To think £15K is excessive to spend on a car?

[SunflowerOwl]

DH and I seem to disagree massively over what a 'reasonable' budget is for our new car.

Our requirements are that it will last us a good 10-15 years so not too old (I cant be doing with having to car shop again in a few years time!), is safe and has a big boot as we have a large pram and a dog.

Every car he sends me that he likes seems to be in the region of £15K whereas I was thinking we would need to spend half of that! He tells me I'm out of touch and that's just what decent cars cost these days.

Is this true? Is this really what the average family spend on a family car?!

What does pre-reg mean sorry?
Dealers register new cars with them as the first owner sometimes to meet a sales target from the manufacturer. You get a new car (delivery miles) but you’re not the first owner as the dealer owned it first. They sell at a discount as their margin would be less than the cost of not hitting the target.

What does pre-reg mean sorry?
I bought a pre-reg car. It had 13 miles on the clock when I picked it up and 10% off the list price!
Some are also ex-demo models and have more miles but usually still very low and no more than 6 months old.

I have a VW Jetta that was bought in 2009, it's a 2008 model, in that time we haven't spent much on it beyond regular servicing and it has a boot I could lie down in. Not sure of the current price but sounds like £15k would get something two/three years old. It does 60mpg on a long run too!

@JudgeJ another Jetta lover. I bought mine 3 years ago at 12k miles on the clock but a 14 plate so was great condition and it was £10.5k. Automatic. The boot, as you say, is amazing!!!

@MissCruellaDeVil

Are people really that thick that they don't understand if people didn't buy new cars, they wouldn't be able to buy second hand ones a few years down the line, you can have mine once I've scuffed the alloys, used the warranty up and added a few bumps and scrapes along the paintwork.

You live up to your name I see.

Thanks @DynamoKev @emmathedilemma

Sounds like a bargain, will look out for these.

How long is a piece of string? Mine cost about £14k second hand. Our second car was more like £5k.

We always buy cheap and generally we still win. My last car was £800 and did 3 years with no repairs needed, then the head gasket was going. We've just picked up an 07 plate S-Max for £1000, but got £300 scrap for the old Mondeo, so it's cost us £700.

Flev

Careful, there will be someone along soon to tell you how unreliable your car is, when we have both experienced the reliability and low running costs of the Octavia. Over the years, we have taken ours on 2 week trips across Europe, averaging over 50mpg. They may not be the flashiest car, but they are comfortable and dependable.

I've been looking on auto trader within a 60 mile radius of us, filters just set to less than 5 years old with low mileage (plus estate/petrol) and I'm getting results around the £8/9K mark so perhaps there may be a middle ground here... Skodas seem like a good bet.

Another Octavia fan here! Paid £13500 for a 19 plate last year. It's a work horse. And the kit is decent too

I have a Renault Zoe, it cost 28k so your probably being a bit unrealistic with 7.5k

Sometimes the economics are better to spend more and make it last. Go second hand and get the best estate you can afford. I got a 3 year old bmw 5 series at just over £20k. 3 liter Diesel engine, should last me 15 years I hope!!

Japanese also good for longevity - Hyundai Santa Fe (not that fun but should last forever!)

Inspired by this thread (and the fact my skip on wheels broke down and cost us £100 again this weekend) I have searched for something similar to my s-Max but newer and not so shit. The cheapest I can find is approx £14k. Where on earth do people get the money to buy cars like this!? I don't know anyone who has that kind of money spare.

Depends what you need and what you can afford. My last 2 cars have all cost more than that because I need certain features. They have both lasted 10 years. Taking delivery of my latest purchase in a few weeks and am expecting it to last at least 10 years.

@MrsKoala they take out loans. On the drip, as we say in these parts 😄

If you're looking for it to last 10-15 years, I'd say £15k is reasonable.

Do you mean £15k to buy it outright with no loan? If so, I think you would have to get one that is a few years old or a smaller one.

We bought out car £1,800 over 5 years ago. It's 16 years old now.
The paint is peeling, it's covered in scratches where people hit and run in car parks, it's different shades of red where the paint has faded. But...
It has never has any mechanical issues, never costs me much when serviced, and I'm expecting it to last me many more years.
I would never spend £15,000 on a car.

@MrsKoala finance mostly. It's not unusual for the cars where I work to cost more than my house

Count yourself lucky if you find a decent size car for that price. A friend of mine has just ordered a new car for £70,000.
£15,000 sounds like a bargain compared to that 😂

We have had our past 2 cars on a 3 year lease from new (Octavia at the mo ) and the next one will be lease too. They tend to be a good spec, any trouble they go back, service etc included, pay same amount every month, simples

I recently traded in my ancient Focus (21 years old!) for a 2 year old Jazz, 5000 miles on the clock, for £10k.

I got £250 for the old Focus, which was still going strong, and it’s not been scrapped - dh had a nose online and found that someone’s still driving it.🙂

You need to buy something safe and reliable and £15k would buy you a Volvo XC60 D4 on an 18 plate with low miles, with handy things like power opening tailgate handy for the the pram and large dog whilst your hands are full. The safest family car on the market and 18k or 2 year service intervals excellent fuel economy. You'll realise why your husband was being wise...and don't buy a Skoda, unless your husband wears socks with Sandals, and neither of you have a personality. Good cars but only for very bland people. Buy a Volvo, at least test drive and tell me why I am wrong!?

[quote PawsQueen]@MrsKoala finance mostly. It's not unusual for the cars where I work to cost more than my house [/quote]
I remember when I joined the NCT group all the other couples had shiny new cars and we had an old banger. One of them told me she paid more on her repayments than on her mortgage I don't know anyone though now who does that here. It was in MK which is like a Mecca for car worshippers.