AIBU Husband wants new car

[beaniebutter]

Want to make sure i'm not being scrooge here...

Husband texted me just now, 'brother said he can sell me his range rover, going to have a call later to discuss', and sent me some photos.

Ummm...what?!

I asked where he's magically going to find £30K,40k (i have no idea how much it would cost?) for this shiny 22 plate(!) range rover. He said that he and his brother and would work something out.

I feel like i'm living on a different planet right now. We literally just bought a house, which used up 90% of our savings.

We have under 10K(!!) left for emergency savings, and are building on this every month. I meticulously track our savings, and record our outgoings. Our savings are currently in my bank accounts.

This is the best bit...he can't drive yet (is having lessons), and has somehow decided discussing to buy a range rover was an entirely logical and sensible idea?

We have a nice Ford, few years old, no problems, nice reliable car. I bought it outright.

Lastly, he has some debt which he is paying off, so is literally in NO position to even be thinking about this or some kind of loan, which i would obviously object to.

He is a high-ish earner so could probably get one quite easily, but I hate loans and would rather make sure we have a comfortable nest egg before any big purchases.

AIBU? I'm in disbelief.

He's gone quiet now, but no doubt he will be pushing for it later when he comes home.

He's a lovely guy, but often lives in lalaland when it comes to finances. Sometimes it makes me feel like scrooge.

In defence of your DH he probably didn’t expect that his brother was trying to scam him into paying over the odds for an insurable theft magnet. He probably let himself be led in a moment of madness by thinking his brother would be giving him a great deal he’d never get otherwise. At least he’s seen sense and now realised it’s a terrible idea. Good resolution OP.

Also it goes up once you pass.

I insured my husband as a second driver on my 10 year old Yaris. Adding him whilst learning added £400 and once he passed it added another £200. It’ll be even more as he is the main driver but a bit less for you as you’ll have access to 2 cars.

(Admittedly I live on the edge of London and I think my insurance is high due to the fact that I am surrounded by said landrovers.)

They are shit cars, all fur coat and no knickers, style over substance. I test drove one two years back and plumped for a merc instead. The best you can say about them is they are pretty. That’s prob why he’s trying to get rid.

Yup I agree they have fragile egos.

How much is a tank of fuel? How much are new tyres? How much for insurance if no no claims bonus? That should all help him realise 'by himself'

25% off for full time employees who have been there a year. You can get a little more off if you’ve been there a long time.

@beaniebutter

Apart from all the other sensible comments - diesel, ULEZ, insurance and the fact he can't even drive. Do you live deep in the countryside where mud and snow etc are a huge problem or would this be for mostly urban driving? If the latter then why would he want a Range Rover. These SUV's are becoming increasingly unpopular and their drivers considered show off dickheads.

A friend from the Essex area just got rid of his - they wanted £3000 a month for insurance. I made him repeat himself several times before that sank in!

I had a "fleet" of 6 personal vehicles at one stage and wasn't paying that a year combined.

On top of tax and insurance has he considered tyres, servicing, repairs etc. They are going to be expensive.

Range Rover bills come in at ridiculous Range Rover sized prices. It's "Range Rover Tax".

If he thinks because it's a 22 plate, it will be ultra reliable, he can think again.

i doubt he’ll be able to get insurance on a powerful car without having been driving with a full license for at least a year. I only passed eight years ago and struggled to get insured on our Nissan Qashqai until a year in FFS!

Sell your Ford to insure it! Nah

A quick Google on a well known online dealership suggests £40,000 to 50,000 for four year old model. Add tax, insurance, fuel and servicing and you will need mega money. He needs to adjust his expectations.

Second hand RRs are plummeting in price atm and as someone else has said insurers are not a fan of them currently

He may not be able to get insurance at all in a 4X4 straight after passing his test.

Back in the day my insurance declined it until I had two years driving experience post driving test.

This is because they are hard to manover and park, and inexperienced users overestimate their capability, so they are involved in a lot of accidents.

Second hand RRs are plummeting in price atm and as someone else has said insurers are not a fan of them currently

Having just sold mine, that wasn't my experience and I got more than I expected. My insurance last year was around £500 with a £500 excess (with Aviva Zero). There are plenty of insurance companies who won't insure them though.

I didn't think I'd miss my RR Sport as it was in the garage so much but my new perfectly nice BMW isn't in the same league. It feels quite cheaply made by comparison (which I didn't expect). Appreciate this isn't exactly a pressing world issue though.

I probably wouldn't buy another just because of the reliability. But I'd 100% recommend the JLR warranty - they're really good at paying out (and coughed up for a nice courtesy car for several weeks from Enterprise).

(New to me, not brand new)

Cars are merely depreciating heaps of metal from the moment you drive them off the forecourt. NEVER STRETCH YOURSELF FINANCIALLY FOR A MOTOR. The posing and cruising novelty soon wears off when you need to find the funds for regular services, high insurance (as he will be a new driver) and fuel (greedy engines).

Please, tell him to get rid of his debts and earn the money first to buy a car you don't need..

I honestly would be worried my DH was that delusional. As you say you’ve just bought a house which always uses far more money than budgeted for with all the extras. Then factoring in he hasn’t passed his driving test and wanted a Range Rover!.?

But at least you’ve now got the measure of his brother. I would find it difficult to also have a cordial relationship in the short term with the brother going forward who has suggested something so ludicrous as well.

I remember being with a friend in her range rover when it needed filling up , many years ago. I could not believe that she was putting £60 into it, about three times what it cost to fill my little Citroen. I had no idea you could spend that much in a garage in one go, so lord knows what it would cost now.

No offence but your husband sounds like a moron. Sorry I do not have any more constructive advice.

Who in their right mind thinks to drive a RR as their first car...

Do you think this 'sort something out' could be anything in the way of finance, which would surely still be a lot?

I've been driving for around twelve years and recently bought an immaculate second hand 1.6 Diesel with low mileage for £6.5k with 2yrs warranty. Unfortunately haven't got any no claims as I wasn't policy holder on last and that's costing £500ish on insurance. £20 tax. Full tank other day was £70 and I got 420 miles before having to refill which don't think is too bad considering live in the country will lots of hills.

He needs to buy a sensible car for his first then look for something else down the line once he has experience but you don't need to spend insane amounts.

No wonder his brother is trying to offload his car quickly. This was a diesel.

Range Rover fire which sparked Luton airport car park collapse comes six years after Land Rover destroyed Liverpool's Echo Arena car park - and six months after 4x4 recalls
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12619137/Range-Rover-fire-sparked-Luton-airport-car-park-collapse-comes-six-years-Land-Rover-destroyed-Liverpools-Echo-Arena-car-park-six-months-4x4-recalls.html#:~:text=Investigators%20believe%20the%20blaze%20was,have%20hit%20six%20million%20watts.

Ask him to check insurance quotes for it. As a new driver it'll be astronomical, that might put him off, but he may feel obliged to help his brother out....

A friend has one, 2 yrs old low mileage, bought it from an approved dealer with a warranty. In the year he’s had it it’s been back in at least 6 times for mostly expensive and lengthy investigations. Total dud. It’s spent as much time in the garage as it has on the driveway and they won’t take it back.

Two other friends have the small model that look like a giant has sat on them. Both admit they saw RR as a status symbol and would never buy another because they are “a bit shit”. Not sure why but as experienced car owners they don’t seem to feel they are good value at all.

If his brother works for JLR, he will have got a MASSIVE discount on it, you he’s
probably making money off your husband.

He’s probably selling it cos it’s a woman’s car. Make sure your husband knows it’s the ultimate TOWIE shopping cart.

I don’t think it was a good idea but why are you annoyed? I think your husband is allowed to suggest a large purchase, he said let’s discuss. You say he has a high income and people do and always have bought cars on finance, it is not the heinous act you might think. He suggested something, you discussed, you pointed out the pitfalls, he listened, agreed and dropped the idea. So no, I don’t see why you are annoyed.