You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Hello STW. Wife and I are looking for advice or thoughts on what might be the most sensible route here, as this is pretty much the first conundrum of this type we have come across regarding cars.. its come to a head today after yet another fault the wife has experienced whilst commuting this am. We just cant trust this vehicle to get from A to B now sadly. Car has been into garage probably 7/8 times since December costing us a pretty penny. Garage are a reliable outfit we have known for years, but... yeah its still costing us bomb at the moment.
Background: after several recurring faults caused by an engine overheat incident (belt snapped- engine survived mechanically but has caused grief since with electrical faults) our 2011 Peugot 308 petrol 5dr, 80kmiles bought locally second hand from an independent dealer we have a good relationship with has, we feel, come to the end of its time with us. It is our only vehicle and we are a young family with two girls aged 3 and 9 mo. Wife uses car to commute daily and I would say we probably do something like 17k a year mostly motorway and city driving. Money is an issue but a vehicle is vital.
Car is currently still being paid off on a loan with only a couple of months left on that loan (i believe in the hundreds not thousands left). We hadn't anticipated looking to change a vehicle for at least another year but this vehicle has become a huge PITA for us. Is it STW option its best to punt on the car, and pay off the loan as opposed to part ex on next vehicle? How straight do we have to be with the issues the car has had at that point? And is it moon on a stick territory to ask for what might be a good option for us and family? We do a couple of cross country tips for family reasons so more space is naturally a bonus. Estate? People carrier? Unimog? Things to ultimately avoid? Online car buying services worth it? Feeling a bit lost as you can gather... our budget isn't known at this precise moment, we have to do some sums, but its going to be closer to 6k than 60k...
sadly not in a position to buy new, so it will likely have to be SH again.
thoughts?
I would be reluctant to sell privately with faults if you are honest you will get sod all if not honest you will have irate buyer. Either we buy any car or trade in and do not mention the faults as the (professionals) can find them (more money for trade in than we buy any car) Plus if loan is against car you would need to clear this.
Have you considered leasing a car? Lots of great deals starting to show up on PCH rather than PCP, it’s becoming ever more popular to have a car payment rather than ownership. You would possibly find the payments not vastly different to that of a loan and would give you the added benefit of new car warranty etc. As for your old car, you should really declare the faults but many don’t when px. Many major dealer groups just dispose through auction now, smaller independents may try retailing again and as such you will be signing to say you are not aware of mechanical faults...which if can be proved you are ours you in a a stickier situation.
I should add quickly: Ethically, neither I or my wife looking to fleece anyone, we REALLY don't want the grief any more than this car has already given us- so declaring the issues wont be a problem. We are factoring low valuation into this. We just want shot of it at this point.
If you trade in just ignore the faults, it will be off to auction before the engine is cold.
Look at leasing? About 12 months ago I was looking and there were some brilliant deals on Seat Leon Estates. Under £300/month with 1 month up front and 18k miles.
There were cheaper deals too but I was looking at the reasonably powerful 1.8 FR.
I bought in the end as my mate was selling his car at the right time.
I wouldn't sell anything with issues privately unless I was totally honest about it, and therefore wouldn't get anything. But wouldn't tell a dealer/we buy any car etc anything, it's up to them to find the faults.
Any mot left?
Stick on ebay with an honest listing
We haven't considered lease options. I don't know anything about it when it comes to cars. The other thread about it has been interesting but i have a headache now reading it lol. Neither of us are particularly bothered about having the newest car on the estate, but not sure of any benefits to us going that route... hmmm.
I was told with trade in "We jsut don't care it's going to auction"
but not sure of any benefits to us going that route…
Hassle free motoring with a warranty and a known cost. If you don't care what you have you can find some really good deals.
How much has your current car cost you over 3 years? That will give you an idea of what monthly leases you can look at.
Trade it in OR honest listing on eBay or Gumtree. I sold a Touran at 180k miles with iffy turbo, clutch on way out, suspension needing doing (again) and dogiest bodywork going. Still got £1200 for it - and my description was brutal.
As above,
- how much can you afford each month?
- how much has current car cost?
Buy carefully, and it shouldn't be that much hassle at that many miles and age. Our last 6 cars have never broken down, only ever needed repairs, and most of them were reasonable, expected wear and tear. The Touran stands out as a few silly things went, that IMO were premature failures.
I personally find that for 17k a year, lease may be a bit steep, but at least you know it is reliable, fixed cost of owning for a couple of years.
I buy second hand carefully:
Galaxy - bought at 70k/7 years old and taken to 178k/11 years old. Cost a rear box on exhaust when we bought it, two suspension springs, one set of brakes, two wheel bearings and a thermostat, tyres, plus service including timing belt x2. Cost £7k, service costs around £4.5k, traded for £1300. So £9700 for 4.5 years / 108k miles. or £200/220 a month. Last 18 months it was all paid off, so only running costs.
Ibiza estate - bought at 3yrs/33k for £8k, now had it four years on 80k and it has cost....one set of brakes and servicing including one timing belt, tyres. Still worth £3k+, so perhaps £180/200 a month. It is all paid off - so only running costs now.
Yaris - bought by father for £6.5k as ex demonstrator new. Sold for £500 13 years and 135k later - cost one alternator, brakes, tyres and servicing in that time. Cost - @ £75 a month 🙂
You see you went wrong buying a Peugeot. Brother in law loves his French cars he's had all the brands but they always seem to develop electrical issues. Weren't Peugeot one of the first companies to do cheap leases directly. So it's not surprising that they only engineered their cars to last 4-5 years before something horrible went wrong.
If you do end up buying second hand I'd recommend going Japanese or possibly Korean.
Fiat Tipo Estate; 1-2yrs old, 10-20,000m, remaining 12-24 month warranty at £7,000>£8,500.
Ex-rental or mobility; always serviced on time and looked after.
If you go petrol, it's their tried and tested 1.4. The whole car is a parts-bin special. So all good solid kit.
I personally find that for 17k a year, lease may be a bit steep
I was surprised when I was looking that 18k miles was cheaper than 12k. I assumed it opened up another supplier that were a bit cheaper.
I was using Ling Cars for quotes, they were very quick and easy to deal with.
No real advice other than ..don't buy another Peugeot ..
"You see you went wrong buying a Peugeot"
only a matter of time before that appeared heh! Heard it all before to that end ( my wife is even French- i'll never learn...). FWIW, the car before that was also French coincidentally, not a single problem. Before the timing belt issue, this car has been no better or worse than any other I've known..but now its an issue.
Anyway, yes sums still very much to do but thank you for some of the tips re leasing. Something to look at maybe.
What is generally considered Low mileage anyway in 2019 for a second hand vehicle? is there such a thing really or is it too nuanced? is that even the be all and end all? Are references to Lings a meme or genuine... I don't know anymore.. btw, The Peugot was 31k miles when we bought it in 2015 at around 5 grand. I thought at the time that was low mileage for a 4 year old car.
Yes Lings is real, the website is mental, but there are real people that answer your questions.
Completely internet message based AFAIK.
right. I was aware of the catastrophe on here regarding Her/them when they crashed (metaphorically) into one of the forums ages ago. I'll be honest, it wasn't a glowing picture that painted.
I'm no mechanic ..but of more importance to me would be service history ..rather than mileage and perhaps something that had a bit of warranty left on it ..
7.5k a year when you bought the car would be considered low mileage ( at least from where I'm sitting )
Someone mentioned South Korean cars as a good choice ..Kia have a 7 year warranty on their cars ..but I'm not sure if that's transferable ?
Anyway...good luck with the next one whatever you end up choosing
I think spares cost on like of Kias are pretty steep.
I'd stick with Japanese as mentioned or pick your own reliable car -- everyone has a spectrum of their idea of a reliable manufacturer..
I'd have my Mk II Golf back in a flash.. 😉
No real advice other than ..don’t buy another Peugeot ..
Buy a Toyota or Honda instead.
When I replaced my car I PX's my smax. They literally didn't even look at it. In fact, I drove away with the spare key in my pocket, went back an hour later and it was already gone to auction. I don't they would have cared less if the wheels were held on with bluetac.
I would stay well clear of leasing, far too much agro.
High mileage and two small children, it will get beaten about and you will get stung when you hand it back. You will constantly be worrying about every little knock and scrape, just buy the best you can afford (2010 Mondeo in budget? Diesel ones are getting really cheap) and don't worry about it if keeping it long term.
No real advice other than ..don’t buy another Peugeot .. <This
I must have got the only 3 good Peugeot's Citroen's ever built my colleagues Audi's soon to spend far more time at the garage
Petrol Focus 1.6 is what my mechanic recommended to me for cheap and reliable.
4 good Peugeots. I have one too. No better or worse for the milage/age than the rest of my family's VAG cars.