PCP or cash? In forty years, and 40+ cars and vans, it's always been cash or bankers draft/ cheque. Cash for anything under a grand... More negotiating power with the vendor waving a bunch of tenners around!
After stupidly losing out on the purchase of an almost perfectly specced car in August ( breakdown in communication with the dealer whilst I was overseas) I have now expanded my search to include two other options. It's looks very much like I shall be buying from a dealer because of my very specific requirements. My budget for the three options is between £16k & £21k, and I shall be running the vehicle for at least five years, unless I have a serious falling out with it.
I can buy at a moments notice if the correct spec shows up, and a price is agreed. Never having looked at these ' finance purchase plans' before, I know very little about them, but as a rule of thumb, if I intend to keep for an extended period, should I just stump up my own savings?
My options are, just in case anyone is curious by the way.... First choice a two+ yo 328 Touring, or a newer Leon ST estate, either the 280, or the lower powered 1.4 CoD 150 job, in anticipation of when I get a little older!
I think someone here has the latter engine in an A3 sedan. Any feedback would be appreciated.
Gracias
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Can't tell you why, superstition and ill informed prejudice on my part in all likelihood, but if I was spending what was to me, a substantial sum on a car to keep long term, I'd be more inclined to buy a BMW than a Seat.
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With a car finance plan, the seller of it has to make money, the backer/lender has to make money, and the car manufacturer has to make money.
So on the whole, buying on finance costs more over the full term.
But, occasionally, spectacular deals emerge with big discounts involved. Worth looking at the redemption price here, as taking the loan to get the discount and almost immediately paying it off can be the cheapest route to ownership.
If there are no special deals, 99% or more of the time, paying cash wins hands down. Although one dealer tried to convince me that a loan was cheaper than using my own money...
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>> Leon ST estate, either the 280, or the lower powered 1.4 CoD 150 job
I've got that engine and it's great IMO. Pulls from lower revs. Okay mine has a DSG box but it good. Again my opinion.
If your in the Manchester area anytime soon, I am happy to take you out in it.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Sat 26 Dec 15 at 20:01
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From what I read about modern Bob Marley's I'd be inclined to the latter or go very boring and buy a Lexus if you don't want too many issues. Low mileage and petrol makes sense. As for parting with up to 21k for a car....phew, but of course each to their own. Good luck whichever way.
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What is CoD btw?
150 BHP from a 1.4?
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Cylinder on Demand. It shuts down a couple of cylinders when load is light.
For that money I'd go for something I want rather than compromise. I'll guarantee within 6 months you'll regret dumping the six.
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It's not a compromise gmac. The 4cyl 328 has similar performance to the 330. I accept it lacks the sound and some smoothness, but the Leon 280 will outperform the 330 and having driven the Leon 1.4 150 in hatchback guise, performance was acceptable.
And after several years ownership I fancy a change to something more practical... Two elderly relatives will appreciate it, and I fancy the 280, a bit of a Q car. A 335 Touring would be even better, but my contacts tell me it has long term reliability issues.
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My own experience of new cars since 2009 tells me they really do not make them like they used to.
Quality is down and why not ? They are not made to last as there is no need for them to last. Average emissions have to be 95g/km by 2020, what's the point in making something which lasts a couple of decades when the legislators will have them off the road before 10 years if they can have their way.
Better off leasing, pay the minimum deposit and bin it after three years.
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>> My own experience of new cars since 2009 tells me they really do not make
>> them like they used to.
My experience of new cars since 1979 tells me thats not the case.
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With the exception of an Espace which I can only surmise was cursed, a Rover which was a bad joke and a Vauxhall which was apparently held held together with chewing gum and string, pretty much all the ( lots of ) other cars I've used and abused since the early 1980s have been really very robust.
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I comparing like with like back to back.
2009 Citroën C4 Grand Picasso 1.6 HDi EGS with 2012 Citroën Grand Picasso 1.6 HDi EGS with Stop/Start before the new model launch.
2004 Volvo S60 D5 Sport with 2011 Volvo S60 D4 R-design.
Looking at 2015 Toyota build quality and the plastic which frequently falls down from under the glove box onto the passengers feet, the automatic parking which can no longer identify a space I could park a bus in as a suitable parking space for a small family estate car.
I can't help but feel after years of reliable motoring ll might not be so lucky throwing up to £21k at something new. He might be better off spreading his bet across multiple cars over many decades to come. Happy to be wrong and he buys a car which lasts him from now until eternity if the authorities permit.
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Thanks for the offer rtj. I'm sure your A3 equipped with that engine has far better fit & finish than the similarly engined Leon which I test drove. I'm staying well clear of a DSG because of the length of time I anticipate keeping the 330s replacement. MPG is of little consequence given my low mileage, and I'm resigned to paying £290 tax on my current car, its small annual depreciation mitigating that cost.
We'll see what turns up. If nothing in the next few weeks, then maybe in March when I return from overseas. By which time prices could have firmed up on the ragtop.
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You could get a little trailer to put the relatives in, bolt a couple of seats in it of course and issue them with goggles etc. Only fair.
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I already have a trailer. Mini wheels and half decent suspension. And a quality detachable Westfalia towbar. It gets very little use these days, and is basically superfluous to requirements.
Probably the oldies riding in it would be far less scary than sitting alongside me in my younger days. Fortunately neither of the oldies have ever been nervous passengers. Good job too.
The £290 road fund tax equates to just under four pints a week at my local. Not worth bothering about when you think of depreciation on a new car.
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£290 is what in the grand scheme of things ? 97-ish pints of beer in your local, spread that over 12 months 8 pints a month.
Stick the cost of a couple of pints in a jar every Saturday and you have free road tax every year (man maths).
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I guess I might have another view ( if it was me I mean ) If I only did a few miles a year pottering about, I'm not sure I'd be lobbing a load of money at a new car purchase.
I'd probably just have a knockabout car. You can throw pretty much anything down a country lane and still have fun.
I knew a guy who treated himself to a new Lamborghini a few years back and then put about 3,000 miles on it in a couple of years of ownership, choosing instead to use another car to "keep the miles down on the Lambo"
Never quite understood his thinking on that one, but I guess we're all different and that was his choice.
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Trouble is, I've had an interest in cars since I was 8yo and my Dad used to drag me round garages tyre kicking before going to watch the footie on a Saturday afternoon. I might only drive 6K mikes a year at the moment, very little of it short trips, but I enjoy driving. I can afford to lose a couple of grand a year in depreciation, have no intention of buying new, and to be honest have spent more than that on airfares alone this year.. 20 leisure flights to date.
I'm getting on a bit, don't want any regrets whilst lying on the rubber sheets, and driving a 1.6 Golf Blue Motion would just make me miserable.
A perky mid sized estate would suit me just fine. And no matter how hard I look, I can not find a 330 Touring which is several years old and in the spec I would like.
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You've just missed what looked like a beaut on eBay. 330i Touring 52 plate. 120k up. FSH. Manual. I considered it, but couldn't justify another motor. It went for 3k. It looked very very decent and attracted quite a lot of interest.
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And the last dud I owned was a Saab 9000S, probably 20 years ago, which had terminal electrical faults and which sadly I was glad to see the back of. My dozen or so cars since have been very reliable, well screwed together, and mostly a pleasure to own.
Everything from a Polo 16V through several Subarus, an old Mazda 626 bought for £950, to my current chariot of choice.
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LL
When you come to get rid of the ragtop pse email me via the mods. My daughters 4 car garage seems a little under utilised at the moment. peferably before the prices harden up :)
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Legacylad, isn't there a case for hanging on to your beloved 330i, keeping it for 'best', and getting something cheap, say 10 years old but still good to drive, to ferry the old ladies about in?
A 2.0 petrol Focus for example, or a pre-2007 Honda Civic S (2.0 litres again), or perhaps an Audi A3 1.8?
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No. The last thing I need is two lots of tax, insurance, MOT, annual service, depreciation. Even if I had lots & lots of money I think I would still only run one vehicle. I fully intend to spend a lot of time overseas in 2016 whilst my health allows, and yes, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the 330, it's a low value gem, but I fancy a change after almost 6 years ownership.
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'Fancy a change' doesn't sound like a recipe for happiness to me, LL. What's it really going to get you? If you need to change for something with more room or accessibility, so be it, but it's unlikely you'll find something modern and affordable that ticks the same boxes as the 330 without costing you a great deal more. And if, as you've hinted, you have no long-term income but are depleting a finite pot, are you sure you're not chasing something that you can't really afford?
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>>'Fancy a change' doesn't sound like a recipe for happiness to me
Really? That'd be pretty much always my motivation for changing vehicles.
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I can afford it. And almost 6 years with the same vehicle is a heck of a long time for me. Even if there is nothing wrong with my 330.
I like different things in my life....visit different foreign places. Meet different nationalities. Try different foods. Drink different beers. Try a different car. Buy a different tent.
Variations on a theme....
Last edited by: legacylad on Sun 27 Dec 15 at 22:54
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Performance wise I am more than happy with the 1.4 turbo cylinder on demand VAG petrol engine. I don't get the official MPG figure but that's unrealistic. I get similar in my driving style to 2.0 diesels.
But I have the DSG variant and sometimes just build up speed gradually, more gradually than I occasionally did with the torque of a diesel. It accelerates with ease and picks up speed at say 60-70mph in 7th. But I know I can either make it kick down or change down manually to make progress.
Now a 280PS Leon is going to be much faster. But I don't need that. The A3 saloon is a good car IMO. Expensive in S-line trim with the options I selected.
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>> I can afford it. And almost 6 years with the same vehicle is a heck
>> of a long time for me. Even if there is nothing wrong with my 330.
>>
>> I like different things in my life....visit different foreign places. Meet different nationalities. Try different
>> foods. Drink different beers. Try a different car. Buy a different tent.
>> Variations on a theme....
>>
>>
Whatever you think you want hire one, if you can, for a few days. Yes, the latest cars can make the headline horses the cost being at the expense of refinement. You lose the effortlessness of the performance and feel like the car is working, in some cases very hard, to make the power.
You're not daft, you know what you want, just make sure you're not doing it at the expense of the smoothness you have become accustomed too.
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Thank you for the advice. Spending that money if does make a lot of sense trying out the car for 48 hours. But trying out a Leon 280, in any guise, for that length of time, could be problematic.
I had a fairly early start this AM. Picked up a friend who was running late, then had to make progress to reach the start point of a walk by 9AM. If you're not there, they leave without you, and as it was a very remote ( we saw no other walkers all day) part of the eastern LD fells, with no paths shown on the map, we had to get there.
The performance of the 330 was indeed effortless. Very little traffic around at that time and pressing on made easy work of overtaking non mimsers. I still have my licence. If I had overtaken an unmarked car it would be gone pretty soon!
Pootled back down the M6, Tebay to KL J36 at a steady indicated 70 (+35%). Several people whistling past at 120+ but refrained. Mostly.
It never felt strained, was well planted, some noise from the ragtop but not unduly so. I wonder how the 4cyl 328, with similar power outputs, would be in those conditions? Just wish I could afford a C63.
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Could be a first for me... - Runfer D'Hills
