If you had a budget for a nice car let's say Tesla would you still drive and old car?

[Haloween]

I am just wondering what people will do in this situation. I have saved up for a nice car but I am thinking of buying an old car probably over 10 years old and get more experience before buying the Tesla I have always dreamt of as I am a new driver. What do others do in this situation?

@GreyCloudsLooming Have you ever driven a better car? Of course you can tell the difference! Build quality, interior finishes, how it drives over less good road surfaces and essentially a better car makes lots of us happy. No need to buy new. Plenty 1 year old are better value. It’s about appreciating something better in your life that gives you pleasure. My cars give me lots of enjoyment!

I drive a 16 year old Yaris. Still in great condition. I could afford to spend £50000 on a new car but I dont want to. I am just not interested in cars.

If cars are your thing, it’s ok to spend your money on it. You just need to look at the practicalities.

can you afford repair costs and all other costs?
do you have a house because the money would be better spent there - then Tesla.
how new of a driver are you because they do accelerate quicker than a typical car and “can you handle it?” I’ve been driving 20 years but when I got my 300bhp hybrid I did thrash it for the first few months from pure joy and excitement.
what will you do when the novelty wears off?

It sounds like you want to prioritise a car and everyone is different with what is important to them. I have a Tesla OP. Go for it. They’re nice to drive.

Check out a BYD Seal.
new to market, long warranties and they looks really nice .

We could afford flashy cars but we have a 9 year old Suzuki. We tend to buy them outright at about 3 years old then drive them till they die. It means you don’t have to worry about them getting bumped or scratched either!

Just bought a Volvo c 40 electric, 2 years old, £20k and bugger all mileage. It has lots of fancy stuff, very safe, and no money to musk the fucking git.

I would never buy a Tesla.

I could buy a different similarly priced car but I wouldn't because a car is just a thing to get me from A to B. And I like not feeling precious about my car. And I love having a car small I can always fit it into a parking space, even the one everyone else is avoiding. And I am just not a fan of conspicuous consumption.

But clearly plenty of people do. Thats why Musk got so disgustingly rich.

I've got enough cash in the bank to buy a Tesla outright but wouldn't. I think cars are a waste of money and drive a 10yo Ford.

Zero interest ever in a Tesla. If I had more money I’d like a nice BMW. I’m still driving my reliable old 7 seater even though my kids are older now, 2 of them with their own cars.

I wouldn’t buy a Tesla if I was Midas, but nor do I see the point in spending a fortune on a car unless you a) spend all day every day in it, b) need a specific car for a purpose ie: towing a horse box or going off road or c) literally have more money than you could ever spend.

Tesla - no way

another expensive new electric car possibly

or a 3 to 5 year old car as I think that’s usually the sweet spot in terms of cost and reliability

I mean it’s wasting money in that spend per mile is much more over its life than if you bought the same car second hand - but many people waste money on things like hair cuts and make up or eating out or boring holidays - to my way of thinking it’s wasted as not necessary like food or heating or a roof over your head , so it totally depends on the pleasure you would get which is utterly personal choice

Haha same! I live in rural Lincolnshire, which is just one big pothole really 🤣🥴

Yes, and I do. I have a 12 year old Ford Focus. Cars are a depreciating "asset". I only ever spend the minimum on them and leasing is, IMO, simply throwing money down the drain.

We bought a Tesla 5 years ago- when Musk wasn’t quite as much of an asshole, I love driving it. We bought another EV 3years ago - I love driving it less. My kids have cheaper cars - they are less pleasant to drive but they can’t afford anything better.
We have spare cash and we need to drive a lot, the Tesla is lovely to drive, we enjoy it. Is it worth it - we have no regrets (apart from Musk) I think it’s a very personal decision but on MN everyone apparently drives a cheap run around.

There isn’t anything wrong with it, you can spend your money on whatever you like.

But as someone who lives rurally, regularly drives down bumpy farm tracks and has to pull into hedges multiple times a week to let tractors and lorries past, spending thousands on a new car just seems silly.

My car is 10 years old, drives perfectly and has never failed an MOT. It’s also filthy, covered in scratches and minor dings from branches and stones hitting the paintwork.

IME, brand new cars are waste of money. They lose a huge amount of value the second you drive them off the forecourt and will get just as filthy and scratched as an old car, except you don’t care when it’s an old car.

Tesla is really gimmicky, with a huge screen that you can see other cars about etc and you drive it differently to the way you drive other brands (you take your foot off the accelerator and the car moves to stop, indicators are touch screen etc). You have to make the decision yourself as it’s a big step. I hate it myself but if you’ve saved for it and really really want it then I’d go for it

eta I never subscribe to the ‘new cars depreciate’ idea- we had a new car years ago and not having any issues for about five years was totally worth it, plus we got free servicing for three. When we traded in we got a decent deal with our next car because of it

Not a Tesla, but I like driving a nice car. I buy a pre-reg or ex demonstrator with cash every four years. My current car had 20 miles on the clock and £7k off the list price.

I might be a bit of a sceptic but I think there's much more obsolescence built in to new cars these days which rely on technology in a way that older cars don't.

Still, I like driving a new car and I am happy to spend my money on one, the safety and comfort features are much enhanced.

Do not buy a used Tesla we have a second hand one just cost us £3k to fix the suspension they wanted £4k but managed to get them down. Plus £700 for tyres. Local mechanics can’t fix them any work needs to go through Tesla it’s all done through an app and you need to wait weeks for them to fix it.

I lease these days, far less hassle and I don’t worry about something happening to it. I’ve had a few Volvos on lease, current one is electric, not found the software glitchy at all. Next one might be a Polestar, same ultimate owner Geely. Don’t care about the Chinese ownership, I care far more about the safety, comfort and performance.

I wouldn’t buy a secondhand electric car due to battery life.

Love my Tesla. You will save a lot of money on fuel by going electric.

it’s horses for courses. I’ve spoken to several people who have it had a Tesla, and they all say “not a car for a keen driver”. So they’d suit some people and not others.
If I had that kind of money, I’d buy an old 911 or a classic mini that’s been retro-converted to EV. There are some stunners about…

While I generally agree with you, given the amount of battery issues there seem to be with electric cars I think I’d prefer to lease than buy those until they get more reliable.

My current car is still going strong, though, so perhaps by the time it dies I will think differently.

I love my 17 year old Lexus hybrid. My husband asks often if I want to replace her. No I do not!
If and when I do it certainly won’t be for a Tesla.

I’d never touch a Tesla, but I love my current car and pay quite a lot per month for it.