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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To buy a new car?

44 replies

OrwellianTimes · 31/05/2023 09:28

Driving on motorway at the weekend my car started making a thumping noise, I had kids with me so didn’t want to take any risks and pulled off at next services. When I tried to drive on on A road the engine died.

Long story short, it needs a whole new engine. It’ll cost min £3,000 to fit a replacement reconditioned engine. We bought the car 9 months ago for £4,000 - it’s 10 years old, low mileage and one of the premium brands so very disappointed. I’ve found the same model/age for sale locally for £2,900 but no way would I buy this model again.

AIBU to think bin this car off and buy a newer one? A reliable car is crucial for my work, and I do quite a lot of miles with a lot of bulky equipment, so I’m thinking it’s time to take a loan and buy something much newer, looking at 3 year old or newer if we can find a good one. I need a really big boot space so larger cars aren’t cheap. It’ll be a stretch but we can do monthly payments but we don’t have £4000 sat about at the moment to fix this car. DH thinks we should fix it.

YANBU - take a loan, buy newer car
YABU - fix it

OP posts:
Original poster
OrwellianTimes · 31/05/2023 09:32

Oh and if it’s any relevance DH’s car is 11 years old and very high mileage but still going strong. We had a very tough few years financially with redundancy, started business and then covid wiped out all my income, back on track now but everything is so much more expensive!

OP posts:
Original poster
OrwellianTimes · 31/05/2023 10:53

Haha, anyone?

OP posts:
Dodo2023 · 31/05/2023 10:55

If you run a business is leasing not a better option? It wasn’t a Ford was it?

Mosaic123 · 31/05/2023 11:01

It might be worth getting a new engine if the rest of the car is OK. Can you pay a dealer of the brand to check out the rest of the car and give you an opinion as to whether other things are likely to be worn out, because on the face of it you would have an older car with a new engine for £3k which seems to be a decent decision.

Unfortunately used cars are crazily expensive. My little very basic low mileage car of now 13 years old is worth £1k or £2k more than when I bought it 5 years ago. It's totally nuts.

Original poster
OrwellianTimes · 31/05/2023 11:06

Dodo2023 · 31/05/2023 10:55

If you run a business is leasing not a better option? It wasn’t a Ford was it?

I’m a sole trader so it doesn’t work that way, I could switch to Ltd company though and that would help

OP posts:
Aaron95 · 31/05/2023 11:11

What is actually wrong with the engine?

Who quoted you the £3k to replace the engine? Was it a main dealer? If so try local garage as they may be able to get under that price.

user1497207191 · 31/05/2023 11:12

OrwellianTimes · 31/05/2023 11:06

I’m a sole trader so it doesn’t work that way, I could switch to Ltd company though and that would help

Show quote history

Limited company would probably be worse as you'd have benefits in kind tax on the car and fuel, which can be quite hefty.

Sole trader is actually better when it comes to leasing sometimes, especially if private mileage is a relatively low proportion compared with business mileage.

Get your accountant to crunch the numbers.

Rollercoaster1920 · 31/05/2023 11:15

I hate unreliable things. I'd get a new car. Possibly brand new? The Dacia jogger is 20k and you'd expect it to last over 10 years, so less than £2k per year. Your current car has cost you £4k a year.

New cars don't need an MOT for 3 years and come with a guarantee.

I never thought I'd but a new car but did 10 years back and it was a great decision. It was 11k so I feel I've had my money's worth.

Dodo2023 · 31/05/2023 11:18

We are looking at the Dacia Jogger or the one up next. I try to never spend more than 15k on a car and buy nearly new but in these times new is cheaper now anyway!

MaybeMaybeNotJ · 31/05/2023 11:21

I have an 09 plate. It's been soo reliable for 7 years, but it's now making me nervous. For the first time I've taken out a loan and bought a 19 plate. It feels the safer option. It's from a main dealer so has 12 months warranty too for peace of mind.

Original poster
OrwellianTimes · 31/05/2023 11:21

Aaron95 · 31/05/2023 11:11

What is actually wrong with the engine?

Who quoted you the £3k to replace the engine? Was it a main dealer? If so try local garage as they may be able to get under that price.

Big end bearings gone and taken out crank shaft. It’s also caused the breaks to fail. We took it to a garage our family have been using for years - not the cheapest but they do excellent work. Not taken it to dealer, it’d have to be towed and dealer is quite a trek away.

OP posts:
chupachucks · 31/05/2023 11:47

Take a loan and if you want something reliable look at all the Toyotas, see if you can find one in your price range.

Toyota now offer Toyota Relax for every single Toyota new and 2nd hand as long as your Toyota is less than 10 years old and has less than 100,000 miles / (15 years on the battery's for hybrids). They will give you 1 year extended warranty every single year after a service until it reaches 10 years or 100,000 miles.

That's the reason I always buy them especially for work, they are also ultra reliable.

user1497207191 · 31/05/2023 12:35

If you go for nearly new, then get something very low mileage. Some cars only a year or two old have been absolutely hammered, with 40/50k mileage - we've just been looking for the last few months and couldn't believe that very high mileage seems very common at the moment and very little with low mileage. It's not just the wear and tear on the engine, gears, suspension, etc., the interiors tended to be tatty as well (as obviously someone's been sat it in a lot to do high mileage).

I'd suggest you try to find main dealership ex-demos that are typically 6 months old and usually just around 2/3/4 thousand miles. You get a nearly new car that's run in and probably only driven by a car salesman or parts/service manager other than an occasional local test drive.

JohnnyYenSetHimselfOnFireAgain · 31/05/2023 12:36

chupachucks · 31/05/2023 11:47

Take a loan and if you want something reliable look at all the Toyotas, see if you can find one in your price range.

Toyota now offer Toyota Relax for every single Toyota new and 2nd hand as long as your Toyota is less than 10 years old and has less than 100,000 miles / (15 years on the battery's for hybrids). They will give you 1 year extended warranty every single year after a service until it reaches 10 years or 100,000 miles.

That's the reason I always buy them especially for work, they are also ultra reliable.

Exactly this, Toyotas are bomb proof. Try to steer away from German brands, they're not as reliable as you might think and cost a fortune when things go wrong. And they're as common as muck!

Original poster
OrwellianTimes · 31/05/2023 13:15

JohnnyYenSetHimselfOnFireAgain · 31/05/2023 12:36

Exactly this, Toyotas are bomb proof. Try to steer away from German brands, they're not as reliable as you might think and cost a fortune when things go wrong. And they're as common as muck!

Show quote history

It’s a German brand that’s died. I had Toyotas for years and loved them, I’ll have a look again thanks

OP posts:
SOBplus · 31/05/2023 13:17

Talk with an accountant, but is it time to go electric? With Government support they are 96% free against profits I believe.

supersonicspeed · 31/05/2023 13:24

OrwellianTimes · 31/05/2023 11:21

Big end bearings gone and taken out crank shaft. It’s also caused the breaks to fail. We took it to a garage our family have been using for years - not the cheapest but they do excellent work. Not taken it to dealer, it’d have to be towed and dealer is quite a trek away.

Show quote history

Perhaps you could ask at the garage for advice? If you've been using them for years, they should give an honest opinion rather than tell you to repair as obviously that would be a business for them

Soapyspuds · 31/05/2023 13:27

Big end bearings gone and taken out crank shaft. It’s also caused the breaks to fail

That does not make any sense. Even from a cursory Google search I have learnt that the big end bearings and crank and in the workings of the engine. How has that caused the BRAKES to fail?

Soapyspuds · 31/05/2023 13:28

Also were you checking your oil levels?

AlphaAlpha · 31/05/2023 13:30

Is it a mini? Well known for this kind of thing!

JohnnyYenSetHimselfOnFireAgain · 31/05/2023 13:40

OrwellianTimes · 31/05/2023 13:15

It’s a German brand that’s died. I had Toyotas for years and loved them, I’ll have a look again thanks

Show quote history

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

user1497207191 · 31/05/2023 13:58

SOBplus · 31/05/2023 13:17

Talk with an accountant, but is it time to go electric? With Government support they are 96% free against profits I believe.

Depends if a sole trader or a limited company. There'll still be private use add back if a sole trader and a small (but increasing) benefit in kind in a limited company.

Also worthy of note for other readers is that you don't get the cost against your tax bill, it's a deduction from taxable profits, so you get tax relief at your marginal tax rate, not all the cost back!

honeylulu · 31/05/2023 14:13

Is it a BMW by any chance? My husband's friend had one, not very old, well looked after. Engine blew up. Replaced engine with reconditioned one, less than two years later that also died. He says he will never buy another one! So if it is a BMW I would be inclined to say don't replace engine, replace car with a different brand! When my current very reliable but boring car (chevrolet) dies I'm definitely getting a Toyota or Honda next.

Shade17 · 31/05/2023 14:19

Big end bearings gone and taken out crank shaft. It’s also caused the breaks to fail.

Sounds very much like a BMW to me. Can’t see the link between engine internals and brake failure though.

Original poster
OrwellianTimes · 31/05/2023 14:22

Soapyspuds · 31/05/2023 13:27

Big end bearings gone and taken out crank shaft. It’s also caused the breaks to fail

That does not make any sense. Even from a cursory Google search I have learnt that the big end bearings and crank and in the workings of the engine. How has that caused the BRAKES to fail?

I have no idea how the brakes have failed - I’m assuming it’s another unrelated issue, but very odd to go at same time.

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