Help with Lease/ Long(ish) Term Hire

Bes

Bes

Soldato
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Hi there

We are about to have our first child, and with everything surrounding lockdown, restrictions on public transport, risks with a new baby, and so on, we are considering leasing or hiring a vehicle for the medium term.

We live in inner London, and use Zipcar today, but availability of a vehicle when we need it is becoming an increasing problem due to elevated demand.

We are also likely leaving the UK early next year, so don't want to be tied in to a long contract.

Looking at long term hires (6, 9 etc months), they look very very expensive. 12- month leases seem to be a bit better per month, but by the time you consider the fact we will hand the car back early and no doubt have to pay out the rest of the lease, again, it looks expensive.

What would you do in our situation?

Thanks!
 
Soldato
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As above, buy something cheap ish with recent MOT, run as long as you need, trade it in at WBAC or something to get shot of it at a moment's notice when you no longer need it - whilst they're not likely to be super competitive on value, they are useful for a 'get rid quick and hassle free' service.
 

Bes

Bes

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Thanks guys- do you think the rumoured VAT cut will mean there is additional downward pressure on S/H cars? As dealers will slash prices of new models etc
Thanks
 
Soldato
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When I had a few months gap between lease cars (delayed delivery) I used rentals and swapped every month. Most of them only allow 28 day or so hires at reasonable prices, so I would hire for a month then take it back and swap. There was a cooling off period between month long rentals. So I would take back an Enterprise car and walk across the road and rent a Sixt for the next 28 days for example. Then the opposite at the end of that month.

It cost me an hour of my time a month but made it way cheaper. In fact, when you consider it was unlimited mileage and saved on maintenance etc it actually wasn’t very expensive at all vs leasing.

Edit - I think I actually did this for 27 day periods as my excess insurance only covered hires of less than 28 days. So I was also driving around with £0 excess.
 
Man of Honour
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Thanks guys- do you think the rumoured VAT cut will mean there is additional downward pressure on S/H cars? As dealers will slash prices of new models etc
Thanks

It's not a material enough amount to make any real difference to used prices.
 

Bes

Bes

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Thanks everyone - I think we are going to look for a used car up to maybe £3,000-£4,000 (We don't want to drive something that is ready for the knacker's yard)... with the aim of 'losing' no more than say £500 on re-sale (A lease would be at least £300 a month for anything Golf- sized) assuming we sell February 2021.
It needs to be something that we can drive in the London ULEZ.

My other half is now researching based purely off aesthetics and has decided at that price she is only interested in a Honda Civic, Vauxhall Astra or a Seat Leon. Everything else is 'too ugly'.

I'd appreciate any opinions on buying one of those - i.e. should we avoid one particular brand? Which is the best drive? (I am not going to go and test them all, I will just test drive whatever we decide to buy).

We are not going to be doing that many miles - more driving around London with perhaps the odd staycation/family visit over the late summer and autumn, so the odd 3-5 hour motorway drive thrown in for good measure.

I was thinking something like this:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201912195468549?advertising-location=at_cars&make=SEAT&price-to=3500&radius=20&sort=price-desc&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=Used&maximum-mileage=125000&model=LEON&page=1

Or

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202003168498229?advertising-location=at_cars&make=HONDA&price-to=3000&radius=20&sort=price-desc&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=Used&maximum-mileage=125000&model=CIVIC&page=1

or
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...chad=Used&make=VAUXHALL&sort=relevance&page=1


All opinions appreciated - thanks!
 
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Bes

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Thanks but we can't go electric due to on-road parking and the need to drive circa 200 miles to my mum's house every now and then
 

GeX

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I bought pretty much the same Civic when my daughter was born. Massive boot for the class of car, great for pram etc.
I specifically wanted a 1.8 petrol, but as you're not keeping it long - have you looked at the diesel? It's a solid engine, no DPF iirc to go wrong and when I was looking they were always cheaper than the petrol versions.
 

Bes

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We are really liking the look of the circa £3K civics (esp with the glass roof). Thanks for the comments.
I am not sure the Diesel is a good idea considering the ULEZ in London I was erring towards the petrol.

What is the Mazda 3 like? They look good and seem well priced.
 

GeX

GeX

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Aye, mine's an ES - so has the glass roof, auto lights/wipers, cruise control etc.
If you do look at one with the glass roof, check that the blinds work properly. It's a costly thing to fix as the headliner needs to come out.
I'm not sure ULEZ in London, but thought I'd put that out there as I was seeing them in the same condition as the petrols but £1k odd less.
 

Bes

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Aye, mine's an ES - so has the glass roof, auto lights/wipers, cruise control etc.
If you do look at one with the glass roof, check that the blinds work properly. It's a costly thing to fix as the headliner needs to come out.
I'm not sure ULEZ in London, but thought I'd put that out there as I was seeing them in the same condition as the petrols but £1k odd less.
Thanks, I'm eyeballing a couple on Autotrader as we speak :)

How do you find road noise on the motorway? That seems to be the main gripe I have seen on a few review sites. Apparently its a lot worse than its peers from VW, Nissan, Ford, etc.

Thanks!
 

Bes

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We found a very tidy example at a dealer near us £2995 1 owner BUT no service history for the last 35,000 miles (Possibly because it was serviced locally and not at dealerships in the latter half of its life)? but no receipts for the last few years. Has about 6 dealer stamps in the years before that. It's an ES model too and an 09 facelift and recent MOT.

I've asked to see it tomorrow but I am put off by the lack of servicing evidence. It's only had one owner from new though (The dealer bought it from a dealership, not directly off the owner so cannot verify the SH outside what is recorded).

They are selling it with a dealer 3 month warranty and a year's AA cover. I am thinking, if it drives well - clutch, brakes, etc feel ok and it looks good, AND they are willing to give me a longer guarantee, it could be an alright buy.

Am I mad to consider it?
 

GeX

GeX

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Given they have a chain rather than cam belt, I'd not really care that much.
Check the MOT history, that's usually a good indication of how it's been treated and can be done online.
Road noise on the motorway is fine, it's never going to as quiet as a luxobarge but it's not an issue.
I would describe the general handling as more "crashy" over bumps as the shell is quite rigid; I'd favour smaller wheels so you've got more sidewall on the tyres.
Again though, it wasn't enough to put me off and it's been a great family car for the past couple of years now.
 
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