AIBU to buy a new (to me) car in current situation?

[itsonlyaradish]

I am torn between a feeling of lifes too short and if I want nice things I should have them, but a more practical feeling that it's an unnecessary liability.

I don't drive that much, I WFH so driving is mostly local plus a 400 mile round trip journey twice a month. I have a practical diesel car which is a real workhorse, I got it cheap, it's done 130000 miles, costs me under 500 a year to keep on the road (new brakes, tyres etc but the engine is great) my insurance is fairly low. It's nice to drive but it's 12 years old and lacks bells and whistles - no cruise control, no bluetooth (though I have got a plug in thingy which does the job), no parking sensors etc.

I see all these fancy cars on the road, with automatic boot openers, and all kinds of added extras and think I'd like something that was just more fancy than the sensible car I have now.

That said, I don't want something too big that I'm struggling to park it anywhere, or so high end that I'm worrying its going to get stolen or damaged. And although I could afford something better, I can't help feeling its a waste of money and I'm just falling into the trap of wanting shiny, flashy things for the sake of it.

If you were me, would you stick with sensible practical car or ditch it for something 'better'?

anyone?

It's up to you really.

Go for it. Life is absolutely too short. Cruise control is brilliant for long distances and tbh at 130k miles you might still get another couple of years by which time you'll hate it. Let it retire gracefully and let a young gun take the strain. I'd also go for an automatic rather than gears, even less work!!

We are I should also say petrol heads and have a variety of vehicles. My favourite is my Suzuki Jeep as I like being a bit higher up and I feel more secure than in my sisters cute but flimsy mini.

Work out how much it'll cost in depreciation per year to upgrade and then compare to other things you might spend the money on. It's all about priorities really!

It depends on your financial situation? Can you easily afford it? Will it wipe out your saving? Will it involve you taking out a large monthly loan?

Get something better that you'd enjoy. Lots of great options. Download autotrader or something similar and see what comes up

If you can afford it, go for it! I don't work - my only daily trip is a 3 mile school run round trip twice a day. I bought a 6yo higher end car (Mercedes ML350 AMG Line) in December and I bloody love it. Has all the bells and whistles, goes fairly fast and looks gorgeous imo. It's not cheap to run or maintain, but I knew that when I bought it and it brings me joy when I drive it.

I say don’t do it. Classic lifestyle inflation. If you buy another car that is nice and shiny and much newer then you will want that again in a few years when it’s not so new and there are nicer things on the market.

You won’t get much money for a diesel car that’s done 130k miles anyway so you may as well keep it until it dies (or until it’s costing you more to run than it’s worth due to repairs etc)

Oh and it’s a definite no if it would involve you taking on finance or hire purchase etc!

I could have written your post OP as I'm in the exact same situation!

I can't be of much help really as I haven't made up my mind either. I also do a longish drive a couple of times a month and my little diesel isn't brilliant for motorway cruising - it's pretty fun to drive locally.

I'd like a bigger, fancier car - but mine is so reliable and I'm struggling to justify getting rid of it when it's perfectly good still.

Anyway - I realise that's no help! There's no wrong decision obviously - I think if you can afford it without having to compromise on other things or putting yourself under any financial strain then why not? Life is short!

I'd keep it. You know it and its foibles. Unless you buy a brand new showroom car, a second hand one will have stuff going on that you don't know about. Better the devil you know! My car is 16yrs old, held together with duct tape, has done 64k miles, I paid £700 for it five years ago and I still give it a little pat on the roof for starting when I turn the key in the ignition!

Go for it, I'm sure you'll love it. I get a brand new car every 3years. I don't do a lot of miles but I just love getting a new one and I can afford it so why not. Often don't even have to change the brake pads or tyres etc just basically service it once a year.

I bought this car 2 years ago for 1500, could probably sell it for at least 1k as despite the mileage it's super reliable and these diesel engines go on for ever (saw one for sale when I was buying mine that had done 300,000 miles!).

I could afford to get something new on lease, or spend up to 15k on buying something but then I think what a financial liability it would be and is it too much of a commitment? My dad always said a car is a depreciating asset and it's not worth buying something flashy, I think I have his words ringing in my ears!

I think it's a bit of envy on my part - one of my friends has a 20 plate Evoque, another has a brand new Audi (one of the enormous ones, Q7?). Oh, and others have Mercedes, Volvos etc. And there I am with my trusty old Vauxhall. No one ever asks me for a lift anywhere, although that perhaps should be seen as a positive :)

Do

Posted too soon 🤦🏻‍♀️

Do it. I just did!!!! No regrets.

The more bells and whistles, the more things to go wrong, IME. I've wondered about changing my 14yo diesel workhouse but it's so reliable I daren't risk it. It's the best car I've ever owned (and I've had a fair few) and I don't want to risk upgrading and ending up with a pile of shite.

I've just done the opposite. I've gone from a pcp deal on a shiny, reasonably new car and bought a 10 Yr old diesel with 157000 miles on the clock. I've been working from home since March 2020 and only running to shops and ferrying the kids to their clubs. I figured I'd much rather spend that £300 car payment on something better.

I did like having a shiny car but the one I've got now is nice to drive, fuel efficient and best of all if it doesn't get through its next Mot I've still saved myself money on car payments.

Don’t buy new, buy nearly new. You can still get the bells and whistles for a lot less money.

Do NOT do PCP. It’s such a scam and so bad for the environment.

If the budget allows - splash out and have no regrets or forever what if etc?

Your current Vauxhall is as you may imagine technically scrap value as old cars are worthless these days. However as a car for essential and basic personal transportation - it does the job, relatively reliable and low cost motoring. It’s by your own admission not particularly much fun nor spark joy but is rudimentary and fit for purpose in a no nonsense modest manner.

Don’t buy a new car to impress anyone but yourself. Keeping up with your friendship group and neighbours should not be dependent on the car you own and drive but more you, your friendship, character and frankly its more important what you have in the bank than on your drive. I don’t take note of judgemental types especially if you have sound financial firepower and no need to display it in a superficial manner.

Cars are obviously depreciating assets. That means you will lose money with an upgrade but the purchase price will be discounted for both new and especially more value with preowned.

Buy the car that suit your needs and also importantly add that little extra which sparks joy and pride which is difficult to calculate in hard cash terms. Look at cars that you find interesting and would imagine yourself driving, then do the online reviews research eg Honest John www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/ amongst countless car websites and get a test drive to see it in the metal and work out your budget accordingly. Obviously a “nice” new car will be pricey and basically £20k plus including discounts or £10k plus for a basic nicer older car. Don’t buy a cheapo banger as it could be a money pit for repairs and dangerous. You have a safe if boring car already so don’t buy something with unknown history (lots of mechanical and electrical issues can be easily hidden from the uninitiated!) ideally if budget suits you will need to consider hybrid cars as that should be the way forward to be permitted without detrimental financial penalties as many cities are taxing older cars out and new E10 fuels will soon come on tap etc. Electric will be the longer term option but not if you don’t have a drive for at home charging as infrastructure for electric vehicles is still in its infancy unless you buy a preowned Tesla.

Good luck and if you think you deserve a new shinny car with all the usual bells and whistles - then go for it but make sure you do the research and drive suitable cars first.

I am a petrol head and happy to help! I drive high end cars (silly big money cars) but started with modest cars initially at school as soon I passed my test age 17 and then university etc back in the day! My first car was a sporty Volkswagen Golf Convertible though as gifted by generous parents who brought all siblings their first car! Loved that convertible and had always driven a proper sports convertible ever since plus a Chelsea tractor family wagon. But don’t drive much these days as only for leisure drives and household chores.

It sounds like you don't have a need for a new car but a want. So will the car improve your life?
Is there anything else you could spend the money on that would improve your life more? Will the cost of the car be detrimental to your lifestyle?

For me buying a massive 7 seater so I can carry lots of passengers and stuff has been great. Well worth the cost.

Don't get too bogged down in it all either. You are allowed to want a nice car just because. Some people get very pious about how little they care about their car. That's great for them but some of us like a nice car.

@bridgetreilly

Do NOT do PCP. It’s such a scam and so bad for the environment.

Very sound advice! Only buy what you can afford to buy, tax, maintain and fuel plus a budget for out of warranty consumables depending on your mileage.

All financial products look attractive especially the “this will only cost you monthly payments of £XYZ” but actually very expensive rip off loan with silly interest rates etc. I never buy if I will be stretched financially and need finance. It’s a car which depreciates fast not a property which should have investment value! Why pay another equivalent of a mortgage on a car that you don’t need?!

These days in big cities Uber taxis are not too over priced and even some car club rental on demand schemes look a possible option for those who rarely drive as otherwise the car will be parked up depreciating and being taxed for little daily or weekly use.

If you can afford it go for it. I drive a 16 year old car which has a few problems. I can't afford to buy a new car and the insurance on it is really cheap I'm still a relatively new driver. I hate it so much if I had the money I would definitely buy something else. I'd be happy with something from around 2013. I'm so embarrassed driving around in my rust bucket but I don't have any other choice.