"Cash" car buying dead?
"Cash" car buying dead?
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Discussion

I 8 a 4RE

Original Poster:

566 posts

270 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2019
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Is private / cash car buying over a certain threshold (say £20K) as good as dead?

Over 80% of new cars are bought on finance. Used car dealers advertise their finance more than the actual price of the car.
Wondering where that leaves private ads on PH where the seller obviously can't offer finance as part of a deal.

Does anyone still plough cash into a car, or are we all financing everything?

iphonedyou

10,406 posts

186 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2019
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If over 80% are bought on finance, does that not mean the remaining approx. 20% are bought cash?

SWoll

22,763 posts

287 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2019
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If the 80% only includes dealer finance like PCP I'd assume a lot of the remaining 20% are financed via a bank loan instead?

The biggest issue for buyers with high value private sale vehicles is a lack of protection/comeback I would have thought?

Richard-390a0

3,482 posts

120 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2019
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I'll still buy sheds for cash where I can potentially afford to lose it but high value cars I'd rather have the backing of a credit card / financial institution behind me if it goes tits up even if I can afford to pay cash.

troika

2,143 posts

180 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2019
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I sold one of mine privately last week. Thick end of £50K, very nice chap turns up as arranged, instant bank transfer done, no issues. This was preferable to a suitcase full of cash!

anonymous-user

83 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2019
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Bought all my cars for cash once I didn't need a loan (a proper old fashioned loan not PCP)
Still do. Can't bring myself to pay st loads of money for a car then hand it back.

Mind you, now I'm retired/not working I suspect I couldn't get PCP anyway

Hol

9,316 posts

229 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2019
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I just bought the wife a car for more than £20k using cash savings.

I do have the occasional lease and PCP car, if it is more efficient to use the cash for non vehicle purchases. House extension for one.

Jamescrs

6,345 posts

94 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2019
quotequote all
I 8 a 4RE said:
Is private / cash car buying over a certain threshold (say £20K) as good as dead?

Over 80% of new cars are bought on finance. Used car dealers advertise their finance more than the actual price of the car.
Wondering where that leaves private ads on PH where the seller obviously can't offer finance as part of a deal.

Does anyone still plough cash into a car, or are we all financing everything?
I still buy cars usually using a personal loan from a financial institute rather than PCP etc as I always buy used and get better interest rates, I know it's not exactly what your referring to but it explains how people may buy cars over £20k on private sales

ZX10R NIN

30,528 posts

154 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2019
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No it's not dead but with the incentives to take finance (dealer contributions/services etc) being offered what a lot of people do is take the incentives & then use their cash to pay off the finance within 14-90 days so they keep all the incentives, you still haggle over the price but just use your cash in a different way.

Roger Irrelevant

3,384 posts

142 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2019
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I'd be surprised if there was ever a time when anything but a tiny proportion of cars costing £20k+ (or the olden days equivalent), were brought without any sort of finance. It's pretty much a year's take-home pay for somebody on an average salary. I know we're going to hell in a PCP'd handcart due to the amount of debt people are racking up these days, but not many people will ever have had that sort of cash lying about and been willing to blow it all on a car.

DoubleD

22,154 posts

137 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2019
quotequote all
I 8 a 4RE said:
Is private / cash car buying over a certain threshold (say £20K) as good as dead?

Over 80% of new cars are bought on finance. Used car dealers advertise their finance more than the actual price of the car.
Wondering where that leaves private ads on PH where the seller obviously can't offer finance as part of a deal.

Does anyone still plough cash into a car, or are we all financing everything?
Why would you care what other people do?

Mercky

642 posts

164 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2019
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DoubleD said:
Why would you care what other people do?
He just does. Why do you care?

Pica-Pica

16,543 posts

113 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2019
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Roger Irrelevant said:
I'd be surprised if there was ever a time when anything but a tiny proportion of cars costing £20k+ (or the olden days equivalent), were brought without any sort of finance. It's pretty much a year's take-home pay for somebody on an average salary. I know we're going to hell in a PCP'd handcart due to the amount of debt people are racking up these days, but not many people will ever have had that sort of cash lying about and been willing to blow it all on a car.
Last three cars, over a span of 31 years, were all bought cash and all new. Bought with cash saved up over 10 years or so.

Dr Jekyll

23,820 posts

290 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2019
quotequote all
Roger Irrelevant said:
I'd be surprised if there was ever a time when anything but a tiny proportion of cars costing £20k+ (or the olden days equivalent), were brought without any sort of finance. It's pretty much a year's take-home pay for somebody on an average salary. I know we're going to hell in a PCP'd handcart due to the amount of debt people are racking up these days, but not many people will ever have had that sort of cash lying about and been willing to blow it all on a car.
People on average salaries tend not to buy £20k cars at all, £10k would be pushing it outside the PH bubble.

Mr Tidy

31,246 posts

156 months

Thursday 25th April 2019
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Dr Jekyll said:
People on average salaries tend not to buy £20k cars at all, £10k would be pushing it outside the PH bubble.
I thought PHers were mostly well-built company directors! laugh

I bought a pre-registered car in 2008 on my debit card for just short of 22K - mind you the interest-free car loan from my employer and the car allowance did help!

Ever since getting made redundant in 1992 and having to take my one and only company car back I made a point of avoiding company cars - PITA!

I'm much more comfortable owning what I have.

Roger Irrelevant

3,384 posts

142 months

Thursday 25th April 2019
quotequote all
Pica-Pica said:
Roger Irrelevant said:
I'd be surprised if there was ever a time when anything but a tiny proportion of cars costing £20k+ (or the olden days equivalent), were brought without any sort of finance. It's pretty much a year's take-home pay for somebody on an average salary. I know we're going to hell in a PCP'd handcart due to the amount of debt people are racking up these days, but not many people will ever have had that sort of cash lying about and been willing to blow it all on a car.
Last three cars, over a span of 31 years, were all bought cash and all new. Bought with cash saved up over 10 years or so.
OK that's three cars out of at least 40,000,000 sold in the UK over the last 31 years. I feel right daft now.

Edible Roadkill

2,228 posts

206 months

Thursday 25th April 2019
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Last 4 cars have been leased (PCH)

You really need to ask yourself why would I (or anyone) put cash into something that will depreciate quicker than it will cost as a lease hire over the period I plan to keep it for.

You’re essentially getting the same car & end result of having the car for a term but due to the buying power of the financier you are getting into it considerably cheaper.

I could cash buy, I choose not to. So yeah cash is dead on new - for me / for now at least.

Now if I was buying a second hand car car, something older, or maybe done it’s depreciating I’d probably buy cash. But even that’s debatable when you can get a personal loan for 2.8%.

Used car PCP car f.off, anyone thinking 12% on a used deal is decent whatever way it’s dressed up is needing their head examined.


Edited by Edible Roadkill on Thursday 25th April 09:28

PMacanGTS

467 posts

100 months

Thursday 25th April 2019
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Edible Roadkill said:
Last 4 cars have been leased (PCH)

Why would I put cash into something that will depreciate quicker than I can pay it off as a lease hire over the period I plan to keep it for.
That depends on what you buy. I bought a new Macan GTS in May 2018 for £62k, and I was offered £57k for it against another motor last week. Find me a deal where I could have financed/leased that for 12 months at £5k.

Prizam

2,447 posts

170 months

Thursday 25th April 2019
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Have purchased a 20k car in physical cash before, but that was quite a number of years ago. I sold it for physical cash too... about 10k. I have also purchased a 50k car in "virtual cash", aka bank transfer.

These days though, I don't ever really want to spend more than 5k on a car, "cash" or not. they just get trashed and I can't bring myself to spend the money on them anymore.

I would say that selling anything more than 2/3k these days is difficult, no one has any money anymore. and those that do, would rather put 3k down on a new car and pay £150 a month for a brand new car with a warranty.

Edible Roadkill

2,228 posts

206 months

Thursday 25th April 2019
quotequote all
PMacanGTS said:
Edible Roadkill said:
Last 4 cars have been leased (PCH)

Why would I put cash into something that will depreciate quicker than I can pay it off as a lease hire over the period I plan to keep it for.
That depends on what you buy. I bought a new Macan GTS in May 2018 for £62k, and I was offered £57k for it against another motor last week. Find me a deal where I could have financed/leased that for 12 months at £5k.
Of course there will be the odd exception.

Macan’s have held value very well. Probably nothing repeatable to that in its class though!?

Certainly the premium SUV I have on lease now could not be bought for anywhere near the leasing costs.

Maybe I’ve just had my fingers (wallet) burned in the past too many times on buying new so I’m quite heavily against it.