors.  Recruitment agencies, temporary bureaus and the like all favour car owners as they can get to out of the way places at all hours.  

There's no law against being unemployed and running a car.  I'm living off savings at present, having decided to take a year off work, and have a car.  I own the car outright and other than petrol there are very few expenses.  It need not be an expensive hobby and, as stated, may provide a route to making money as opposed to losing it.  

Mutton_Geoff

toomsie said:

My younger sister wants to buy a car while not having a job with the support of her mother. I don't like it one bit. Already things are at a crisis level, with things about to double. The problem is how are they going to survive without the expenses of a car, let alone with one. Losing money every month because of a car is not a good strategy. My situation has gone down 5 fold this year so I can't offer much support. Maybe it breaks protocol to talk about it here but I don't know what to do. 

If your younger sister is over 18, direct her towards a sensible Moneysaving theory called Bangernomics and let her sort herself out. It sounds like you have enough on your plate without loading up with other people's problems.

https://www.bangernomics.com/

sheramber

From earlier postng you are over 50. How old is your sister?

You ca only advise another adult  about they should pr should not do but she sounds old enough to make her own mistakes.

If she does not want to take your advice there is not much you can do but walk away and leave her to it.

Explain the costs to her and  leave it at that.

Sometimes you have to use tough love.

droopsnoot

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

We really need some more information.  Has the sister any savings?  Does she intend to get a job?  If so, having a car can open all sorts of doors.  Recruitment agencies, temporary bureaus and the like all favour car owners as they can get to out of the way places at all hours.  

Indeed - I see all sorts of job postings where someone without a car just can't get the job. It's quite right that the OP raises alarm bells over the situation, and if their sister is just buying a car so they can drive around that's obviously a Bad Idea. And we don't know where the OP's sister lives - around here (fairly rural, a few big towns, little to no public transport outside normal office hours) getting to work and back for a lot of people is pretty difficult without a car, even if the work doesn't involve driving around. I'm a fairly keen cyclist, for example, but there are plenty of little "business centres" opening up on farms that I wouldn't fancy cycling to in lovely weather, never mind in pitch darkness and rainy conditions.

Also, the OP knows their sister, and maybe has an idea that the above isn't why she wants a car. In which case, stand well back if you can.

toomsie

 They looked at this car this £5500 car :'( https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210311245248?advert-type=dealer-stock&advertising-location=at_cars&advertising-location=at_profile_cars&fromDealerSearchResults=/retailer/stock?sort=price-asc&page=1&dealer=10018155&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&advertising-location=at_cars&advertising-location=at_profile_cars&dpp=10018155&sort=price-asc

toomsie

Cars prices have gone crazy and that's just for a simple small car. I have always had medium size cars around £1,000.    

Brie

There are a lot less expensive cars out there so no need to spend £5500.  

Can you sit her down and ask what her budget is?  (does she know how to budget? lots of people don't)

So she wants a car that costs £5500 which she might pay for over 5 years?  Insurance is ??  £1200 a year??  MOT £50? Service £100.  So a very very rough thought is that she might pay £200 a month for the car plus say £120 a month for maintenance.  And then she has to pay for petrol. Let's say £100 a month?  So does she have a spare £420 a month?  If not then she has to down grade her expectations.   

A cheap banger for £500 will have higher maintenance costs perhaps, prob best to get breakdown insurance just in case but insurance may be much less as well so she might get the car outright and then just need to pay £150 a month.  Can she afford that?

toomsie

I bought my first car for a monkey   

toomsie

So it's like paying £500 a month for 5 years (another mortgage). My mum is paying for the car and probably get me to cough up for her insurance. 

Brie

toomsie said:

So it's like paying £500 a month for 5 years (another mortgage). My mum is paying for the car and probably get me to cough up for her insurance. 

get some quotes before you agree! If she's never had a car and is a new driver the premium is NOT going to be cheap.  Can you afford it??