Advice needed on new car (A4/Giulia/XE/3series) and on leasing

EdwardTeach

EdwardTeach

EdwardTeach

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We need to replace our car (volvo v70) as its about 20yrs old and starting to get very noisy and bits are falling off (tailpipe)!

I inherited current car from my dad, so this will be the first time I have ever bought (or leased) a car. I feel that we have done a form of penance for many years with the old volvo, and it would be good to get something reasonably decent.

The kind of cars I was considering include A4, Jag XE, Alfa Romeo Giulia, BMW 3 series and would be open for other suggestions.

Our budget is ~£300/month and we are not keen to pay too much up front.

Our mileage is genuinely very low. I would estimate under 5k. I live very close to work, so on a typical week we are only covering under 20 miles. A few times a year we will drive a few hundred miles to visit parents/family. For this reason, fuel economy is not an issue. Also for this reason we are not interested in diesels.

I have looked at the various finance options for getting a car, and I am quite attracted by leasing as in some cases it seems to offer the lowest monthly payments and lowest deposits.

A friend recommended stable vehicle contracts for audi’s:

https://www.stablevehiclecontracts.co.uk/audi-leasing

They seem to be fairly reasonable, you can get a black edition A4 for £289 with a 1 month deposit.

I cant find anything close to this price for the other cars I am interested in. I test drove the Giulia, and really liked it, but the cheapest deals I am seeing are around £100 more with substantial deposits.



Can any of you recommend a lease company for Jags, Alfas or BMW’s that have comparable pricing?



Is there any website/ forum that I could use to keep up to date with the latest leasing deals?



Any other cars I should be considering?



Any major drawbacks to leasing that I should be aware of?
 
If you do such little mileage why spend £300 a month on a car?

If I was doing under 5k to work and back and the odd longer journey I wouldn't be spending it on a 3 series BMW/Jag etc.

Leasing is all about good timing/good luck to get a great deal. Whilst it can appear hassle free motoring, for sub 5k mileage I wouldn't consider leasing.

For refernce I lease my car and wife's car but different situation and 2 very cheap deals because I was totally flexible in the make/model/colour of my cars etc - Just whatever was in stock, on a great deal and took it.
 
Because occasionally we do these longer journeys (hertfordshire to Durham & and hertfordshire to Brighton), and currently they are very noisy and unpleasant. Obviously we do other trips and visit friends etc, but overall the annual mileage will be low.

As I say we have doing penance in the old car for years (saving a lot of money in the process), so it would be nice to have something pleasant to drive.
 
booyaka said:
Leasing is all about good timing/good luck to get a great deal. Whilst it can appear hassle free motoring, for sub 5k mileage I wouldn't consider leasing.

For refernce I lease my car and wife's car but different situation and 2 very cheap deals because I was totally flexible in the make/model/colour of my cars etc - Just whatever was in stock, on a great deal and took it.
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What would you do instead of leasing (if you were me!)

How did you hear about the deals you have on your cars?
 
I just ordered the A4 Black Edition with Tech Pack (Virtual Cockpit, Wide/Touch MMI) 10k on a 1+23 @ £310pm

Quite a good price I thought! Funnily enough from Stable VC.

Lead time is quite high though, looking at SEP/OCT for the factory order.
 
Stable vehicle contracts just got a load of A4 Black Editions in stock, 1.4 TSI engine though, 2 week lead time. Not sure what engine/sort of performance you are after though the 1.4 TSI does have 150hbp so it wont be that slow and will do 50mpg.
 
EdwardTeach said:
But we are wanting to keep hold of our savings, and handle it purely out of cash flow.
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Sounds like all the more reason to buy then. You'd be spending over £9,500 (assuming £300 a month on a 9+23, and not including fees and maintenance) with nothing at the end of it except another deposit to pay. At least if you bought something with that same £10k you'd have something left after 2 years to sell on or exchange.
 
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Spunkey said:
Sounds like all the more reason to buy then. You'd be spending over £9,500 (assuming £300 a month on a 9+23, and not including fees and maintenance) with nothing at the end of it except another deposit to pay. At least if you bought something with that same £10k you'd have something left after 2 years to sell on or exchange.
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It was with an initial payment of 1month, monthly payments of 289, with a processing fee of 300, so I make it around 7500?
 
EdwardTeach said:
I

It was with an initial payment of 1month, monthly payments of 289, with a processing fee of 300, so I make it around 7500?
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very few deals with 1 month down only. Normally 6 months, maybe 3 but obviously the monthies are more the less you put down.

I just subscribe to a load of mail lists from various lease providers online.
 
booyaka said:
very few deals with 1 month down only. Normally 6 months, maybe 3 but obviously the monthies are more the less you put down.

I just subscribe to a load of mail lists from various lease providers online.
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I'm just basing this on the calculator on the stable vehicle contract website. The monthlies go down to £250 ish with bigger up front payments. Do have a look, I linked the site in the op. It could be that I am misunderstanding how it works.
 
Some people just want to be in a nice new car without doing too many financial somersaults about if its good or bad value. If he's willing to consider £300 a month on a lease, with low mileage, all power to him.
 
As above, at the milage your doing you could take a loan with lower monthly payments from your bank, buy an approved used 3 series (or similar) with a warranty, and be in a better position when you come to get your next car.

I was going to go for lease when I got my car in 2016 - in the end I got a 320i with a good spec (heated leather, big alloys etc) on 25kish miles, 1 owner, from a dealer (approved used) for under £12k - by the time I've had it 3 years it will still be worth £8k (maybe) private sale I think, or will be a nice part-ex if I can convince my misses I deserve that Porsche....
 
On a different point, one of the potentially big downsides of a lease is that adding options is comparatively much more expensive than doing so on a PCP as they won't allow any additional residual value for them, you pay full whack. Presumably this is because they pretty much job lot the cars at auction and so treat them all as identical cars.

This is irrelevant if the deal is on a well specced standard model but it does mean you need to be a bit cautious, especially as sometimes seemingly simple or basic features end up as optional extras.
 
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