What car does everyone have and how much do you pay a month?

[greyfox82]

I have a second hand Fiat 500 X and pay £165 a month. I've had quite a few problems with it and am looking to get something else this month. I'm well aware my budget isn't great £200 per month, but just wondered what cars everyone has for this budget and if they are happy with them. I have a toddler, so would need to be four doors. Thanks in advance

Nissan Murano. I paid just under 5k for it a few years ago, so there’s no monthly payment. I do put a bit aside each month to cover maintenance (currently £75).

It’s relatively old (2008) but it gets looked after so it’s been very reliable so far.

@BarbaraofSeville I really appreciate what you're saying. I'm a single mother working full time and paying nearly £2k for nursery. I literally live in a field, so having a car is a necessity. Already working to a very tight budget as is, would love to break the cycle but not sure it's going to happen anytime soon. Appreciate the points you make though xxx

If you don’t have a lump sum, you’re better off taking out an interest free credit card. If you haven’t paid it off before the 0% interest period is up you can always do a balance transfer. It will cost you way less than finance, and you aren’t tied to the car. You can sell it if you don’t like it. Buy a shit car on finance and you’re stuck with it!

you don’t need to spend 20k on a second hand car. We spent 5k, you asked how much a car cost per month and even our cheap car brought outright costs me £229 per month all in capital cost over 10 years, tax, insurance, petrol etc.

2018 Ford S Max - bought cash from savings after putting £1k deposit on CC for S75 protection

Same here. Always thought it was better to own the car outright but realised its not always the case. I'm now HP and find it much better.

So maybe look at the juke on finance/loan etc now but aim to save for a car when DD is at school and hopefully you have a lot more spare money?

OP — have a look at the Fiat Tipo. They’ve never been very fashionable so the prices are pretty good value. And they’re really spacious inside. You’ll find it’s much roomier than your 500X. Not as stylish, mind!

We have a Corsa, £159 ish a month but took that out early 2020 so would be more for equivalent now I think. We've had a few Corsas, have one adult DC and one primary school and it suits us really well.

We also have a 9 year old Citigo which was about £3000 I think a couple of years ago. But teeny!

Also we've always had tiny cars so the Corsa feels big for us! I like that the back doors are short - good for putting kids in car seats in tight parking spots.

Mazda 3, I save up and buy outright. I don't do debt (go without until you can afford it was drummed into me from young only exception is mortgage and that's paid off now)

Bank loan is the way forward- I pay £360 a month for mine, but the finance equivalent is something ridiculous like £800 a month!

I do similar, but bought my last car, 1 series BMW, 12 years ago at least and I don't want to part with it! ... I know second hand cars are quite expensive so may keep mine til it's on its last legs ... tyres!

It can be cheaper to get a loan with someone like Sainsbury’s bank and then use that to buy a car rather than get car finance. If you don’t want servicing costs etc a pcp might be better for a few years.
I would research every option
I paid for my last car outright but the car I was selling was worth more but older. I’m saving £50 a month for maintenance/replacement but I appreciate I’m lucky to be able to do that.

17 plate Mercedes A Class, it's the best car I've ever had and I love that it's automatic. Pay £140 a month, it's good on fuel so £80 a month on fuel and I use it every day. £90 road tax a year.

Audi TT. I pay £0.00. I did it the old fashioned way and saved up.

Exactly this. I don't like borrowing money so I buy my cars outright from savings. I've had the current one for 8 years and won't change it for quite a few more (it's an SUV so handy for getting kids to uni and back).

We’ve just bought a Kia Niro hybrid 2021-we paid half cash £10k and borrowed the other £10k from nationwide - their interest rate was half what the car finance from the garage was offering. It works out £190 a month over 5 years but can pay off early. DH has had lease cars (on PCP) before and said he’d never do that again, although we found the garages push it

Ps - obv personal but I don’t mind borrowing for a car as you then have an asset (same as a mortgage). It’s not like borrowing for a holiday or wedding. Unfortunately not everyone can save up enough and we’d rather borrow and buy a very reliable and efficient car

Dacia Sandero is a good option for a limited budget. It's the "cheap" brand from Renault, so uses mostly Renault parts, just doesn't feel as modern as new Renault cars. But certainly within your price range. Lease deals seem similarly priced to the Fiat 500, Corsa, Toyota Aygo, etc.

MoneySavingExpert has good advice on car finance options. They recommend 0% interest credit card or personal car loan but also have info on the other options.
www.moneysavingexpert.com/loans/personal-car-loans/

In terms of what car to buy, Skoda is generally good value. I would look for a used Skoda Fabia. According to Whatcar you can get a good one for £6000-£8000.
www.whatcar.com/skoda/fabia/hatchback/used-review/n808

I could lease a brand new bmw or mini through work with very favorable rates but I don't

I have a ten year old Hyundai bought outright

The thought of having an expensive brand new car puts me off. I've seen other employee's cars get damaged and they have to pay for it

All cars do the same, they get you from A to B

I've never been materialistic

8 year old Peugeot 208. Bought outright when it was 3 years old.

No VED as emissions are so low. Easily knocks out 70 mpg.

I got it because it was cheap to run.

So far it's been very reliable. I do quite a high mileage. Whilst I work from home I do have to travel for work quite a lot. Also tend to drive quite a bit at the weekend.

It's consistently passed it's MOT with no issues. I have it services as recommended. Recently had to replace the tyres as they were worn.

My car is not a status symbol. I'm on a decent income, but I just can't see the point in spending money on a fancy motor. That won't improve my quality of life one jot. If money was no object though I'd probably have a 2CV or old VW beetle... that'd be sooo cool. So I'm a bit of a hypocrite I guess.

My 2014 Fiesta has a heated windscreen, I paid £7000 for it recently, it's lovely to drive and 5 door.

I've got a car.

But not in finance so pay 0.

Petrol costs are around £100 a month