Lease or used?

Narj · 26 Mar 2016 at 10:22

Hi all,

I really need to change car as mine's getting to the stage where it's peeing me off with the random things that keep going wrong ('02 Golf Mk4 1.8T). It's got to the point where I just want rid now as I'm fed up paying out or fiddling around myself and swearing a lot.

I only use the car a couple of times a month and typically do about 9k miles a year, however the journeys I do make tend to be long-ish motorway jaunts.

I'm wondering whether leasing would make more sense than buying a used car with potentially more problems and expense. Priorities for me are reliability, comfort (I'm 6'3") and low running costs. Don't want anything too big as parking is a bit of a pain around my way.

I've got 6K floating around if I wanted to go the used route and could probably stretch a bit more - seems a bit of a waste on something I rarely use but I'm at a bit of a loss really. I'm hoping you fine peeps might be able to give me some ideas!

tummelv · 26 Mar 2016 at 12:43

£6k buys a lot of repairs. Doesn't make too much sense to be to fork out on something you will barely use!

DannyW · 26 Mar 2016 at 12:48

https://www.nationwidevehiclecontra...s-5-door-125d-m-sport-nav-step-auto-66802.htm

nuff said

phil675 · 26 Mar 2016 at 12:57

tummelv said:
£6k buys a lot of repairs. Doesn't make too much sense to be to fork out on something you will barely use!

This really, if it's only small niggles and you don't use it very often, I'd save the money.

I have a similar thing at the moment, got an old Mondeo that has little problems but as I only use it once a week at most to transport the children I may as well keep it rather than fork out for something to just sit there.

Trifid · 26 Mar 2016 at 13:00

tummelv said:
£6k buys a lot of repairs. Doesn't make too much sense to be to fork out on something you will barely use!

£6k - depreciation - repairs - MOT - road tax -any consumables that will be new on a lease, but used on a second hand car. If what ever is left is worth it for having a new car delivered to your door then lease. If you want to save a bit of money to otherwise spend on what ever your hobby is then buy second hand.

I would say, if you know what car you want, leasing will be expensive. If you look at it as just a means of transport and go where ever the deals are, then it is much better value for money.

Jono8 · 26 Mar 2016 at 13:02

DannyW said:
https://www.nationwidevehiclecontra...s-5-door-125d-m-sport-nav-step-auto-66802.htm

nuff said

~ £8k to rent that for 2 years with only 8k miles usage a year? Na.

DannyW · 26 Mar 2016 at 21:41

Jono8 said:
~ £8k to rent that for 2 years with only 8k miles usage a year? Na.

Do you think that is a poor deal?

If I went and bought a brand new 125d from BMW, Would it not loose £8000 after 2 years anyway?

Not trying to hi-jack this thread btw...

Iamzod · 26 Mar 2016 at 21:53

DannyW said:
Do you think that is a poor deal?

Maybe not but it makes no sense for a car he is only going to get into 44 times and is going to cost 45p per mile to run before he even puts any fuel in it.

If he really only uses it a couple of times a month then it'll cost £181 per journey plus fuel, it'd be potentially cheaper just to hire a car.

Much better to buy a used car or if it's really only used twice a month keep what he has and just live with it, I certainly wouldn't fork out 8k for a garden ornament.

rodenal · 27 Mar 2016 at 07:18

DannyW said:
Do you think that is a poor deal?

If I went and bought a brand new 125d from BMW, Would it not loose £8000 after 2 years anyway?

Not trying to hi-jack this thread btw...

Possibly not if it was bought through a broker (though can you get any BMW via broker sites just now?)

Jono8 · 27 Mar 2016 at 08:30

DannyW said:
Do you think that is a poor deal?

If I went and bought a brand new 125d from BMW, Would it not loose £8000 after 2 years anyway?

Not trying to hi-jack this thread btw...

It isn't "poor" as such but it isn't great either. Seems pretty average and you are just simply paying the depreciation, possibly a bit more, on what seems like quite an expensive car for what you get.

It would surely be a waste of £8k for what the OP needs anyway. OP didn't mention he needed performance. Just reliability, comfort and low running costs.

[TW]Fox · 27 Mar 2016 at 09:31

DannyW said:
Do you think that is a poor deal?

If I went and bought a brand new 125d from BMW, Would it not loose £8000 after 2 years anyway?

Not trying to hi-jack this thread btw...

Given the discounts from list in a new one it probably wouldn't lose 8k in 2 years, no. But if it did then it means buying a new one is daft but that that lease is a good option.

nas · 27 Mar 2016 at 09:37

the better option depends how much you have to repair; although its expected for a car of that age, and most cars that 6 or even 7k buys will most probably have niggles too.

Possibly avoided unless you buy something basic (approved used with warranty). So consider the position you might be in after changing, might not be plain sailing; and if small niggles annoy you then I suspect monthly payments might too when the "new car" novelty wears off

Maccapacca · 27 Mar 2016 at 09:47

If your location is correct why don't you zip car or similar.

Narj · 27 Mar 2016 at 10:04

maccapacca said:
If your location is correct why don't you zip car or similar.

Thanks fellas. Zipcar won't work I'm afraid.

Problem with my current car is I know some more expensive repairs may be on the horizon. A few recent examples: Clutch is OK but isn't very "bitey" anymore, I will need new discs soon and I seem to have an electrical issue causing the battery to drain on top of my now faulty bonnet catch which I can't open after hours of messing around. :mad:

.

It's at the stage where it's in the garage every other month and it's driving me nuts. I've almost been tempted to put it out of it's misery with a can of petrol and a few matches.

I'm just a bit concerned that it's turning into a frustrating money pit.

I use a roof rack for transporting hobby equipment but can get away with inflatable ones if need be (do this on hols with hire cars).

Diagro · 27 Mar 2016 at 14:15

Narj said:
Thanks fellas. Zipcar won't work I'm afraid.

Problem with my current car is I know some more expensive repairs may be on the horizon. A few recent examples: Clutch is OK but isn't very "bitey" anymore, I will need new discs soon and I seem to have an electrical issue causing the battery to drain on top of my now faulty bonnet catch which I can't open after hours of messing around. .

It's at the stage where it's in the garage every other month and it's driving me nuts. I've almost been tempted to put it out of it's misery with a can of petrol and a few matches. I'm just a bit concerned that it's turning into a frustrating money pit.

I use a roof rack for transporting hobby equipment but can get away with inflatable ones if need be (do this on hols with hire cars).

Part ex it for a newer car mate

HangTime · 27 Mar 2016 at 17:45

Narj said:
I only use the car a couple of times a month and typically do about 9k miles a year, however the journeys I do make tend to be long-ish motorway jaunts.

Left-field suggestion but have you considered short-term hire rather than leasing? I haven't thought it through but if you are genuinely only using it a couple of times a month then it might be worth considering. I haven't run the numbers and insurance, drop off locations etc probably a PITA but say you paid £30/day then that would come to under a grand a year.

Narj · 28 Mar 2016 at 09:40

That's sensible but impractical as I will use the car depending on the forecast the evening previous!

If going used, I was thinking Focus or maybe even a Mondeo would do me. If I'm going to have repairs at least it'll be cheaper. Just seems I've set an awkward budget but there's no point in me spending 15k for example on something I rarely use.

The other option is give up two hobbies and don't bother with a car but that's a bit extreme!

SDK^ · 28 Mar 2016 at 10:02

Going the lease route - options depends how much you want to enjoy driving.
You could get a Citroen C1 for 20p a year or a Skoda vRS for about £6k per year.

ozaudio · 28 Mar 2016 at 10:05

the bonnet catch is a common problem , get it open and spray with some WD40 or bang a load of grease over it

disks and pads weather front or back arnt expensive at all , if you fit them your self its under £50, you don't need performance stuff!

electrical problem - are the lights or brake light staying on when you leave the car? common problem is the brake switch on these.

im in the same boat - leon cupra 1.8t but I do less miles than you a year and ive already fixed that many problems and kept it well serviced, unless the engines blows up ill be keeping it till it dies, it even had a new clutch 30k miles ago so don't even expect the clutch to go any time soon either! , if you only look at your car as an appliance then just get it fixed.

Narj · 28 Mar 2016 at 10:36

ozaudio said:
the bonnet catch is a common problem , get it open and spray with some WD40 or bang a load of grease over it

Already tried that - cable is fine, I can get my hand on the safety catch but it just won't move at all. I've seen a few videos and posts about fixing it and the screwdriver to move the mechanism trick isn't working. It just seems completely jammed/seized. :confused:

I'm going to try trickle charging via the cigarette lighter socket (hoping the circuit is closed when there's no ignition) so I can get it to a mate's who's a bit more able and has more violent tools than I have.

disks and pads weather front or back arnt expensive at all , if you fit them your self its under £50, you don't need performance stuff!

I'm not a mechanical guru apart from basic stuff plus I don't have a drive/garage and I tend to work a lot of overtime. I'd rather not spend my spare time fixing the car because my time's worth more to me than that!

electrical problem - are the lights or brake light staying on when you leave the car? common problem is the brake switch on these.

Nope, no lights at all. I'd check the alternator to see if it's getting warm while off but the bonnet's stuck.

Maybe it's grime or something causing a load across some fuses.

im in the same boat - leon cupra 1.8t but I do less miles than you a year and ive already fixed that many problems and kept it well serviced, unless the engines blows up ill be keeping it till it dies, it even had a new clutch 30k miles ago so don't even expect the clutch to go any time soon either! , if you only look at your car as an appliance then just get it fixed.

Easy to say but when you don't have a lot of time off and the car plays up on the rare occasion you want to use it, it's extremely frustrating. I've already had a handful of hobby days wiped out at weekends this year because something else has gone wrong. It just feels like over the past year, things are snowballing. It's at 106K miles now. Shame as up until recently it has been great for the whole time I've owned it.

I've already dealt with a lot of the common things myself (rear washer jet, coils going etc).

Oh, and sometimes I can't get it into 1st 3rd or 5th without disengaging/re-engaging clutch in neutral. It's not often but is ringing alarm bells.
Cheers though.

It's due tax now so I'll have to get that and probably look to get rid once I've got it up and running again.

Lease or used?

Tea Drinker