Hi all,
I use to car to commute to work, roughly 500 miles a week (not paid for by work), and I'ts almost all on motorways. I have 2 dogs so I'd need something with a big boot/estate. The question is, should I go for a newish car or something older. I was set for spending a couple of grand but I didn't know if I should spend more money for something newer, or is this a waste given the miles I'd be doing ?
Cheers
Rich
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2.0 Mondeo estate
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is that a new one or an old one ?? petrol or diesel ??
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I think £2k might mean a mature car, although the current Mondeo is a runout model....
">petrol or diesel ??<" Power (relatively) and reliability or driving around in a cloud of black smoke?
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I'm in an identical situation to you, only have 2 children in lieu of your dogs.
I'm going for the nearly new option so that if I do hit problems on the motorway, there SHOULD be a decent manufacturer warranty to back me up. Buying newer also means that bigger bills SHOULD be at some point in the future when the car has done >70k miles and not next week.
I also want to maximise my chances of survival if things go wrong at 70, and I assume a newer car will help me with this.
Either way, buying a car will rarely be a sound financial investment.
--
Top Turkey - the fastest hands in Brum
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I very much doubt that you'd be anything but a splattered mess if you hit something at 70mph, no matter what car you drive.
My take on the warranty thing is that you either go for a nearly-new car for the warranty, or you cut your losses and buy a <£2K "banger". The ages in the middle are the ones with the biggest potential pitfall -- a sizeable investment, but no backing behind it. Think about what happens if an engine fails -- on a nearly new car, you're covered, because the warranty should replace it. On an old car, worst case scenario you lose most of your £1500, not a huge deal. On a £5000, 3-year-old car you end up having to pay the money, potentially running into thousands, because of the investment you've put in.
This is the crux of the reason I tend to favour Korean cars -- at £3000 they still have a sizeable chunk of warranty left. A £5000 Mondeo? Potentially an absolute money pit, in common with any car of that price out of warranty.
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I agree with Jase1 - either warranty or bangernomics. There's another element to this though - assuming you can afford to go with the warranty option, do you buy new or nearly-new?
I think that depends on the make of car and how well it's going to hold its value. I'd never buy a new Ford or Vauxhall, as they drop quickly and there are lots of nearly-new ones around. But for cars like ours - Mercedes and Mini - we bought new because there really wasn't much of a saving on a nearly-new one. And you also avoid the risk of getting one that's been caned, or been got rid of because it was a troublesome one (or both of those).
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