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?!

We upgrade every few years. Say 3, 4. Many of my friends do, it's not that traumatic. So you wanting to keep it for 10+ years seems OTT. £15k is a very good price to pay for a very good 2nd hand car.

I bought a Hyundai hybrid last month. Very very pleased.

Mazdas are really good cars that are quite reasonable money too. I have had a few and they are my favourite brand. The Mazda 6 is a lovely car- estate.

We now tend to buy new as you get dealer deposit contributions and lower apr (if going down the finance route) and not having the worry of costly repairs for a while.

Have a look for a three year old ex mobility Toyota from a fleet auction. Ours cost approx £7.5 k almost 10 years ago. I’m still driving it and it has been the best car I’ve ever owned. I’d buy a Toyota in your situation.

We paid around 20k for a VW passatt about 6 years ago. It was under a year old at the time. High spec but good prices because model was changing.

We still have it. And we will keep it as long as its not costing us any money (well apart from normal wear and tear).

For what you want, your DH's budget is more reasonable and even then you may struggle.

Some people never grow up and obsess over "finishes and tyres " like teenagers despite being middle aged. All it takes is a vandal in a supermarket, a dodgy garage, an accident, freak mechanical issue and your cash goes up in smoke.

I dont care about status symbols, if people want to spend 15 k on a look at me car as they drive down the road with no one giving 2 hoots fair enough. You can get reliable cars for under 2k , what else is a car for other than transportation. Id prefer to spend the cash on other stuff

@JinglingHellsBells I don't think I'm out of touch as the OP thinks that £15k is too expensive for a family estate car that she wants to last for 10-15 years, whereas her DH thinks this is a reasonable amount. My point was that I spent £12k on a 6 month old basic VW polo last year. So whilst you can spent £1K on a VW polo it would suggest that it might not last another 10-15 years which is what the OP was asking.

I've seen a few comments that I am ridiculous in spending so much on my DD's 1st car all I will say is that everyone cuts their cloth accordingly.

OP you might want to check out www.euroncap.com excellent website for checking out manufacturers/models/year for safety.

DH has just sold his three year old Golf. Last year, the list price was £19000. He sold it for £24000.

loads of people here who need to get a grip. A well maintained car should last you 10-15 years and spending 15k does not guarantee longevity. Also bear in mind that ICE cars will be become restricted as will the early hybrids.
Two ways of going about this - buy and run a car into the ground or regularly upgrade with small top ups - but you need something that holds it value. I am in the former camp and will keep my car as long as takes although mine has held its value and I only spent 6k on it (low mileage diesel family car)

I think it’s unreasonable to be critical of what people choose to spend their money on, whether it be a high end car or whatever. There’s a kind of inverse snobbery about having the cheapest car for as long as possible. What’s wrong with spending the money you have on what you want and need.

People spend thousands on high end holidays. I’d prefer not to. Or expensive shoes and handbags. Maybe I want something that’s comfortable and suits my needs. Maybe someone else wants whatever is cheapest. We’re all different

@IhateAntivaccers

Some people never grow up and obsess over "finishes and tyres " like teenagers despite being middle aged. All it takes is a vandal in a supermarket, a dodgy garage, an accident, freak mechanical issue and your cash goes up in smoke.

I dont care about status symbols, if people want to spend 15 k on a look at me car as they drive down the road with no one giving 2 hoots fair enough. You can get reliable cars for under 2k , what else is a car for other than transportation. Id prefer to spend the cash on other stuff

You seem very disgruntled. Perhaps not giving another thought to people buying a car they like and you think is a waste of money would be better for your health.

Oh dear, I can’t really add to this but am now getting very worried about replacing our cars when the time comes.

We have a 2004 Toyota Corolla Verso bought 2008 for 6k and a Honda Jazz bought 2011 for 7k. DS was at Nursery when we bought the Corolla and we said we hoped it would see us until he is 18 which he is later this year.

I just spent £20k on a 19 plate large car with 6500 miles on the clock. It was quite cheap for the car.

I've just spent 35k in cash on a car.

@IhateAntivaccers

Some people never grow up and obsess over "finishes and tyres " like teenagers despite being middle aged. All it takes is a vandal in a supermarket, a dodgy garage, an accident, freak mechanical issue and your cash goes up in smoke.

I dont care about status symbols, if people want to spend 15 k on a look at me car as they drive down the road with no one giving 2 hoots fair enough. You can get reliable cars for under 2k , what else is a car for other than transportation. Id prefer to spend the cash on other stuff

Its a long way down from up there.......

"Also bear in mind that ICE cars will be become restricted as will the early hybrids. "

Sorry to be stupid, but what do you mean?

I bought an 08 grand picasso 6 years ago for 3,500 - I think it has a few (3 maybe 4) years left. We are able to do a lot of the basics ourselves and generally buy spare parts quite cheaply at the moment. One cost to consider when aiming to not run a car into.the ground is the readily available spares. My husband's (classic) car is actually ok for that but some older cars become harder to.replace.

@ProudPolyGradSingleMum

You’re unlikely to get a car to do you 15 years if you spend 7.5k

I bought a polo 10 years ago for 7.5k. It was 3 years old in 2011. Won't be big enough for you. I'm about to trade it in, as we also need something bigger, and a 3 year old bigger car (T-Roc etc) are all 15k.

Just sorry 17K on an Audi convertible. Love it - money well spent.

If you want something to last 10-15 years and it's already 2nd hand then you are looking at higher end cars - Mercedes,Audi, VW, Volvo.

[quote AnotherEmma]The Scala wasn't available when I bought my Octavia, but it's what I'd get if I was buying now. Nearly new for £13-£15k apparently.
www.whatcar.com/skoda/scala/hatchback/used-review/n22548[/quote]
15k got us a brand new Scala this year. It’s fab.

i paid 2 grand for a toyota celica that lasted 5 years, beautiful looking car that often got compliments and didnt break down once in that 5 years- crazy posts on here
The first car we had as a married couple was a brand new H reg celica. It was beautiful. We had it until 2nd dc came along and really got awkward getting having toddler and a new born in the back, so we bought a sensible 4 door car . We had it 7 years in all, and got our moneys worth out of it.

@FourTurnings

Just sorry 17K on an Audi convertible. Love it - money well spent.

Perfect convertible weather, enjoy!!

@Oblomov21

"Also bear in mind that ICE cars will be become restricted as will the early hybrids. "

Sorry to be stupid, but what do you mean?

I’m guessing ICE = internal combustion engine. New petrol and diesel cars will not be sold from 2030, only electric cars and some hybrids, probably plug-ins. So worth bearing in mind that the government will be trying to wean us off petrol and diesel cars over the next 15 years when choosing a car.

YANBU

i upgraded from a 2004 corsa a 2015 Ford fiesta titanium with extras as a treat for myself this year. I love it. Its actually became a family car and is very low mileage. It cost around 7.5k. My husband brought a car at the same time for 24kish. Its obviously a much more expensive brand and he loves it but I have no doubt mine will last longer and is more durable. His is 2012 and his dream car. He loves it, I wouldn't drive it and wouldn't be able to put our dogs in it! Tiny boot and just couldn't justify fur in a car that price x

£35K for a new Galaxy - large 2l and better than most that claim 7 seats but 2 are only for little children!

£15 for a reasonable second hand car.

Less than that for a scrap car