[Closed] Car leasing, anyone here do it??

Slight segue if I may...

I've always bought ex demo soggy barges (A6's, 5 series, v70's), paid cash and kept them for around 5-6 years. I like the initial warranty, condition and general 'tidiness' and clearly I'm not overly bothered about 'brand new'.

I've always assumed buying this way 'has' to be cheaper than leasing and as above, I have the asset if my circumstances change.

However, that overlooks the fact that lease Companies may be negotiating vast discounts (more than the initial demonstrater depreciation?) which is factored into the value drop over the lease term though presumably, overall depreciation will be the same however the car is 'bought'.

What are people's thoughts on the pros and cons of lease vs buy in this circumstance please?

There are some weird comparisons here. Bangernomics (sub £2k cars) is quite clearly the most cost efficient method of motoring. It's not without its drawbacks but it's not even remotely comparable with leasing a brand new car. They are opposite ends of the motoring scale.

[quote=chestrockwell ]Fine, but you'll have a second hand car with the associated maintenance. In any other area you'd expect to pay more for a superior product. A new car is superior to a similar second hand so will cost more.

I pay for servicing for my car - which as noted above probably costs me less than servicing on a leased car. Otherwise the £1k DMF I mentioned and a few minor things. You did notice the £3.5k spare in my calcs above to cover those? A new car is more shiny - a s/h one fulfils all the other functions of a car in just the same way. If you're happy to pay thousands a year for shiny that's fine.

I'm enjoying all the people insisting that second hand cars never go wrong while ignoring all the examples of second hand cars that have gone wrong.

As above, new cars go wrong - I'm simply suggesting it's extremely unlikely you'll get anywhere near £3.5k worth of going wrong in 3 years (based on a Focus, clearly that amount is related to the cost of purchase/lease - for my Mondeo it would actually be ~£4.5k over 3 years)

Not necessarily. On the face of it my old Focus would have been a great buy as it had been in our family from new and been fully maintained. It was almost spotless inside and out. The clutch would be obvious to anyone with half an idea but the other issues could easily be missed.

Your old Focus was 8-10yo? Not quite comparable with my examples - at that price point you take your chances and if you get a lemon you just get rid and buy another one.

Something isn't quite adding up with your figures -exactly what car did you pay £12.5k for at 3yo, which you can lease for £250 a month?

The old one whould need more spending on it (Tyres, MOT's, belts, etc) during the 5 years so that eats in to the £100 saved. Money well spent in my opinion.

£6000 worth of tyres etc.?

[quote=boblo ]What are people's thoughts on the pros and cons of lease vs buy in this circumstance please?

Just do the calcs - how much did you spend, how much could you get px after 3 years, how much is the lease. Should be fairly simple, I've done some imaginary ones above. Your method is probably the most expensive way of owning a s/h car, should still beat the leasing deals if not by as much (you are correct about their purchase costs, though I'd have expected still more than a demo?) - but you're in much the same position in terms of expected bills as those leasing for those worried about such things.

@aracer. That's my view. I think they come out pretty similar in overall cost, mebbies buying just noses it though there's upside in owning the asset and downside risk in the (hopefully unlikely) event of a big bill.

I know overall it's not 'cheap' but that's not the aim.

Something isn't quite adding up with your figures -exactly what car did you pay £12.5k for at 3yo, which you can lease for £250 a month?

1 Series Sport. 12.5k, 9k loan at £170pm.

Replaced with 1 Series M Sport. 2k down then £280pm. It's not on lease, it's PCP with option to buy.

£6000 worth of tyres etc.?

No, but as mentioned above I would expect to pay more for a better car.

I've got a lease, currently on a £34k car. Soon I will be swapping for a £39k car.

To buy the car on a normal loan over the same 4 yr period would be approx £750 a month + interest.

Currently I pay £340 pm for the lease with full maintenance and insurance. So that saves me approx £20k over 4 yrs, which would roughly of being optimistic what the car would be worth after 4 yrs.

To me it's hassle free way of driving a nice car.

I've done buying cheaper cars outright before, PCP's etc and my current lease is the nicest ownership experience so far.

Agent007 seems very tense.

No, but as mentioned above I would expect to pay more for a better car.

Yes but it's often not is it, it's just a newer car, not better? My 9 year old RS4 is probably better in almost every respect than 95% of all new cars on the road. Yet for what it has cost me to buy and run on a monthly basis over the last few years, it works out roughly the same monthly cost as leasing a brand new Vauxhall Astra, and that's with me doing roughly 15k miles a year.

I've been curious about lease vs buying 3 years old, so I did the calculations for a BMW 320d Msport, 20K/yr. I didn't spend too long looking for the best deal, but hopefully the one I used is illustrative.

Assumptions: Lease new on 3+35 @20K/yr. Buy 3yr 60K, sell 6yr 120K, finance 3yrs @3%

Lease 422.24/mo, 3(422) + 35(422) = 16,045

Buy 3yr old, 15K purchase price, 435.95/mo, 36(434) = 15,694
Sell 6yr old, 7.5K, 15,694-7,500 = 8,194 depreciation+finance

Add in MOT, VED, and maybe a clutch/flywheel to the older car for maybe 2K, and you're at about 10K. For simplicity I've taken the cost of tyres, brakes, batteries, etc to be the same over both periods. There's likely to be some additional minor costs in the older too, but I don't think I can accurately estimate them.

So the lease will cost you an extra 6K over 3 years, or about £167/mo, or about 62% more. Of course, change the variables and assumptions and you can get something wildly different. It's up to the individual to decide it the costs are worth it to him, but in my mind the costs aren't "comparable".

My son was just looking into buying a used car around £10k with a loan to replace a 10 yr old punto ,until he found this - https://www.centralukvehicleleasing.co.uk/vehicle/choose_your_lease/71909/mercedesbenz/a_class/a200d_amg_line_5dr.html
£130 pm with £2k down (sell punto) 8k miles a year, he likes the fact its a new car and does not have to have a £10k loan over his head I kind of agree with him 🙂

yankee, I recently got a quite around £400/month for an m sport touring inclusive of tyres and maintenance. Of course the lease will cost more, but with the buy, at the end of the term you'd be driving a car with 120,000 miles on the clock compared with one with only 60,000. There will be a cost for that!

Careful that's not as awesome as an RS4.

Careful that's not as [b]awesome[/b] as an RS4.

Apparently not.

Ah, crossed wires. I thought you were hinting that agent007 was a "surfy" ex member.

Hahaha! That didn't cross my mind but see why you though that.

Yes but it's often not is it, it's just a newer car, not better?

Wrong. Our new car is basically a new version of the old but has more standard kit, inc nav and DAB. The ride has been improved, the engine is quieter and more efficient, the tax is less for slightly better performance and that's before you factor in it being new and not worn, scuffed, scratched, stained etc. It's a better car.

My 9 year old RS4 is probably better in almost every respect than 95% of all new cars on the road.

With the greatest of respect, the RS4 is not a great comparison as it's a different breed of car all together. What will a clutch cost you? A pair of tyres? Exhaust? Proper service?

I'm curious about leasing, but have a (well earned) reputation for being a bit neglectful with cars. What happens if you try to hand it back with a few scratches/dings etc? If, for example, you had an accident, would the repaired car be devalued on return to the leasing company?

Another one here who thinks comparing a lease to a S/H car is apples and oranges really, especially at 5+ years old.

Minor damage is acceptable but has to be minor. Accident damage you will have to repair either using insurance or paying for it through one of their recommend repairers.

[quote=chestrockwell ]1 Series Sport. 12.5k, 9k loan at £170pm.
Replaced with 1 Series M Sport. 2k down then £280pm. It's not on lease, it's PCP with option to buy.

So effectively £340 a month, ie twice what you were paying before.

It's hard to compare exactly with your figures, but if we look just at the headline rate (which is very favourable to the lease deal given the different terms), then you're paying £4k more for the lease over 3 years - presumably shiny is worth that much to you. Which comes back to people being prepared to spend a lot of money on very ordinary cars.

[quote=RichPenny ]Another one here who thinks comparing a lease to a S/H car is apples and oranges really, especially at 5+ years old.

It's a box which gets you places. A s/h one works fine at that - it's a perfectly decent apple. If you think it's an orange then you're placing an entirely different value on a car. BTW the pricing I did up there for a Focus you were reselling it at 5yo.

@yankee - your figures look much as I'd expect based on what I've looked at.

[quote=wrecker ]yankee, I recently got a quite around £400/month for an m sport touring inclusive of tyres and maintenance. Of course the lease will cost more, but with the buy, at the end of the term you'd be driving a car with 120,000 miles on the clock compared with one with only 60,000. There will be a cost for that!

For 20k a year, which is what his was based on?

A cost for a car with 120k on the clock? He appears to have allowed for a clutch/DMF and another big bill in his calcs, and given how well cars keep going these days 120k miles is nothing. I'm guessing those doing leases don't drive cars with that many miles so don't appreciate they don't actually feel worn out at that.

I really do get that some of you like the new car smell, but I think you're ignoring the real extra cost because you pay for it monthly. A lot of other more fun things to do with several thousand pounds.

Yep. They are the terms we need at work. There are some great deals on 3 series at present (I think it's because the new A4 is out).
A car [i]might[/i] be OK at 120k, but it will show significant signs of wear, some elecs will have failed etc and there is a fair chance that it will need some investment. Engines may be better equipped to handle high mileage, but it will still be a very used car. My 3 series has 65K on it, and whilst it's still nice it is worn.
I'm not for a second claiming that leasing makes sense for everyone, but in some circumstances it can be a good option.

Yankee is comparing brand new to a car that costs less of course the monthly payments will be cheaper and yes as he's buying he has the car left over for what it's worth. As said and you've kind of said it comes down to what you want. I want trouble free motoring a nice car, even if it isn't an RS4, the car is never mine but I like getting a new car. I like my cars, I like driving, I like driving in comfort and I like to know that each month that's all I'm paying out.

I got hit badly twice with 2 cars around 4 years old that cost me big bucks to fix, one came at a really bad time so it was a struggle financially and the inconvenience of not having the car. So I tried the lease on an 18 month deal they had at the time so if I found it rubbish it wasn't for long. I've not looked back the big thing was when my Dad took seriously ill a few years ago, I made several dashes to the hospital at various times of night and day. I spent hours at his side before heading home in Various times night and day, every time I knew the car wasn't going to fail me.

There's no real right or wrong answer it's down to preference and what you call an acceptable risk and loss.

With the greatest of respect, the RS4 is not a great comparison as it's a different breed of car all together. What will a clutch cost you? A pair of tyres? Exhaust? Proper service?

Servicing the fueling the RS4 isn't cheap for sure. It's on 90k miles now so haven't yet needed a clutch or exhaust but last set of tyres was £480 all round - that's for Goodyear Eagle F1's, and a general service around the £3-400 mark. Occasionally it's needed more expensive stuff doing, e.g. a cambelt approx £700, brake discs and pads, again approx £700 all round for genuine Audi stuff.

Yet comparably, if you break down the cost of running the car over the last 3 years plus any depreciation (which has been minimal) then it works out about the same monthly cost as if I was to do 15k miles a year in a brand new leased Astra/Golf/Civic (insert any other basic, bland uninspiring Eurobox here).

I'm not trying to slate car leasing full stop as it can suit some people, just pointing out that for the same monthly cost you could either have something so much more exciting, or if costs are important, save your self a packet by just forgoing the lease and buying yourself something a few years older.

Sadly it seems that saving up for something you want is old fashioned now. Appreciate that once you go down the leasing route then it's very difficult for you to break the cycle. This is exactly where the car manufacturers want you as a consumer, tying people into expensive 2/3/4 year financial commitments, after which they still don't have the money to buy outright so it's onto another 2/3/4 year deal.

With car's it's clear that a DAB radio, parking assist, satnav, bluetooth compatibility, a white paint scheme, keeping up with the Jonses and other pointless gubbins etc are far higher up peoples priority list these days than how the car actually drives, feels, handles or performs. People seem to value 'new' over 'good'.

LOL. No offense agent007, but someone who drives a 4.2L petrol car which gets, what 20mpg? shouldn't be criticizing what others look for in a car!
Don't get me wrong, it's very nice but in terms of efficiency it's a bit of a relic!

For some reason it reminds me of that STW member who stood as a green party candidate, despite having a penchant for souped up subaru WRXs!!!!
It's not the same, but that always makes me chuckle.

LOL. No offense agent007, but someone who drives a 4.2L petrol car which gets, what 20mpg? shouldn't be criticizing what others look for in a car!

Not just me then? 😆

Nice cars though.

Don't get me wrong, it's very nice but in terms of efficiency it's a bit of a relic!

Yep about 21mpg average but it's already been manufactured, and hence is now much more environmentally friendly to keep it on the road than to jump on the bandwagon and buy some supposed Bluemotion Eco VW that does (with cheat box installed) an alleged 60mpg!

[url= http://www.theguardian.com/environment/green-living-blog/2010/sep/23/carbon-footprint-new-car ]Carbon Footprint of a New Car[/url]

So all you car leasers upgrading to a new model every 2/3 years are actually doing more damage than you think.

So all you car leasers upgrading to a new model every 2/3 years are actually doing more damage than you think

Mine was already manufactured too.

Yep about 21mpg average but it's already been manufactured,

So all you car leasers upgrading to a new model every 2/3 years are actually doing more damage than you think.

His RS4 magically appeared no one had owned before hand so he could get it just appeared used one day out of thin air.

Guys, think whatever helps you justify your own case but it's a well known fact that car leasing has massively artificially increased demand for new vehicle production, with the side effects of clogging up residential streets with parked cars (putting people off things like cycling) and effectively making many older vehicles obsolete way before their design lifespans. It's waste and consumerism at it's worst!

New car production if you actually bothered to read the link I posted is a very major contributor to CO2 production. Still if it means you get a shiny new motor every 2/3 years then who cares about the planet right? I've had the RS4 for 4 years already and can't see me replacing it in the foreseeable future. A sideline environmental benefit of me having a car that does 21mpg is that it makes me think twice before using it to drive anywhere I could possibly drive/cycle or take the train to. That can only be a good thing.

Guys, think whatever helps you justify your own case but it's a well known fact that car leasing has massively artificially increased demand for new vehicle production, with the side effects of clogging up residential streets with parked cars (putting people off things like cycling) and effectively making many older vehicles obsolete way before their design lifespans. It's waste and consumerism at it's worst .

Ah! They're all lease cars are they? Ok.

Yes I read your emissions thing. So where do these lease cars that clutter the streets vanish to at the end of the lease?

this got really weird.

Ah! They're all lease cars are they? Ok.

[url= http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/oct/08/why-britain-cant-stop-buying-new-cars ]Vast majority of them yes![/url]

hire purchase is not leasing. If anything is to blame for any uptake in car registrations, as that article says; it's cheap credit. That applies as much to used as it does to new.

So it blames PCP in that article which isn't a lease, yeah you were wrong.

Ive just signed up to a leased car as I have a new job that means I need to provide a car no more than 5 years old (car allowance). I've also just had another baby so need something big that will fit 3 car seats in. Usually I hunt out a really good secondhand buy and have done pretty well over the years not get no stug for much depreciation or repair bills. I was looking at a Honda Accord 3-4 years old, mostly around 10-12k out of warranty, so quite a punt. I just put a cluch in my 10 year old civic at a cost of £1000 😯

The value of leasing depends massively on the car you are after. I wanted a Subaru Forrester of Levorg, but would have been £600+ per month leased. I ended up with a Nisan X trail (decent spec) for £300 per month. PCP on this would be £450 per month and £6000 up front. If I wanted to own the car at the end I would have had to pay what it was worth.

In this instance leasing is a no brainier. I've gone for a 2 year deal as by that time I won't need something so big and apcan go back to normal estate cars. Also a Subaru Levorg will be about 25% of its list price.

Forgot to mention, no much cop is you do more than about 15k per year.

[quote=tom200 ]I've gone for a 2 year deal as by that time I won't need something so big and apcan go back to normal estate cars.

😆

(BTW my Mondeo will fit 3 car seats)

Looked at a mondeo, it was more of a faf then my civic. Good car otherwise through.

I can't get off my street (on the bike) due to leased cars clogging it up.

How am I'm going to ride my bike to work too as I've been put off cycling by renting a car specifically setup for low yearly miles because I ride more than I drive? I also hate leaving my capital in the bank too - and can't stand the lack of breaking down, servicing and mot's. I really have a problem with no VED and newer more fuel efficient engines and modern safety in new cars.

The 3 year warranty is a bind too as is the free breakdown cover - it's a very frustrating driver experience.

Not to mention having a car with no wear and tear from the off - I want the good old days back. I also hate having a new car every 2-3 years based on my circumstances - that's the sort of flexibility you could do without. I miss the used dealer lads too - what a friendly bunch all looking out for your best interest, or scouting autotrader only to be spoiled by choice of perfectly well looked after vehicles in fabulous condition after you've driven 150 miles to check them out.

I'm almost convinced.

. I miss the used dealer lads too - what a friendly bunch all looking out for your best interest

That Lingcars site is hilarious. Putting a button on your webcam page that lets you play The Proclaimers at their Scottish employee is not what you'd expect from someone in that line of business.

Apparently he doesn't like it for some reason. 🙂

I can't get off my street (on the bike) due to leased cars clogging it up.

I hate not spending lots of money every year paying for a lease. I hate having a s/h car which is exactly the same model as I could have got new on a lease, so just as safe etc. I hate having a lot more money left in the bank after 3 years. I hate having a car at the end of those 3 years which I don't have to pay anything more for and can just keep driving.

It's a pity you don't hate being a bellend

i really love paying for a shiny car to sit on my drive when i cycle to work. really makes the jones' curtains twitch.

or as a colleague found - living in fear of his new Q7 being dinged as he would have to fix it before hand back

There are some bitter people on here today.

[img] [/img]

Would you not fix a dinged car anyway? Nobody wants to drive around in a dinged and dented POS do they?

Well hello occasional poster, thanks for your contribution to the thread. Are you not feeling satisfied by your leased 1 series?

"Would you not fix a dinged car anyway? Nobody wants to drive around in a dinged and dented POS do they?"

Why ? they all end up in the scrap yard at the end of the day ..... its transport from A - B. Means i dont get strung up in carparks when someone knocks it with a trolley or a door...... or my mate sticks his bike against it post ride.

I used to have pride in my car - then i realised that no one else gives a shit so its easier just to have a car i dont care aboot. My old golf went from mind to shitter in about 3 months thanks to carpark asshats - thought id moved to paris overnight to be fair.

[quote=wrecker ]Would you not fix a dinged car anyway? Nobody wants to drive around in a dinged and dented POS do they?

There speaks somebody who buys cars on a lease because they place intrinsic value in a car beyond something with wheels which gets you from one place to another. As discussed recently on another thread, it's actually quite good for the blood pressure to not be all that bothered by a minor scrape.

It's not like I've bashed my car into anything, but I'm unfussed by car park dings, or indeed when mrs aracer scraped the side against a post.

Why ? they all end up in the scrap yard at the end of the day

There speaks somebody who buys cars on a lease because they place intrinsic value in a car beyond something with wheels which gets you from one place to another.

I used to have pride in my car - then i realised that no one else gives a shit so its easier just to have a car i dont care aboot. My old golf went from mind to shitter in about 3 months thanks to carpark asshats - thought id moved to paris overnight to be fair.

*However* I can still understand why *some* people prefer to drive a newer car. You are not right and they are not wrong. They are just different opinions.

[quote=wrecker ]No there does not speak somebody who leases cars actually.

Oh, so you're not actually currently getting quotes and arranging one as discussed upthread? You have spent a lot of time advocating it and knocking down the alternatives for somebody who doesn't do it.

Same goes with houses, I could probably reside in a smaller house but I like having some space.

Yeah, a smaller house is a prefect analogy for a s/h car - or at least it would be if you could only get big cars on a lease and small cars s/h.

What bike(s) do you own out of interest aracer?

I own what was a top of the range bling machine when I bought it (26" wheels though 😥 ). Which cost me less than the difference between what I've paid to own my car for the 4 years I've had it and what it would have cost for a 3 years lease (even if I scrapped it tomorrow). Which is kind of my point, well done for helping with that - I could have had a shiny car, or I could have had my car which is less shiny but has done just as good a job of getting me to CyB, Afon etc. Well a better job, because with my car I have a shiny bling bike to ride when I get there rather than having to walk.

[quote=johndoh ]*However* I can still understand why *some* people prefer to drive a newer car. You are not right and they are not wrong. They are just different opinions.

I've never said they are wrong - but there has been a lot of spurious justification of the financials on here by people who seem to want to ignore how much it costs to do that.

Oh, so you're not actually currently getting quotes and arranging one as discussed upthread? You have spent a lot of time advocating it and knocking down the alternatives for somebody who doesn't do it.

I own what was a top of the range bling machine when I bought it (26" wheels though ). Which cost me less than the difference between what I've paid to own my car for the 4 years I've had it and what it would have cost for a 3 years lease (even if I scrapped it tomorrow). Which is kind of my point, well done for helping with that

beyond something with wheels which gets you from one place to another

This thread came along at a handy time. I've just passed my test (at the tender age of thirty four)and have been umming and ahhing about whether to buy or lease.
I have no interest in cars or driving, and would happily potter around in a battered eyesore. The things that are leaning me toward a lease are the idea that I could get a tiny practice car for a couple of years to get the hang of driving and develop a no-claims, and after a decade of lost sleep thanks to the perpetual problems with my elderly house I just want the worry-free option. As noted above, paying a premium so that I don't have to pray the thing works when I turn it on, or have to go through the rigmarole of second-guessing dealers/mechanics is fine by me.
Trying to keep the thing in a nice enough state to hand back is a concern in itself though, I don't like the idea of becoming the kind of person who cares about appearances. Especially when the kids'll occasionally be in it, I'd rather not be getting tetchy over chocolate stains on the ceiling etc.
Driving's shit, I'm not enjoying any of the experience.

[quote=wrecker ]

beyond something with wheels which gets you from one place to another

Well no, it's quite clearly not, because most of us ride round in circles.

The bike I use for transport is cheap and tatty.

Well given that we always end up where we started from, our driving is the same, no?

I get in my car at one place and out of it at another - is that not what you do? Lease cars for driving round in circles then.

Something tells me aracer didn't get Steak for tea last night.

I get in my car at one place and out of it at another

Oops, sorry just realised you wrote "bikes". Well also a road bike with Campag Record, a bling TT bike with DA and a Cannondale tandem (plus a few more). The total cost of which is less than I've saved running s/h cars rather than leasing. I suppose it's possible I've wasted money which might have allowed me to afford both, but I don't think so. In which case for me at least it's a complete no brainer to run slightly older cars (none of which have left me stranded at the side of the road since my first banger over 20 years ago, and I've already mentioned my biggest ever bill) and have a fleet of nice bikes. Clearly other people have different priorities.

I like nice underwear.

[quote=wrecker ]How do you get home?

I can think of a couple of occasions where I've run. Though I note that I don't always drive to or from home and I've also kayaked back to where my car journey started. I'm not sure of the relevance of my personal transport habits though.

[quote=bearnecessities ]I like nice underwear.

TTIWWP

I like nice underwear.

I lease my underwear on a four-monthly basis. Not looking forward to the handover inspection.

Clearly other people have different priorities.

[url= http://bikemagic.com/news/bike-leasing-expensive-bikes-cheaper.html ]Lease bike for your lease car ? [/url]

I buy top of the range underwear none of that bland euro rubbish, I get it with the money saved by not buying a new bike for 18 years.

I've even sky dived back to my bike.

Something tells me aracer didn't get Steak for tea last night.

No pudding I reckon 😀

It's an interesting debate. I've always driven bangers and treated RAC membership as additional insurance if I can't dig myself out of trouble. However, work is now moving 20 miles up the motorway and suddenly the idea of driving a 15 year old 205 for three days a week on the M4 doesn't appeal .. don't get a car allowance, what to do?? Lease whilst almost certainly not financially advantageous seems a way to balance a bit of risk out, but I'm struggling with that against a personal loan and buy outright. For context I don't like streaming vs. owning so it's as likely to be about me as the deal itself.

[quote=Drac ]I've even sky dived back to my bike.

Did you drive to where you started the sky dive then?

Did you drive to where you started the sky dive then?

Of course as that's where I left my bike.

[quote=brassneck ]I've always driven bangers and treated RAC membership as additional insurance if I can't dig myself out of trouble.

The funny thing is, some seem to be portraying me as a banger driver, when my last 3 cars have been newish when bought (one from a main dealer), and only one ever got to the point of being a real banger. I've had breakdown cover, but since my first ever car which was all I could afford and I got rid of over 25 years ago I've only used them following prangs (most recently it was me that got pranged - couldn't lift my left foot of the floor when sitting down, so get them to recover me and my fully functional car home).

Had a look at leasing before Xmas, when the mighty Mondeo spluttered its last. Had x amount (about £180/m) to ply the dealers with.
Come away with a year old Focus on a PCP deal, £500 down & a few grand to buy it at the end. Wife happy, her & the kids are in a something modern & safe.
(I cant imagine there are many that aren't safe these days).

I was happy to adopt our ageing Galaxy as my bike bus come caravan hauler etc.
Late 1.9 TDi, no dmf, happy to chug around on short journeys. 🙂

That bike leasing things looks a bit daft when there are so many 0% finance deals around.

I can't wait until I can lease a 3D printer that downloads me a different car every day.