Leasing - advice please

ramk_

Hi everyone,

I am looking for some advice please. I currently own a '98 Ford Focus 1.8L and it has served me well but recently things are starting to go wrong and I'm thinking it might be time for me to cut my losses and look to replacing it.
As we have recently bought a house we don't have any money to splash about on purchasing a replacement and would probably need to look into a loan, however someone suggested that I look to leasing a car as it can work out cheaper - is this correct?

I was wondering what the general concensus is on the leasing of cars? If I were looking to lease a car of a similar spec to my Focus would it be worthwhile looking at leasing? Other threads have suggested it's only worth it for cars beyond a certain price threshold.

I really have no idea where to start looking at this, does anyone have any websites they could recommend? I found www.lease-hire.com on another thread and am currently working my way through that. Is this the best one to go by?

I hope that all makes some sense, I'm very conscious of my lack on knowledge on the subject! Thanks very much in advance for any help at all you can offer me, I really do appreciate it.

zeon999

Hi

Sounds like you read my reply in the other thread about car leasing so I wont go over the same ground again other than to say yeah lease-hire.co.uk are really good.

Another good place if you want to use a comparison site is http://www.carpricechecker.co.uk

Only thing is cheapest aint always best cos there are some really bad leasing companys out there, lots of new small leasing companys have sprouted up in the last couple of years and they often offer good prices but quality of service is terrible and when problems arise its a nightmare. Thats why I stick with Total Fleet aka lease-hire.co.uk now I have used them so long and they always look after me well.

ramk_

Thanks very much Zeon, I'll check out the comparison site as well. As a matter of interest do you go for a maintained contract? Just trying to suss it all out. Thank you.

zeon999

Yes for convenience, genrally though if you plan on having a contract for 15,000 miles a year or higher then its well worth it if your planning on less milage than 15,000 its not normally worth it though.

When you get quotes get one with and one without there is normally about £20-£30 a month difference depending on the vehicle and who the contract is with.

That normally includes all maintainance costs aswell as recovery, leaving only insurance and fuel costs to worry about.

ramk_

That's brilliant, thanks very much for your help!! The maintenance certainly sounds appealing, will do as you suggest and get quotes for both.

adamking52

Hello Ramk.
I have recently been in a similiar situation to yourself, and I used a company called Gateway2Lease.
Their website is www.gateway2lease.com.
A took delivery of an Audi A3, and the process was really slick and professional from beginning to end. I was astounded by the pricing on my A3, but believed it when I had a brand new car arrive on the specified date plus a phonecall to ensure that everything had gone smoothly.
I will use them again, and already have a friend who is interested in another of their deals.

Good luck with your search
Adam