Grumble grumble...cheap car
- Thread starter iaind
- Start date
No, I'm mean how much do you save a month, just to get an idea of how long it would take you to save up say an extra grand to take you into the £2500 odd quid bracket for a new car.
I'm trying to not be obvious about saying "how much do you save a month", because if it was me and I'd bitten off more than I could chew with regards buying a car which turns out to cost a fair bit more to run than I had first envisaged, to the extent that it would be beneficial in the long run to take a short term hit on depreciation in order to replace it with a more economical car, I would just let my savings build up so I could afford a decent car rather than going for a bargain bin job. But this is because I would be waiting to replace the dearer to run car with a cheaper to run car which I would keep for several years. Does the "keep for a year" thing you say in the 1st post still apply?
Not sure to be honest, because it's not about when I'll be in a better position to afford this sort of car any more - It's about the fact that I'm not really as bothered as I thought I was about owning a car like this.
I'd probably keep the cheap car until it is no longer sensible to run it any more, although I might review my priorities next time my income increases
I'd probably keep the cheap car until it is no longer sensible to run it any more, although I might review my priorities next time my income increases
I'm not enjoying talking about the finances etc, but just trying to determine the motivation behind them.
Taking a very simplistic view, the need right now appears to be a need of capital. In my experience (I've been a qualified financial adviser for over a decade), this is normally brought about by two things: a genuine need for capital or a concern about income or more accurately, outgoings.
The posts made so far suggest that whilst we're slowly getting an idea of the situation, we're a mile away from getting the detail about what is actually driving the motivation to change your situation. Without that it will just be educated guesswork to suggest ideas on what you should do. However, in fairness, you don't want that, you just want advice on a cheap car. I'm unlikely to be of much help there, so will leave you to it.
When you can afford even a half decent IFA, I'd suggest you go and see one. Most people will spend £500 a year on electricity, but not do the same for their finances and then moan and worry constantly, or make poor and mis-informed decisions. Don't be one of them.
Taking a very simplistic view, the need right now appears to be a need of capital. In my experience (I've been a qualified financial adviser for over a decade), this is normally brought about by two things: a genuine need for capital or a concern about income or more accurately, outgoings.
The posts made so far suggest that whilst we're slowly getting an idea of the situation, we're a mile away from getting the detail about what is actually driving the motivation to change your situation. Without that it will just be educated guesswork to suggest ideas on what you should do. However, in fairness, you don't want that, you just want advice on a cheap car. I'm unlikely to be of much help there, so will leave you to it.
When you can afford even a half decent IFA, I'd suggest you go and see one. Most people will spend £500 a year on electricity, but not do the same for their finances and then moan and worry constantly, or make poor and mis-informed decisions. Don't be one of them.
Already have done, spoke to one before I bought my flat and had a review a few months back 
Not about this situation, it's fairly minor in the grand scheme of things. But my finances, on the whole, are in a pretty healthy state and I'm not worrying or stressed about them. I think there's a difference between needing to get a cheap car and wanting to get a cheap car - this is definitely the latter. I understand that in a forum full of car enthusiasts a lot of people won't understand that
Not about this situation, it's fairly minor in the grand scheme of things. But my finances, on the whole, are in a pretty healthy state and I'm not worrying or stressed about them. I think there's a difference between needing to get a cheap car and wanting to get a cheap car - this is definitely the latter. I understand that in a forum full of car enthusiasts a lot of people won't understand that
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
Glad to hear it. In which case, if its fairly minor, suck it up and keep it. It is not a Ferrari. It is not worth £20,000. It is a Saab 4 door saloon worth approximately 50% of what most average people spend on tedious diesels. You've got it now, it was probably a daft decision to buy it, but thats done, and you've got it.
Enjoy it and live with it.
Seriously, unless you really need to, why drive around in a thousand quids worth of car? You clearly chose not to go for a grotty flat at half the value of your current one, so why do the same with a car?
If your finances are fine then you dont need to flog a reasonably low value saloon car in order to afford a weekend citybreak in Paris every now and again
To be honest, if I can't get a decent price for it then I probably will keep it - I'm not going to sell it for less than it's worth for the sake of it.
My flat is anything but grotty It's also where I spend more time than anywhere else, where most of my social life is based and something I enjoy. The car, on the other hand, is a tool to get my to and from work.
I'm yet to be convinced that something like a 1500 quid Focus/Accord won't do a perfectly good job of that, so I'd rather just have the cash if I can
My flat is anything but grotty
It's also where I spend more time than anywhere else, where most of my social life is based and something I enjoy. The car, on the other hand, is a tool to get my to and from work.I'm yet to be convinced that something like a 1500 quid Focus/Accord won't do a perfectly good job of that, so I'd rather just have the cash if I can
My flat is anything but grotty
I know - my point was that you didnt decide to spend loads less on one that simply had a roof and some doors
For many people, such a route is completely acceptable to them. But then looking at your car history you dont seem the type. If you are, why have you wasted so many thousands of pounds on newer cars over the years?
A push bike would do the job, but you dont want one of those either.
I dont want to sound like a Fox fan here, but he is right, get a year out of the Saab and sell it for the same money you are going to end up with now.
There is a car fan in you somewhere, or you would'nt have got a half decent car in the first place, seriously, just tighten the belt on a couple small things and keep it, i honestly cant believe a 5 grand injection is going to make such a difference to an obviously up together fella like yourself.
I dont want to sound like a Fox fan here, but he is right, get a year out of the Saab and sell it for the same money you are going to end up with now.
There is a car fan in you somewhere, or you would'nt have got a half decent car in the first place, seriously, just tighten the belt on a couple small things and keep it, i honestly cant believe a 5 grand injection is going to make such a difference to an obviously up together fella like yourself.
[TW]Fox;16629958 said:I know - my point was that you didnt decide to spend loads less on one that simply had a roof and some doors
For many people, such a route is completely acceptable to them. But then looking at your car history you dont seem the type. If you are, why have you wasted so many thousands of pounds on newer cars over the years?
Well things change - the car used to be the number 1 priority when I was still living at home, as it is to a lot of people. But since moving, it's really taken a back seat and has become much more of a white good to me.
As I said before, upgrading was just to scratch an itch, the car enthusiast in me wanted to play
It's a tough call to make...
Push bike might be a stretch too far for the 20 mile commute
I think part of me might be idealising the lifestyle change that moving to a cheap car would mean but it's really difficult to know it it will pan out unless I take the plunge
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Already have done, spoke to one before I bought my flat and had a review a few months back
Go and see him/her again. You've said this is a financial decision - see your adviser.
No it hasn't. You want to think that at the moment becuase it suits whatever situation it is you've found yourself in but spending £7500 on a Saab 9-3 is not the work of somebody for whom the car just doesnt matter and has very much taken a back seat.
I guarantee after 3 months driving around in a ropey old car you'll once again have the desire to have something decent. The Saab itself was a ridiculous impulse buy but the idea of buying something nice absolutely was not - you posted on here on a regular basis for at least 6 months before your purchase about how you were looking at buying a 330d, or a 130i, etc etc. That sort of considered decision means it just wasn't a one off itch scratch. It was always there.
Besides - when you asked us for advice before buying the Saab you were looking at £11-£12k 330d's and suchlike. You eventually bought a Saab for £7500. Can you not use the £3.5-£4.5k you didnt spend in the end for your weekends away and your DIY?
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It was there for a little while - although I have to admit that, given my history, I surprised myself with how long I took to get bored of the Mondeo. I think that owning a car I've wanted for a while has put things in perspective, so I'd probably look at satisfying these impulses in other ways next time around. Hiring something interesting, track day experiences etc for example.
The extra money I was originally considering spending would have probably been financed - there is obviously more money in reserve but that's really "rainy day" money so I wouldn't really want to use it for more trivial things at this stage either.
Lol, thanks
In fairness, I might be on the verge of binning the idea anyway - or at least altering it!
Damn you, internet.
The extra money I was originally considering spending would have probably been financed - there is obviously more money in reserve but that's really "rainy day" money so I wouldn't really want to use it for more trivial things at this stage either.
I have a rotten A class merc rusting away here, if you tax and mot it, you can borrow it for a month free, that way you can drive a shed, realise its rubbish and bin this mad idea, genuine offer
Lol, thanks
In fairness, I might be on the verge of binning the idea anyway - or at least altering it!
Damn you, internet.
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Probably? You were asking for advice on specific locally advertised cars, either you had the money for them or you didnt
What is rainy day money for if it isnt to fix your property when its in need of emergency repairs anyway
Which will wipe out any savings you make on day to day costs by selling the Saab.