£50k to spend on a family car. Go!

[themainline]

Anyone know anything about cars? We live in central(ish) London and have never needed one until now with the arrival of our second child.

Car needs to be big enough for 2 car seats to fit comfortably at the back plus a big boot for the double buggy and Ddog. Will probably only use it to do the weekly shop plus day trips out of London from time to time.

We are paying cash (as opposed to getting it on finance) does that give us any bargaining power when buying a car?

Do not get a diesel as there will be a higher congestion charge soon (you have to check on old petrols too). I’m gonna aim 15-20k for 2nd hand 7 seater C4 grand spacetourer if we have a 3rd dc. I find that you get quite good value for low mileage 1-3 year old second hands.

Do check car seat compatibility (maxi cosi have it on their website) as not all seats fit all cars - probably worth taking the car seats along and seeing if they can fit before committing to buy.

Mine was around that. BMW X5 I'm happy with it and when I change next year will get the same. Mine was a year old and had around 3,000 miles. It is the sporty version M something or other.

You could go for the Honda CRV hybrid. The range looks crap but the battery constantly recharges so you can actually travel quite far using the electric engine.
But for occasional use it does seem like a huge waste of money.

I wouldn't bother with 4x4 type vehicles (unless you're going big, like a Disco or Landcruiser) because as voluminous as the boots space is, it tends to be shallow and tall, rather than deep - no good really for buggies and dogs, not enough actual floor space. I have a Disco (changed from an FL2, purely because the boot space in the latter was as I described), which I love, but I only have one child and no dogs. An estate would be your best bet, and with your budget, you have a huge choice. I'd steer away from diesel, dpf issues will appear if you only do lots of short or slow journeys. Hybrid of electric would be best in London I guess?

judashascomeintomoney a finance option gives a second finance stream but they don’t make MORE money by selling the loan they simply bring forward that profit so they can take it immediately . By definition whoever is buying the loan is going to take some of the profit.

I promise you the showroom will love a cash buyer.

@AlbertWinestein lol. I wasn't thinking London. I'd never drive in London btw. Public transportation is awesome there anyway. I don't even know how to parallel park a car.

Jesus Christ. Get a ten year old Ford Focus estate for £5k and put the rest of the money in the bank. There. End of thread.

Buy one for 5 to 10k and enjoy my life

Rich folk are despised on MN. Haven't you figured that out by now OP?

Anyway, car wise xc60 or q5 are good bets. I also like the look of the jaguar f pace.

Maybe also bmw tough the snob in me doesn't like them for their association with certain types sniffs snootily 🤣

I don’t despise rich people, I could buy several 50k cars and stack them up in one of the back fields if I felt like it but I’m neither a mug nor an idiot.

Join Zipcar, donate the remaining £49,500 to charity

Electric - a nice big one, no idea what there is but diesel is on the way out

Why the obsession with 10 year old Ford Focus Estates? I wouldn’t want one if I had £50k to spend because chances are it’s got loads of miles on the clock and would go wrong all the time. Some of us need more relatable cars because of our circumstances.

Volvos are boring as fuck.

SUCH a lazy argument to say people are "jealous".

I couldn't be less jealous if I tried. The last thing I'd ever want to be in my life is a flash, environmentally reckless yuppie who thinks paying their fair share of tax is obscene.

Having just bought a second hand car with cash, I second what people are saying about finance. Sales want finance as that is where they make their money. Why on earth would you spend 50k ???? I agree £15,000 tops. Go for a good reliable brand like Golf estate or Ford Focus.

How so Ursula?

Skoda Octavia is amazing for boot size, reliability ( we had one years ago then had to get a rubbish seven seater), but for the dog I'd say it's a no goer, wo u ldn't you need one of those estate-y cars?

50k? Don’t be ridiculous. What a waste of money and I say that as someone who likes nice cars.

50k would almost stretch to a tesla

prius plug in hybrid would be my choice or a pure electric car if you mainly use it in the city.

Love my Kia Sorento-its a 7 seater so fits three children and a dog and friends as necessary

Please dont buy a Chelsea tractor for central London! You wont be able to park it and it takes up too much space on the road. Nice Volvo or Golf estate should do it . No need to spend £50k as colossal waste of money. Put the change away for the ever increasing school fees!

Do not buy brand new, depreciation as soon as you roll off the forecourt ensures it is not worth it. 50k is a huge amount and thinking London, big cars dont work unless you like being a Joneses as showing off with a big flashy SUV and are happy to have issues with parking and congestion and the ULEZ/LEZ charges. I would stick to a smaller SUV like the T-ROC or similar. If you really want to spend that 50k then maybe a hybrid?

God, if I had a massive budget like that AND lived in a city, I'd definitely go for electric!

LOL

If I had 50K I’d pay my mortgage off.

I’ve never spent more than £1500 for a car. I’ve a nice MPV but... it’s a car!