To want a luxury car?

[lill72]

I recived an inheritance, which has given me freedow to do things I couldn't before. We don't own a car and are currently looking at a newish BMW.
Is it better to buy a newish car if you can and have it for a long time or an older car that is cheaper but higher mileage. Does the money you lose and maybe the need to sell/buy a new car sort of even it all out in the end?

Feeling guilty at maybe spending so much is difficult making a decision when I don't have a budget but the money could be spent in other ways - ie investment. thoughts?

Cornchips - Oh I wasn't meaning to imply you were being insensitive - I thought it was a nice thing you said - enjoy!

I agree - I should enjoy it, or at least some.

It just is a weird feeling getting money through sad circumstances.

Ah.... as for the car..... am appreciating all your thoughts. I never really cared about cars before this, but when you suddenly don't particularly have a budget, you start looking maybe more high end than you would have and want all the tech/comfort. Strange.

Hmmm, I really dont know what to do. The car is a 320d saloon. Boring some say. It is pretty high spec, not sport though.

More thoughts appreciated....

Oh and what is this about phasing out of 3 series? Is this true?

I was told by a bmw salesman that they are phasing out the 3 series (apart from the gt edition) to make way for the 4 series.

no BMW are not phasing out the 3 series.

A 316 is a small family hatchback with a smallish engine and having driven one, didn't find it noticeably more pleasurable than other small family hatchbacks

Small family saloon. I meant to say!

What do people think of the Tiguan? Cabin and boot space any good?

I don't think they are discontinuing the 3 series, but it seems that the 3 coupé and convertible are to be badged as 4 series.

The mainstream models will still be badged as 3 series.

www.autoexpress.co.uk/bmw/4-series

Oh and what is this about phasing out of 3 series? Is this true?

No it's complete nonsense. The 3 series coupe and convertible have been replaced by the 4 series. The 3 will continue in saloon and touring form.

, I really dont know what to do. The car is a 320d saloon. Boring some say. It is pretty high spec, not sport though

Genuinely a pretty dull car though a perfectly pleasant place to be. My money would be going on a Lexus IS. Better built, more reliable and higher spec for your money. I currently have a 3 series BTW.

I used to drive a BMW M3 and have only ever bought German. The build and interior finish is superior over many other brands. Audi decent too on the whole.
I'd never buy non German.
About to sell my Porsche if you're interested now THATs a luxury car brand...

Audi are brilliant my little TT has been my best friend for 5 yrs now and has never let me down,totally wrong for family living but I promised myself one when the last of the DCs left home before that I always drove an Audi 3 of the older style and it was a workhorse never failed to start in cold weather as did my OH's BMW,have a good shop around try looking at x-lease cars they will have been serviced for the warranty by the dealers and you will get a good buy.

The 3 series is not being discontinued. Certainly not in the next 5 years.

lill72 best advice, would to be think what size or type of car you want. A Tiguan is a mini-SUV and a very different proposition to a 3 series which is a small family saloon. It is like comparing apples and oranges. Some people prefer the ride height of a SUV and off-road styling, other people find them unwieldy. Different cars suit different people. But perhaps you need to have a closer focus on what you want out of a car.

I would start by deciding what category of car suits you best, a handy guide here: www.whatcar.com/car-advice/buying/help-me-find-a-car/3485054

This will give you a manageable number of vehicles to focus on.

Once you've decided on the category of car you are interested in, read some reviews. Rule out the models you aren't interested in and then make a list of five or six models you'd like to test drive. Think what is important to you in a car and how you see it fitting into your life.

*What are you going to use it for? Does it need to handle city centre driving as well as long distances or a daily commute?
*Will it still be fit for purpose when your children are a bit older/bigger or you have more?

*Do you want to sell it on in a few years time or do you intend to keep it til it falls apart in 15 years time? (If the latter than depreciation isn't really so much of an issue)

*How much mileage will you do in it?
*Do you want petrol/diesel? What engine size? Manual or Automatic. (Only go diesel if you are going to do a lot of mileage)

Then test drive the five or six models you are interested in, see how it feels behind the wheel, what the cabin is like to be in and how it drives. Take more than one test drive if you aren't sure.

I went to one of those big car supermarkets (not to buy they are a rip off) and tried lots of different things - sat in them, adjusted the chairs etc

it helped me choose

best car I ever had was a Mini Cooper S - I loved that baby but it was to small when we had number 3 (also loved the pre baby TT)

Least fave was a Zafira

I currently have a Kuga which is nice but will be going back to an S-Max as I need camping boot space

I like Fords a lot .

I also used to drive a Subaru RB320 which was mental

I would also try and steer clear of the German cars are well made, French cars are unreliable, Japanese cars are reliable mode of thinking. They mask a variety of experiences between different manufacturers and even different models.

For example the VW Up! was one of the most reliable cars in 2014 and the VW Passat was one of the most unreliable. They are made in different factories in different countries. The Up! in Slovakia and the Passat in Germany.

Also anecdotes about I bought 'x model and it has been great/rubbish/unreliable' should be taken with a pinch of salt, as you can simply get a duff example of a usually reliable model. Also when someone says 'my ford focus (or whatever) has been really unreliable, don't buy a Ford, we don't know what kind of use that car has had. If it has done 200k and has never been serviced then the odds are it won't be a model of reliability.

Good advice ghosty a car supermarket would allow you to try lots of different makes and models!

In terms of getting more systematic information on how have a look at last year's JD Power survey, that ranks owner satisfaction with cars and breaks it down on a number of factors.

www.autoexpress.co.uk/best-cars/driver-power/86712/best-cars-to-own-in-2014

The build and interior finish is superior over many other brands

They're good at interiors but the Jap build quality is better. Porsche have some serious reliability issues to the point that you shouldn't buy a recentish used one without having the cylinder bores inspected using a boroscope. That's before we even get onto the IMS and RMS failures that they're notorious for. You just don't get these kinds of issues with high performance Jap stuff.

My DH has had every Audi under the sun over the last 5 years. They are fab and clean cut and drive well. But unless you go for something top spec they can be souless.

I've literally just bought myself a new Mitsi Outlander. It's a proper mum wagon and I bloody love it

Not swanky by any means, but until the kids grow up and bugger off, I'm sticking with my uncool cheap wheels.

Rich you are quite right about Porsche's you better be prepared (or buy extra long warranties . Because "mum and dad" binged on motor cars rather than paying for educations for their children , They have basically owned most things from Bentleys Rolls, Porsche's Jaguars Bmw's, Lotus Carlton's Range Rovers Landcruiser's Skyline Gtr R33 (1997). But coming back to Porsche two examples of cars we had and needing to be careful a 2004 996 Turbo out of warranty Tiptronic gearbox breaks needs replacing (£6k including 25% from Porsche. 2 years ago Mums 2008 997 Turbo Cab sudden loss of water from pipes that came lose . "Engine had to be taken out" engine re inserted and other work came to £8k .

you need to be careful otherwise, you get "Bank breaking bills" for repairs.
Owning Porsche's is great until you come to swap when you realise you need a another £60-70K to trade up to the car you just had. Having said that Boxster's are great value as is the new Macan, if you can get one!.

I would love to own an Aston Martin

If you are looking for a good all-rounder then you can't go wrong with an Audi BUT it has to be the quarto for the best handling.
All my BM's where 330's or higher and as lovely, reliable as they were my Audi handles so much better as it's all wheel drive and the best fun to drive.
Luxury Porsche maybe but I had mine 6 weeks as I hated the way it handled (or didn't!).

Another vote for "don't buy a quashqai"

The sensible thing would be to buy a bmw around three years old, it makes more economic sense in terms of depreciation, than a one year old car.

An important thing to remember, the main dealerships will say you need to get your car serviced etc there, you DONT. Find yourself a good (specialised) independent garage who will most likely do a better job looking after your car, for half the price.

This is all amazing advice thank you. - Thanks for all the helpful hints and tips of how to decide what to buy and how to research etc. Helping me lots.

We have been to Cargiant, sat in a few. originally wanted an x3 but can;t justify the expense of a new model, exp as the boot isnt that big anyway.

19Lottie - what would be the diff in 1 ro 3 years?

We are test driving a 2014 on the weekend.

Is a one year car still under warranty and no MOT an advantage over a 3 year old car?