Most cost effective way of buying and owning a car.

[Sortumn]

We've always followed the model our grandparents and parents used for car owning which was to buy a slightly used car and keep it until it becomes unreliable or beyond economic repair. However we might have to rethink that as cars seem to have changed.

Eg. I owned one car for 16 years, costing me only servicing, brakes and tyres and we let it go when it needed welding. Purchase cost per year eventually worked out at £687.50.
Since that car we've got a much newer car that at 8 years old developed an electrical/computer fault that no one seems capable of fixing and we're about to scrap it. Such a waste as it is mechanically sound. It feels like we've hardly owned it two minutes.

I'm wondering if with all the electrical bells and whistles and eco attic that' are now added to cars, they just don't last as long.

We're wondering if we should be scrapping our old habits? And now be letting go of cars while there's a lot of value still in them, but I really would hate making car decisions every few years..... Or is there an alternative? Old bangers with less electrical stuff to go wrong? Lease cars?

What is everyone's expectation of cars longevity these days? (that makes me sound old) And do you have a system that works?

Watching as I am also thinking about this, my 2016 Fiat has 86,000 on the clock, I’ve had it about 6 years and it’s cost me a fortune in repairs, it’s developed another odd rattle, obviously just after all the tyres have been replaced! I was hoping it had another couple of years in it, but we’ll see what the garage says.

Ideally I’d like to go electric for my next car, but the batteries only last so long don’t they..

There are quite a few variables to consider. Eg my sister and bil prefer to lease and pay a flst monthly amount but not have to pay for any servicing etc, then replace after 3 years.

Me and dh are more like you. But there's an aspect of luck of the draw. We bought a skoda, new, 10 years ago. Value today is very low but honestly, see no reason why we won't carry on driving it for at least another 5 years, if not more. Costs are negligible - touch wood, basic servicing, tyres and , weirdly, endless windscreen wiper repairs! It's also very fuel efficient.

We have a second cst which I'd a bit less reliable and costly to run but even that - I suspect we will still have a life span of close to 10 years and we bought it second hand.

but, wr dont rack up miles so I thibk that also makes a big difference.
.

Battery longevity seems to be much longer than presumed.
More electronics, modules, software you have the more to go wrong but that's the nature of cars now

I think in terms of cost effectiveness and longevity, skoda, Toyota, maybe hyandai, all have good reputations. And I have met many people with old Mercedes they have either had forever or bought second hand and THEN had forever. Ditto volvo.

Ford always seems to be more temperamental after a while. French cars have zero longevity. Honda and kia and Nissan all seem to totally depend on if you get a good one or a bad one! Audi and BMW a bit the same - i have friends who have been driving their Audi for as long as I have known them and it gives them no trouble, and others who are less keen.

Doesn't make financial sense to buy a new car and then change every few years - a new car's value depreciates most rapidly in the first few years of ownership. Depending on the car, up 35% of the value is gone in the first year. Plus, new cars do not guarantee trouble free driving. We have various cars at the moment (none newer than 2014) and my current pick is 27 years old and runs like a dream 🤷‍♀️.

My approach is the same as yours. I buy a two year old quality car for cash - avoiding the trendy ones - take good care of it and run it until it becomes unreliable. Cost is usually £1,000 p.a. plus standard services, tyres, brakes etc.

So far two Saab Aeros, which each lasted 11 years before I sold them.
Now a Volvo V40, bought July 21 and running well.

The same won't work with EVs. Unless you get a car for virtually nothing, and pay for a new battery, second hand cars won't be attractive at all.

Secondhand cars will be worth more, breaking them up and selling them for parts.

Like you, generally buy something low-mileage, expect it to get to 150k miles or 12 years, anything else is a bonus. I choose manufacturers /models known for reliability, eg Nissan, Honda, etc rather than Fiat or Citroën (although its probably not always fair!). So far its worked out well, but you always risk getting a crap one.

Second hand cars are so expensive now though, particularly compared to new cars.

Hard agree on all this. In my household we have MB, Volvo, Saab, Audi and Lexus as daily drives. None of them younger than 10 years old, all great reliable cars thay give us very little trouble. We are meticulous with research (before buying), servicing and maintenance though.

I bought a 2 year old car outright.

All these people with brand new cars. It costs them several hundred a month on Lease bank loan etc. Crazy just to have a new car.

I still think that buying a car 2 or 3 years old, ideally cash but otherwise by a normal loan, not a fancy pcp thing make more sense to me. Current car is 9 years old, I’ve had it 6 years, it has 60,000 on the clock and touch wood has been fine.

dh is driving y previous car around still and that’s 15 years old. I sold it to him for 1k 6 years ago and think he got a bargain 😁

we’ll keep them going as long s we can. Dh’s last car had over 200,000 miles on the clock before the fuel tank disintegrated.

In the early days we would buy a nearly new car and keep it for about 5yrs before trading it in.
More recently we would buy brand-new and keep for about 5yrs.
Bought our current car brand-new about 9yrs ago but as our annual milage is now so low (3k miles/pa) we will probably keep it until 10yrs and then trade-in for another new one.

Multiple vehicle household so vehicle purchases are made more frequently than it sounds.
Have always paid cash.

Buy a nearly new car for cash.
Choose a make and model known for reliabilty.
Get a FSH.
Service it regularly. Get the interval checks and maintenance done.
Take good care of it and run it to the ground.

Avoid cars that will have been bought for 'how they look' or because 'they feel safe'.

Hondas are very reliable - I had 3 over 15 years and no issues at all apart from a puncture and the AA man who helped me said he never got called out for Hondas.
I bought a pre-reg X Trail last year from a dealer for cash - only had 10 miles on it but got about 7k off it - was brand new although obviously I am the 2nd owner. I also bought a service plan. I would look for a pre-reg myself. I got a mild hybrid and the road tax is also lower than a full petrol.

We bought a 5 year old car from a dealership with plan to keep it for years and be cost effective. Then 18 months later the engine busted - cost to fix it was almost as much as the car.

We ended up selling it as a non running car for about 50% of what we paid for it and have got a very discounted lease on a new car through DH's work scheme. Honestly, because of our tax bracket this is more cost effective, which I was shocked by. We lost so much money by buying a used car... I don't want to risk it again

We buy 3yo cars and keep them until they’re 12 ish. I’ve done various maths and monthly payments for 3 years still works out far more expensive so we save and buy cash. It is the luck of the draw sometimes. Our smax was actually 14 years old when we sold it for £2k with 110k miles on the clock. Our Ford Ka is 2014 model and has 50k miles driven. It had one £800 bill 2 years ago but otherwise just services and tyres (fingers crossed). It’s perfect for dd to learn to drive in.

when we replaced the smax I went round and round trying to decide whether we should get a lease car, electric or petrol etc. ended up with a top spec vw petrol model with low mileage for £27k and paid cash. Savings are very depleted but that’s what we’d been saving for. No idea if it was financially the right decision but I do love the car.

I like new cars and like to change them regularly. PCP works well for me but people get a bit snooty about it

Agree with up thread - avoid French cars (learned that with my Renault Clio). I don’t agree with Fords though as ours have been bomb proof and repairs are cheap as you can get generic parts that fit.

I don’t get snooty, it’s just far more expensive than getting a bank loan.

I wasn’t meaning you! The beauty of PCP means you never get stuck with a car or struggle to sell it

I've just got rid of my beloved 2003 polo TDI. Bomb proof but aging.
I've got a 2012 golf TDI.
Hate it lol. So much to go wrong with the pdf.
It worries me.
I hate the things in it that tell me what to do.

My budget was small 4k.
You can't get much for that sort of money particularly where I am in rural south west.

Yes the road tax is a lovely low amount but that's about it.

Oh and it's massive.

Anyone had car regret?!!

Sorry I wasn’t having a dig, I just think most people do the maths and it’s a very expensive way to drive a car in most cases. I’ve heard of amazing deals but with current interest rates it’s not usually financially efficient way to have a car. But if it works for you then it’s not a criticism - that’s why there are options to suit everyone.

Get a used Honda with around 30k on the clock. Not a very new one as they are filled with all sorts of tech that imo is not necessary.

I have a 13 plate Civic bought for £8k that had 30k miles when I bought it (cost £8k in 2018)

I've driven it to 100k miles to date with ZERO going wrong. Nothing.

When I buy another car, it’ll be a 18/19 plate Honda for similar money on a similar mileage and I expect it’ll probably do the same- ten years with absolutely no problems whatsoever.

Those things are bomb proof.

I rate toyota

DH has a diesel avensis 2l engine with towball as sometimes has a trailer does 45mpg has done over 200k miles still fine though touchscreen for maps is a bit wonky, has had one new clutch at about 180k, still going strong
i have a yaris 110K miles doing OK needed work to handbrake for MOT but otherwise fine
always buy secondhand and for cash, start setting aside money for next car about 2 years before we think will need one so saving for Yaris replacement as we use it the most, only use big car if we actually need the estate and / or towing capacity or if we both are going out at same time Avensis anual mileage now less than 3000

did have a renault kangoo ( it is based on a van so built for high mileage) had to scrap at 225K engine failed

We generally buy one about 2-3 years old for cash then run it for for several years. A new car is not something I can generally be bothered to buy so I hope mine lasts a long time

Dpf not pdf.

I hate technology.

I don't think I belong on this thread tho. Skint!