Soldato
- Joined
- 18 Mar 2010
- Posts
- 4,222
Following some suggestions in the leasing thread, I am now considering getting a second-hand car, instead of leasing. My budget is approximately 15k.
(repeating from old thread): 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 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- by which I mean fun to drive with a bit of luxury.
(In the leasing thread I mentioned previously that we were keen to keep hold of our savings. We could either take out a cheap personal loan for the bulk of the cash, which would keep monthly payments ~£300, or we will “borrow” the money from ourselves, and just commit to putting an equivalent amount back into savings).
I have been focussing on BMW 3-series now. (Still open to other suggestion). Of the cars in a similar category, I am not a big fan of the older A4’s and think Merc’s are a bit dull. (Also don’t want another Volvo as I want something different). Obviously, cars like the XE and Giulia are way too new to be available second hand in my price bracket. I would be happy something bigger than a 3series, but my wife is a newish driver and would find something bigger a bit off putting.
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.
Looking on autotrader:
320i’s - For my budget I could get fairly low mileage 2014 320i.
328i – there are several under 14k from 2012 with mileage 22 -60k+
335i’s – there are a few 2012-13 335’s in my budget with mileage 40k+, but I think it will probably be a stretch to get a 335 within budget.
I am going to a dealer tomorrow, where I should be able to drive examples of all 3.
As mentioned previously, I have not bought a car before so really don’t know the ins and outs and would welcome some advice, (hidden costs, problems to look out for etc). (This is one of the reasons leasing was appealing!)
1. How much emphasis would you put on mileage vs age?
2. What are the likely service costs for a 4-6yr old BMW?
3. Would you suggest taking out a warranty to protect against these costs? I went and drove a 320 coupe today, and the dealer was offering a AA Gold Extended warranty – £899 for 3years. I was also offered SMART insurance, GAP protection and a Williams ceramic coating – I don’t know if any of these things are worthwhile?
4. It has been suggested that I should look at approved used – what is the benefit of this? They seem a bit more expensive.
5. There are services where you can pay a mechanic to come and inspect a car. Is this something you would recommend?
(repeating from old thread): 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 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- by which I mean fun to drive with a bit of luxury.
(In the leasing thread I mentioned previously that we were keen to keep hold of our savings. We could either take out a cheap personal loan for the bulk of the cash, which would keep monthly payments ~£300, or we will “borrow” the money from ourselves, and just commit to putting an equivalent amount back into savings).
I have been focussing on BMW 3-series now. (Still open to other suggestion). Of the cars in a similar category, I am not a big fan of the older A4’s and think Merc’s are a bit dull. (Also don’t want another Volvo as I want something different). Obviously, cars like the XE and Giulia are way too new to be available second hand in my price bracket. I would be happy something bigger than a 3series, but my wife is a newish driver and would find something bigger a bit off putting.
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.
Looking on autotrader:
320i’s - For my budget I could get fairly low mileage 2014 320i.
328i – there are several under 14k from 2012 with mileage 22 -60k+
335i’s – there are a few 2012-13 335’s in my budget with mileage 40k+, but I think it will probably be a stretch to get a 335 within budget.
I am going to a dealer tomorrow, where I should be able to drive examples of all 3.
As mentioned previously, I have not bought a car before so really don’t know the ins and outs and would welcome some advice, (hidden costs, problems to look out for etc). (This is one of the reasons leasing was appealing!)
1. How much emphasis would you put on mileage vs age?
2. What are the likely service costs for a 4-6yr old BMW?
3. Would you suggest taking out a warranty to protect against these costs? I went and drove a 320 coupe today, and the dealer was offering a AA Gold Extended warranty – £899 for 3years. I was also offered SMART insurance, GAP protection and a Williams ceramic coating – I don’t know if any of these things are worthwhile?
4. It has been suggested that I should look at approved used – what is the benefit of this? They seem a bit more expensive.
5. There are services where you can pay a mechanic to come and inspect a car. Is this something you would recommend?
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