That spending circa £25k on a 2nd hand car is not frivolous

[Pipsquiggle]

Looking at replacing my 12 year old car which I have had for 10 years. When I bought this car it was about £16k

I am looking at buying another second hand car, probably a Mazda or Volvo so not a super premium brand. Looking around the £25k mark. Hopefully, I'll pick well and keep it for around 10 years.

My DH seems to think I should get a cheaper car around £16k again. He thinks £25k is too much.
Over the last 10 years our income has gone up a lot, we have lots of savings. Financially we are in a good position.

I am not sure why my DH is being stingy over this. He's not really into cars so probably sees it as wasted money.

YABU - listen to your DH he has a point
YANBU - £25k is ok as you can afford it and it's for a mid range car

After owning seven Toyotas, I read the hype and bought a small Mazda to replace my ten year old Yaris. The build quality was a disappointment and I got rid of it after five years as it was starting to feel knackered.

I paid £29k five years ago for an ex-demo Mercedes C300 with 100 mls on the clock. It still drives like new, doesn't have that unsafe and annoying touchscreen dash seen everywhere now, and I fully intend to run it into the ground.

To me, £25k is a reasonable sum to spend on a second hand vehicle, but not on a Madza. As pp said, get a Volvo instead.

Do you actually know anything about cars as this is nonsense!

Be careful that whatever you buy doesn’t fall into the higher rate road fund licence category. Even if the car is less than the threshold second hand, if it was over it as a new vehicle, you still have to pay the higher fee.

our 2nd hand Volvo a few yrs ago
was 20k and it was more than 3 yrs old! Cars are expensive these days!

7 years ago I spent £30,000 on a car that was two years old, still love it but when I’ve had it 10 years I’ll get a new one and spend about £30k again.

You should both agree big purchases OP . 25k is a lot, split the difference .
Marriage is about compromise

Completely get this. In a similar boat (actually, almost identical), and while our finances allow, I still feel horridly frivolous spending that amount.

But frankly, I can't find a car which is going to suit what we're looking for outside that budget!

I think YABU but I couldnt justifying spending that much on a car even if I had that money knocking around. However, I guess it depends on your lifestyle and finances.

Unlike other posters on this thread, I have only ever had a good experience with my Mazda. I paid 6k for my early 2010s Mazda Axela, and it hasnt cost me a penny in the two and half years I have owned it despite the mileage racking up.

Late last year we bought a 4 year old Volvo XC40 with 30,000 miles for £23k

Only regret is that Apple Car play isn't compatible in pre 2022 models, even with the add on, it's not perfect.

Otherwise, great car.

Until then we'd had Toyotas for years. Also great cars

We just spent £11K on an 8 year old Honda CRV and have been stressing about it so much that our health is suffering.

I can only dream of a 25K budget.

I think 25k is a hell of a lot of money to spend on a car, new or otherwise. You could get a car for a lot less so yes, it is frivolous inasmuch as frivolous means "not absolutely necessary".

This said, if you can't afford it, there's absolutely no reason why you can't get yourself something nice that you want.

However, as it is a big purchase, it is reasonable for your husband to want to discuss it first.

If you spent 16k ten years ago, why does he think you should only spend 16k now?

Clearly car prices have gone up in the last ten years, so for that same 16k you will be getting a much inferior car to your last purchase

Why does he want you to buy an inferior car (to your last one), it will be less safe, less efficient, less reliable etc etc

25k unfortunately isn't a lot of money for a decent late 2nd hand car nowadays.
I'd definitely go towards Volvo/Toyota/VAG rather than mazda though. I've had numerous from the VW group and loved each one.

Nobody can say as they don't know your earnings, commitments and savings. I think purchsses at this level need both your agreement.
I've just spent £45k on a secondhand car, prior to that most was £10k and significantly less for decades.

@allthemiddlechildrenoftheworld he drives an 11 year old for ford fiesta 😂he's had it about 9 years

Car prices are bonkers ATM!
All depends on what you need it for. I spend a lot of money on my cars but I do 400 miles a week so it’s worth it to me for comfort (and I get a car allowance from work) If I was only doing the school run I’d quite happily have another fiesta…

Depending on the size you’re after, £25k is a good amount. We usually buy 3year old cars and drive them for 10 years. Our old smax was £9500, which felt a lot back then in 2013. Cars cost more now. We replaced it with a top spec (one down from top as I don’t like leather seats) last May and paid £25,500. I’m really happy with it (although there’s lots of fancy things that could go wrong, but I’m ignoring that).

If you’re after a small town run around, £25k is a lot and £16k would probably get what you need/want.

In your position YANBU, cars have increased so much in price over the last few years, so you'll get a far worse car for the same price as you spent last time. Has rocketing inflation completely passed your DH by?

You also have savings, and keep your car for the long term, which is good. It's when cars are paid for with debt and/or people swap every couple of years or so that they end up losing money.

Neither of you are wrong. It's just different opinions. How you communicate and move forward is the important thing.

I wouldn't spend that much. We have the money but cars just aren't my thing. My current one cost me around £4k and I've had it since pre-covid. It's reliable and hasn't cost me much to maintain. Luckily my DH is on the same page as me.

I do think people need to get on cinch /auto trader and look at what £25k will get them nowadays. I am looking at cars that are a few years old, low mileage and a few extras e.g heated seats, preferably automatic

I'm surprised about the Mazda comments, that's my current car and I have to say it's been a great buy

Volvos are more expensive

I paid £16k for a second hand Audi A3 TFSI eight years ago. Still going strong. The only issue I’ve ever had with it was the battery going flat during lockdown. It’s cheap to run and great to drive.

Mazda CX5

Volvo XC40

Family SUV cars

Are you serious?! I bought a 10 year old VW golf for 5.5k 2 years ago, paid outright no finance. Very reliable car, if it does me another 5 years I'll be happy, I'll be keeping it until it's not financially sensible to repair. I can't understand people getting into £££ of debt just to drive a fancy shiny new car around

25k is on the higher end of expenditure, but if you can easily afford it don't see why there's any reason not to spend that.

we spent £40k on our car, no finance, but it is our only car. And we’ve had it for four years and will drive it until it falls apart. I wouldn’t spend as much as you plan to if you’re running two cars and if you need to use finance (?) and if you’re not both in agreement.